The What: Kaptivo, a company that produces cameras and software to transform any whiteboard into an online collaboration system, has released Kaptivo Self-Hosted—winner of a 2018 AV Technology Best of Show award at InfoComm 2018—and Kaptivo HDMI. These additions expand its portfolio of whiteboard cameras, which attach to the top of any whiteboard, automatically saving images and securely sharing content in real time via livestream to any web browser on any device or via video conference integration.
The What Else: The need for comprehensive collaboration tools coincides with the increasing demand for technology-powered offices and classrooms. Despite the availability of videoconferencing systems and interactive displays, the traditional dry-erase whiteboard has remained a preferred ideation tool for enterprises and educators alike. Although standard in nearly every organization, whiteboards have proven inadequate when remote sharing and digitally saving content are needed.
Employees and educators often attempt to save and share whiteboards using phone or web cameras, which produce poor-quality images that show glare and obstructions. Alternatively, they try to use costly interactive displays that require training, apps, and special pens. With Kaptivo, individuals can realize the full potential of digital collaboration using their existing whiteboard while integrating seamlessly into approved corporate technology and security policies.
“The release of Kaptivo Self-Hosted and Kaptivo HDMI underscores our commitment to customer-centric solutions,” said Nic Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of Kaptivo. “We have listened to AV consultants and network security managers to provide solutions that best suit the needs of the market. Our expanded portfolio enables us to better serve organizations with strict security policies or those looking to integrate new technology with legacy video codecs or lecture capture systems.”
The Bottom Line: The on-premise Kaptivo Self-Hosted is well suited for organizations looking to improve collaboration through whiteboard archiving and sharing while accommodating strict security policies that restrict access to cloud services. No traffic leaves the corporate network, and no internet access is required. The whiteboard camera system sits securely within the network, keeping valuable company IP under the control of IT.
Kaptivo HDMI streams any whiteboard directly to any HDMI-capable display, videoconference codec, or lecture capture system. It’s designed for educational institutions and enterprises that wish to integrate whiteboard livestreaming into dedicated video systems.
Kaptivo Enterprise is available now for $995, which includes the Kaptivo hardware and three-year cloud service (SaaS) license. There will also be options to purchase SaaS in one and five-year increments. The availability of Kaptivo Enterprise will precede the fall launch of Kaptivo Education, a whiteboard image capture device to enhance visual learning and enable student collaboration.
