Believing that thetransformational power of collaborationcombined with the power of the network as the platform will
enable businesses to thrive, Cisco has united itscollaboration tools within its Unified Wireless Network
environment.
The new Collaboration in Motion integrates products and services
from the Cisco WebEx, Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco Unified
Wireless Network and Cisco Advanced Services product lines to bring
the collaborative experience to the mobile workspace.
The new initiative will see new products and services in what
Cisco regards as five critical investment areas: the workspace
experience; the wireless network platform; third-party
applications; technology partners; professional services. Cisco
believes that such an approach will bridge the gaps between
on-premises wired networks, off-premises cellular networks and
Wi-Fi network, thereby enabling collaboration from any
workspace.
To improve worspace experiences, Cisco is supporting an
increased number of devices and claims to be simplifying the way
these devices connect to the wireless network. In the first part of
the strategy, the iPhone version of the WebEx Meeting Center
version 1.2 application will be made available for free as a
download from Apple's Apps Store. It will allow hosts to schedule
meetings and invite attendees before and during the meetings.
A new Compatible Extension Services program will modularise
features into four services – foundation, management,
collaboration and context-aware, allowing device manufacturers
to select the most relevant service for a specific device.
Cisco will also deliver an 802.11n solution that incorporates
access points, controllers and management, and the ability to
expose network information and services through an open API. The
company claims independent testing validates the platform's ability
to deliver orders of magnitudes improvements to video and rich
media collaborative applications.
What are described as advanced professional services will aim to
assist customers in the design and deployment of wireless networks
to accelerate return on investment and reduce total cost of
ownership. Cisco and its channel partners will offer expertise to
help facilitate the design, deployment and optimisation of
next-generation wireless networks that enable collaboration through
mobility services.
"Together, the transformational power of collaboration combined
with the power of the network as the platform can enable businesses
to thrive. Evolving modern businesses are comprised of workspaces
that are rarely physically connected, and critical business
information is collected and shared with mobile devices such as
laptops and smart phones," commented Ray Smets, vice president and
general manager for the Cisco Wireless Networking Business
Unit.