HP Aims to Simplify Unified Communications Deployment

HP today announced two new offerings that aid in the rapid adoption of unified communications solutions from Microsoft and Polycom. The new offerings include HP AppSystem for Microsoft Lync, a turnkey platform designed to expedite Lync deployments, and a customizable HP and Polycom Rich Media Communications solution for video and collaboration.

Although many organizations are deploying Microsoft Lync, not everyone is embracing it. One reason is that internal staff lacks expertise or can dedicate time to deploy UC. Another issue is it is too complex to integrate into existing systems. Furthermore, the IT staff may even be unsure is their current network will support UC reliably. Other issues include needing to connect to legacy PBX (Private -Automatic- Branch Exchange)s, scalability, need to deploy in virtualized environment, and wanting to integrate high-end telepresence systems. Along these lines, many corporations stick with what they have or play the waiting game, looking for a provider that offers a soup-to-nuts solution and will back it up if things break.

Attractive option to help increase collaboration

"Unified communications is an attractive option to help increase collaboration and productivity, however not all companies have the IT support to manage deployment and integration with their present IT environments," said Giovanni Mezgec, general manager, Lync, Microsoft Corp. "HP’s solution helps to support these organizations."

The HP and Polycom RMC solution combines HP Networking products based on the HP FlexNetwork architecture with Polycom RealPresence video solutions built on the Polycom RealPresence Platform, which provides comprehensive software infrastructure for universal video collaboration. Customers can easily prepare and install network video capabilities from desktop to conference room and immersive suites.