Three must-have gadgets for working remotely

IDC’s Future of Work Readiness Index Assessment 2018 forecasts that up to 50% of employees will be working remotely by 2020. According to Poly, this WFA (work from anywhere) trend means that individuals will need the right tools to be productive.

Besides the mobile phone and laptop, Poly suggests the following gadgets for portable productivity:

Portable battery pack

The gold standard for 2019 should be a minimum of 20,000 mAh, which should last up to five full charges.

Look for battery packs that support the Power Delivery standard as they allow laptops to be topped up via USB-C.

Poly also suggests setting the phone to ‘airplane mode’ and not using it while charging for quicker results.

Multiport adapter

Consider investing in a sturdy multiport hub or adapter. These usually come with multiple USB ports, video output connectors, and possibly memory card slots.

Portable speakerphone

Rather than using the built-in laptop mic for conference calls amidst “Can you hear me?” and “I’m sorry, can you please repeat that?”, try a portable speakerphone like the Plantronics Calisto series. These can be used in huddle rooms, for example.

The Calisto 3200 is a corded USB speakerphone that turns the computer into a wideband audio speakerphone and is built for unified communications (UC) applications and softphones from Avaya, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft and more. It can be connected by a cable to the laptop.

Source: Poly. The Calisto 5200 in action. The speakerphone is the black cylindrical device on the table, connected by a cable to a smartphone.

The more powerful Calisto 5200 is designed for hands-free conference calls, collaboration or web conferencing. The unit features 360-degree room coverage with active background noise reduction, and provides the choice of a USB-A, USB-C, and 3.5 mm connectors.

Plantronics and HP collaborate to offer Microsoft Teams videoconferencing solution

Plantronics, a unified communications technology provider, has joined forces with HP, Inc. to address growing customer demand for a high-quality Microsoft Teams videoconferencing experience in larger conference rooms.

The new solution uses the HP Elite Slice for Meeting Rooms G2 Skype Room System - Audio Ready as the controller for the Microsoft Teams video and content sharing, the Polycom Trio 8500 for sound and the Polycom EagleEye IV USB camera for video capture.

The HP Elite Slice for Meeting Rooms G2 Skype Room System - Audio Ready helps simplify meetings with stress-free setup, an intuitive interface, and includes Windows 10 Enterprise which makes running Microsoft Teams meetings even easier.

"As customers migrate to Microsoft Teams, Plantronics and HP created a simple Microsoft Teams videoconferencing experience in larger conference rooms for employees to use and IT pros to deploy and manage," said Phil Sherburne, GM, Group Systems Business Group at Plantronics.

Once the call is started, the Polycom Trio 8500 takes the ordinary conference call experience to the next level using eight directional microphones and PolycomHD Voice technology to bring high-quality audio experiences to large conference rooms. The Polycom EagleEye IV USB camera is simple to install with plug and play USB capabilities, and offers 12x optical zoom and wide pan area capabilities to follow and focus on the speaker no matter the size of the meeting space.

"Businesses are constantly looking for ways to simplify the video conference experience," said Lorena Kubera, VP Commercial Product Management at HP.

"Pairing our versatile meeting room system, HP Elite Slice G2 Audio-Ready, with the simplicity of the Polycom Trio 8500 and the EagleEye IV USB camera for the Polycom-HP SRS Bundle creates a seamless way to improve productivity and collaboration through Microsoft Teams."

David Howell, GM, Device Partner Engineering at Microsoft said, "Microsoft Teams is the fastest growing business application in Microsoft's history, and we continue to look for new ways customers can take full advantage of this powerful tool for collaboration. Combining a native Microsoft Teams solution with a high-quality videoconferencing experience makes it easier to work together, whenever you need."

Details:

This new bundle is available immediately in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand through Ingram Micro. The bundle will be available in Japan by mid-February through Synnex Corporation, and is expected to be available in other Asia Pacific (APAC) countries soon after.

Avaya IP Office ups security for cloud-based deployments

Avaya has upgraded its unified communications (UC) solution for small and midsize businesses. Avaya IP Office release 10 adds a number benefits for businesses in terms of security, resiliency and end-user experience.

With more than half a million systems shipped globally, Avaya IP Office is one of the most widely sold unified communications solutions for small and midsize businesses available in the market today. The Avaya IP Office Platform now offers built-in media encryption for endpoints and UC clients to preserve privacy and data integrity. This feature is provided at no extra cost or added complexity. Most other over-the-top, pure-cloud UC vendor offerings available today may provide encryption as an optional line item, if at all, Avaya said.

“The challenge of keeping up with growing, ever-changing cybersecurity threats is daunting - especially for small and midsize businesses with budget and resource constraints. It’s these very constraints that increase the inclination to choose cloud-based services; however, it’s also not a given fact that security is or will be provided by their cloud vendor. That’s why we believe security should be built into the solution as opposed to bolted on. It’s essential, and a core component of our Avaya IP Office Platform,” said Tak Kuen Hubert Lee, Midmarket Sales Lead, APAC, Avaya.

“In the small and midsize business sector in Asia Pacific, it’s all about speed and streamlined deployment regardless of whether cloud, on-premise, or a hybrid solution. Avaya’s IP Office promise of ease, speed and built-in encryption hits the right sweet spot in this region. In addition, the Avaya partner community in Asia Pacific - and specifically at the country level - is an important differentiator for providing the local customization needed and in addressing vertical industry nuances,” added Adrian Ho, Principal Analyst, Enterprise, Ovum, Asia Pacific.

With data becoming an important asset to businesses today and the nature of cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated, Asia Pacific businesses are setting their sights on security. Overall spending on critical infrastructure security in the region is expected to hit US$22 billion by 2020. On the back of this trend, Avaya’s increased focus in security is significant, especially to the midmarket: According to a 2015 global survey report by PwC, the number of attacks reported by midsize companies increased 64% between 2013 and 2014, from 2,581 to 4,227. This increase is partly due to cybercriminals turning to midsize businesses in hopes of easy access.

Beyond other pure cloud deployments, the latest version of IP Office takes a unique approach to resilience, providing system failover cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-premises, premises-to-cloud and premises-to-premises. Whatever the approach, the system stays active and users maintain connectivity throughout the outage.

To meet the rising expectations of end-users for a richer, more streamlined experience, the Avaya IP Office Platform also introduces the H175 video phone, with a 7” hi-definition touchscreen display that is suitable for personal use, an executive desk or a small conference room.

For midsize companies with contact centres, Avaya announced in June a new workforce optimisation solution that provides midsize companies with the operational intelligence needed to enhance contact centre performance and drive a high-quality customer experience. Avaya Workforce Optimization Select enables a wide range of insights into the customer experience.

Interested?

The Avaya IP Office Platform is available through authorised channel partners in three deployment options: premises-based, hybrid or pure cloud solution.

Plantronics Voyager 5200 UC Bluetooth Headset come with Windsmart technology

Source: Plantronics. The Plantronics Voyager 5200.

Plantronics, a wearable technology provider, has announced the new Plantronics Voyager 5200. The high-performance Bluetooth headset is built for use with unified communications applications and connects to PCs, tablets or smartphones for clear, professional phone or PC calls even in challenging situations.

The Voyager 5200 UC features WindSmart technology, a Plantronics innovation that incorporates six layers of technology to detect noise caused by wind and respond accordingly. WindSmart technology combats background noises such as weather, traffic and surrounding conversations so calls come through clearly. The headset also features up to seven hours of talk time on a single charge, HD Voice support over wideband networks, and a design that blends style with all-day comfort.

"Today's workforce is constantly on the move, which means unified communications is really happening from a variety of locations, not just from a desk in an office," said Rich Costello, Senior Research Analyst, IDC. "The Plantronics Voyager 5200 UC is ideal for this mobile user and delivers some terrific audio innovation, most particularly WindSmart technology, that ensures people can make calls from the noisiest environments and still sound professional and be productive even on the go."

Voyager 5200 UC includes the BT600 Class 1 USB Bluetooth adapter and a
portable charging case* with integrated docking stand which serves as both a protective and charging case that provides up to 14 hours of additional talk time on the go, and a grab-and-go dock for recharging the headset.

Features include:

* Four adaptive microphones and proprietary digital signal processing (DSP) work together to reduce
disruptive background noise.

* Multifunction button mutes calls and provides access to Siri and other smartphone virtual personal assistants handsfree when the headset is idle.

* Work across smartphones, laptops, tablets, and Bluetooth-enabled desk phones from up to 30m away.

* Smart sensor technology intuitively routes call audio to your phone or headset, pauses media or rejects an incoming call when removed, and automatically answers calls as you place the headset on your ear.

* Spill, splash, and sweat-proof P2i nano-coating.

* Mute assurance alerts users if they talk when muted, with visual mute indictors shown on both the BT600 USB Bluetooth adapter and desktop screen.

* Manage settings, wirelessly update firmware and activate Find
MyHeadset to locate a misplaced headset with the Plantronics Hub
smartphone app for iOS and Android.

* Use Plantronics Hub desktop software to enable softphone call control
across a wide range of UC applications, to view headset battery metre,
change languages, update firmware, or personalise settings and alerts.

With Plantronics Manager Pro, an additional service, IT can remotely
monitor, manage, and maintain Voyager 5200 UC headsets as well as other headsets from Plantronics company-wide. By using Plantronics Manager Pro, IT can configure the user experience, manage firmware deployments and use predictive analytics to detect compatibility issues
before they are noticed.

Interested?

The Plantronics Voyager 5200 UC with charging case and BT600 USB Bluetooth adapter is available from authorised Plantronics resellers starting at a MSRP of S$339. The Plantronics Voyager 5200 is also available starting at a MSRP of S$199, and the accompanying charging case is available for S$69.

*Available with selected models.

http://www.plantronics.com/asia/.

posted from Bloggeroid

Ameyo launches cloud-based omnichannel contact centre offering

Ameyo, a provider of contact centre technology and services integrations, has launched Ameyo Emerge, a cloud offering that helps businesses to communicate seamlessly across channels.
The platform addresses the challenge emerging businesses and startups face in defining an optimised and efficient communication flow to streamline customer interactions.

With Ameyo Emerge, emerging businesses such as hyperlocal mobile app aggregators, marketplaces, and e-commerce sites can now create contact centres without investing in hardware or coding. Apart from voice capabilities, Ameyo Emerge also provides email support, in-app chats, social media, and SMS integration, in a single unified interface. A workflow engine allows businesses to create customer interaction workflows across voice, social, email, and mobile channels. Best practices are supported, such as 'provider push' which automatically pushes service providers to customers when a service level agreement is breached.

"In today's business realm, interaction platforms are falling short on multiple levels. They are typically limited to voice or non-voice capabilities, and analytics are limited solely to the web. The innovative features of Ameyo Emerge has given a new dimension to customer interaction management and contact centre technologies. The Emerge platform has been specifically designed for startups and emerging business models in order to help them in scaling up their core business rapidly with improved operational efficiency. This powerful and reliable combination will offer new levels of customer engagement in India, which was not possible until now," said Nayan Jain, CTO, Ameyo.