Polycom Announces Scott McCool as New Chief Information Officer

Brings 25 years of IT leadership experience to help continue company's focus on improving operating performance Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) today announced that Scott McCool was promoted to the role of Group Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. He is now responsible for Polycom’s global Information Technology (IT) organisation and prioritising the company’s IT spend to investments that deliver the greatest value. McCool reports to Chief Accounting Officer and interim Chief Financial Officer, Laura Durr, who is responsible for managing all financial, accounting and IT functions at Polycom, and is focused on driving efficiency as Polycom looks to accelerate its momentum in the market.

McCool has more than 25 years of experience in building and managing IT organisations. McCool joined Polycom in July 2013 as the company’s Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Security Officer.

“We are excited about this expansion of our leadership team,” said Durr. “Scott brings significant experience in technical leadership roles, having managed technology solutions addressing complex business problems for a broad range of organisations, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to government agencies, large private companies and more. Scott is a great leader who is helping to drive Polycom’s future forward as we refine customer solutions designed to improve operating performance and profitably grow the company.”

“Polycom’s global team of IT professionals is comprised of the industry’s leading collaboration experts. They are passionate about developing new and innovative ways to leverage video, voice and content collaboration solutions, alongside our other IT investments and business processes, to make Polycom more competitive in the market, more efficiently operated, and a more engaging place to work,” said McCool. “It is a thrill to have the opportunity to lead that team and to help deliver that expertise and experience to our customers as they seek to build their own collaborative environments.”

Prior to joining Polycom, McCool directed global infrastructure engineering at Brocade, launching innovative designs and leveraging Brocade IP, storage networking and software-defined networking (SDN) solutions. Scott holds a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems, a Master in Business Administration, and numerous IT certifications.

Video Conferencing for HR Professionals:A global survey report

New analysis of a recent global survey conducted by Redshift Research on behalf of Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) has found that HR executives who use video at work today say they will prefer video collaboration over email as their top method of business communication within three years. The majority of those respondents (56 per cent) indicated video would be their most preferred method of business communication, surpassing email (49 per cent) and voice conference calls (32 per cent).

Proving that the benefits of video for HR functions are well understood, the survey of business decision makers in 12 countries revealed that almost all (98 per cent) of the HR executives participating in the survey believe video conferencing removes distance barriers and improves productivity between teams in different cities and countries.

The survey also showed that video is becoming more pervasive for Human Resources teams across the globe. When asked to choose their preferred methods of business communication today, HR respondents ranked video conferencing as a top-three tool for communications, placing third (46 per cent) after email (88 per cent) and voice/conference calls (62 per cent). Other methods of business communications these HR executives said they use included Web conferencing, instant messaging and social media.

The views of the HR professionals polled are supported by Aberdeen Group’s 2013 report on video talent acquisition that found 32 per cent of organisations were investing in video interviewing, compared to 21 per cent of organisations in 2012. The top three reasons identified by Aberdeen for this growth in adoption were:

·         To reduce travel costs
·         To shorten the time to hire
·         To reach geographically dispersed candidates

“Advancements in technology and telecommunications are allowing organisations large and small to operate seamlessly from anywhere,” said Mollie Lombardi, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Human Capital Management, Aberdeen Group. “HR leaders require a new understanding of how technology can help them bridge geographical boundaries and rethink their talent strategies to take full advantage of a broader talent pool.”
Vanessa Mauree, HR Director of French retail chain Alain Afflelou is already seeing the benefits of using video during the recruitment process.

“I interview candidates for positions all over the country. I cannot make a decision from a telephone interview; I need to see the person to make a good evaluation but flying all candidates to Paris is too costly. Video interviews are ideal, and allow me to see more candidates. A good video interview is as effective as an in-person interview,” said Mauree.

Beyond recruitment, video is also enabling organisations to implement flexible work environments. This is proven to increase productivity, can reduce employee time spent commuting, and can increase staff satisfaction and loyalty by allowing employees to have more control over work-life balance.

“Not only does video help to improve the quality and depth of our talent pool and reduce recruitment and on boarding time, but it also helps to ensure retention of top talent by providing easy access to development programs and the enablement of a flexible work environment for employees,” said Daniel Sonsino, Vice President of Talent Management at Polycom. “While improvements in recruitment, training, retention and flexible work are measurable and visible, the intangible benefits of video collaboration are just as relevant. Improving trust, increasing productivity, enhancing cross-cultural understanding and forming more effective teams are all areas where data can’t show the value – it must be experienced first-hand.”

Voice, video and content collaboration is impacting many facets of the HR function, including retention, engagement, and training. Video conferencing, video recording and video asset management helps organisations overcome diminishing training budgets, minimise scheduling and travel conflicts, and prevent the loss of knowledge through attrition and retirement with easier, more frequent collaboration and on-demand access to training and knowledge. The ability to record live training sessions and playback later for people to view at times when it is more convenient for their work schedule allows for more cost-effective delivery of training content and efficient re-use of training content.

“As a unified communications and collaboration provider, we practice what we preach when it comes to using video collaboration tools to improve productivity and keep employees engaged,” said Sonsino. “Around the world, 100 per cent of Polycom's employees are equipped with tools like video conferencing for conference rooms, laptops and mobile devices, which supports a flexible working environment.”

Dimension Data Named Polycom Partner Of The Year For Third Consecutive Year

Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified collaboration, has named Dimension Data as its Global Systems Integrator of the Year.  In addition, the Group received Polycom’s System Integrator of the Year for the EMEA theatre, and Partner of the Year: Benelux awards.
Polycom honoured partners during TEAM Polycom 2014, the company’s annual partner conference, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from 11 – 13 February 2014.  Partners recognised honourees based on execution, performance, customer success, business results, and overall commitment to co-developing innovative solutions.

"In an ever-changing and rapidly evolving market place, it’s critical to have partners like Dimension Data who can help us meet our customer’s complete business needs with transformative solutions,” said Mike Conlon, Vice President of Worldwide Channels, Polycom. We congratulate Dimension Data and look forward to supporting their continued success.”

Adam Foster, Dimension Data’s Group Executive, Communications said, “The System Integrator of the Year award recognises partners who exhibit expertise in consulting, integrating managed and advanced services, as well as developing innovations around Cloud.  We are extremely proud that Polycom has recognised us for the third year in a row for our excellence in execution.

“Dimension Data has invested heavily to grow its global reach and ensure that Polycom solutions are delivered globally.  In addition, we placed a strong focus on growing our sales accreditations and technical capabilities. Today, we deliver a complete Microsoft and Polycom Lync solution which includes all hardware and software, on-premise or via the Cloud.  These, combined with other strategic initiatives paid off, and as a result, the Group doubled its revenues for the second consecutive year.

“From a client perspective, we’re seeing more organisations demanding integrated unified communications solutions: from the network design, ROI assessment, management of the stack, to ongoing adoption services.  Dimension Data delivers all this on a single invoice to all geographies around the world,” said Foster.

Dimension Data is part of the Polycom Partner Network. The nearly 7,000 members embrace and extend Polycom's open standards-based video collaboration solutions to deliver comprehensive UC&C solutions for the enterprise, as well as applications to support a growing number of use cases across vertical industries such as healthcare, education, government, manufacturing, financial services, media and entertainment. As part of the Polycom Partner Network, technology providers, ISVs, solution advisors, integrators, service providers, and other companies can work with Polycom and each other to deliver tailored solutions for the multi-faceted needs of today’s organisations.

About Dimension Data
Founded in 1983, Dimension Data plc is an ICT services and solutions provider that uses its technology expertise, global service delivery capability, and entrepreneurial spirit to accelerate the business ambitions of its clients. Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Group. www.dimensiondata.com

About Polycom
Polycom helps organizations unleash the power of human collaboration. More than 400,000 companies and institutions worldwide defy distance with secure video, voice and content solutions from Polycom to increase productivity, speed time to market, provide better customer service, expand education and save lives. Polycom and its global partner ecosystem provide flexible collaboration solutions for any environment that deliver the best user experience, the broadest multi-vendor interoperability and unmatched investment protection.  Visit www.polycom.com

New Portfolio of Polycom Video Solutions

With the goal of making it easier to buy, implement and use video collaboration technology, Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) today unveiled a new portfolio of video software, services and hardware solutions that provide organisations of all sizes more access than ever before to the benefits of enterprise-grade video collaboration. These new solutions, which focus on simplified video delivery and new or updated video environment options, are being showcased at TEAM Polycom 2014, the company’s largest partner event of the year.

Video Delivery Options that are Easy to Buy, Implement and Manage
Organisations can choose from new, flexible video delivery options, including hybrid and on-premises video, depending on the option that works best for their business models and budgets. All of the options include the same benefits for which Polycom is known: exceptional user experience and enterprise-grade levels of interoperability, scalability, reliability and security. New RealPresence Platform options include:
·         Virtualised collaboration through a subscription: Polycom® RealPresence One™ is a new, comprehensive offering including RealPresence Platform software and services for video, voice and content collaboration, available on an annual subscription basis. This is an ideal solution for customers who want to implement voice, video and content collaboration solutions in their organisations for the first time.
·         Virtual editions of individual RealPresence Platform components: Polycom® RealPresence® Platform, Virtual Editions: individual components of the award-winning RealPresence Platform are now available as virtualised software that runs on industry-standard servers in existing datacentres. Polycom RealPresence, Virtual Editions are ideal for organisations who want to optimise, streamline or expand their existing video networks, and will work alongside hardware appliances, for a seamless, hybrid network.
To help organisations get greater value from their video collaboration investments, Polycom now offers new, value-added services that provide system performance and utilisation analytics, new user adoption assistance to drive higher levels of video collaboration usage, and preferred access to expert technical support.

Video Devices, Apps and Systems for Organisations and Budgets of All Sizes
Whether employees are in the office or on the go, organisations can maximise productivity and improve human connections with video collaboration solutions that are easy to use and available in packages and configurations that are designed for almost any business model or budget.
·         The New Polycom® RealPresence® Immersive Studio™ is the next-generation of immersive collaboration environments and makes an ideal think-tank for the meetings that matter the most, including creative brainstorms or crisis management sessions. The flexible configuration lets users see content on any of the large displays in the studio, and support for BYOD lets users share content from mobile devices like tablets and laptops. Support for the Polycom VisualBoard virtual whiteboard also lets users engage in interactive note taking on critical content such as business documents, CAD drawings, blueprints or maps. Watch the related video for more information.
·         Laptop, desktop, tablet and smartphone video users gain more features and capabilities such as Polycom VisualBoard content sharing and document annotation from the iPad on Polycom® RealPresence® Mobile v3.1. Polycom® RealPresence® Desktop v3.1 now includes IM, presence Polycom SmartPairing™ for room system control and content sharing.
·         Bringing the power of keyword search to video, Polycom RealPresence Media Manager v6.6 will integrate with technology from RAMP to make video content searchable, similar to the way that users are accustomed to looking for keywords in documents and on the Web (see the related press release). Polycom RealPresence Media Manager is an automated software solution that lets organisations capture, manage, deliver and access video content, like lectures and seminars, from any source to any device. Polycom developed the open integration approach for media analytics solutions and services through documented APIs in Polycom RealPresence Media Manager.

Quotes

“We needed to change the way the University of Tasmania competed in the market and specifically how our students and teachers collaborate, learn, and conduct research,” said Jeff Murray, CIO, IT Services, University of Tasmania.  “We were very impressed by the highly innovative solutions proposed by Vantage Systems and Polycom. The broad Polycom portfolio integrated seamlessly with our UC platform to deliver a flexible collaborative environment to meet our needs, including fully immersive video studios, high-definition video walls, advanced content annotation, and other flexible learning environments.”

“We know that video collaboration makes organisations more successful and productive, and that it is a critical tool in getting work done together better and faster. Today’s solutions and offerings deliver the value of video to more people through the easiest and most accessible methods for buying, implementing and using video collaboration,” said A.E. Natarajan, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Engineering, Polycom. “Our focus has always been about meeting the needs of organisations and making our customers successful, and that’s why our innovation never stops.”


“The value of UC, and the benefits that voice, video and content collaboration solutions bring – including increased productivity and faster decision making – are well understood by organisations,” said Jim Lundy, CEO and Lead Analyst at Aragon Research Inc. “The new challenge for UC vendors is determining how to make it easy for an organisation of virtually any size to buy a collaboration solution, make it work with and fit seamlessly into existing environments, and drive user adoption to realise a faster return on the investment. Polycom is taking a bold step that addresses this challenge head on, offering multiple options for an organisation to procure, implement and launch enterprise-grade video in ways that best meet their needs.”

“Many people want to bring video collaboration into their organisations, but have put off doing so because of the cost of entry or limited configurations for setting it up,” said Pepper Fernandez, CEO of Solutionz. “Polycom gives us the most complete, flexible portfolio in the industry, making it easy for us to help more organisations design custom enterprise-grade video collaboration solutions that best fits their budget and business goals. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Availability
Polycom RealPresence One and Polycom RealPresence Platform, Virtual Editions, are available and shipping in select countries worldwide today. Polycom RealPresence Media Manager v6.6 will be available in February. Polycom® RealPresence® Immersive Studio™ is available and shipping in select countries worldwide today. Polycom RealPresence Mobile v3.1 software application for smartphones and tablets is available today as a free download from Apple iTunes™ and from Google Play. Polycom RealPresence Desktop v3.1 is available for download at www.polycom.asia.

About Polycom
Polycom helps organisations unleash the power of human collaboration. More than 400,000 companies and institutions worldwide defy distance with secure video, voice and content solutions from Polycom to increase productivity, speed time to market, provide better customer service, expand education and save lives. Polycom and its global partner ecosystem provide flexible collaboration solutions for any environment that deliver the best user experience, the broadest multi-vendor interoperability and unmatched investment protection. Visit www.polycom.asia