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Tag: Jeetu Patel

  • Cisco and Microsoft Partner to Bring Teams to Cisco Hardware

    Cisco and Microsoft Partner to Bring Teams to Cisco Hardware

    Cisco and Microsoft have entered an unlikely partnership, paving the way for Microsoft Teams to run as the default on Cisco hardware.

    Cisco and Microsoft both make video conferencing software, WebEx and Teams respectively. Given the two companies compete in the same space, a partnership is somewhat surprising, although it’s likely more an acknowledgment of Teams’ dominant position in the market.

    The partnership will see Microsoft Teams run natively on select Certified for Microsoft Teams devices in the Cisco Room and Desk lineup and can even be set as the default option.

    “Interoperability has always been at the forefront of our hybrid work strategy, understanding that customers want collaboration to happen on their terms — regardless of device or meeting platform,” said Jeetu Patel, EVP and GM, Security & Collaboration, Cisco. “Our partnership with Microsoft brings together two collaboration leaders to completely reimagine the hybrid work experience.”

    “Our vision to make Teams the best collaboration experience for physical spaces is brought to life by our incredible ecosystem of hardware partners,” said Jeff Teper, president, collaborative apps and platforms at Microsoft. “By welcoming Cisco as our newest partner building devices Certified for Microsoft Teams, we are excited to bring leading collaboration hardware and software to market together for our joint customers.”

    Few programs or platforms have seen such a meteoric rise as Teams. Prior to the pandemic, Slack, Zoom, and WebEx were major contenders in the corporate messaging and videoconferencing markets. Thanks in no small part to its being bundled as part of Microsoft 365, Teams quickly surpassed Slack and has carved out a major presence in the video conferencing market.

    The deal with Cisco is sure to help further Microsoft’s reach even more.

  • Cisco Wants to Fix Hybrid Work With Webex

    Cisco Wants to Fix Hybrid Work With Webex

    Despite being a big supporter of hybrid and remote work, Cisco believes its current incarnation could use some work and is tackling the problem with new Webex features.

    While Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack often get the lion’s share of the press about remote work tools, Cisco’s Webex is a popular choice in the business and enterprise space. The company wants to tackle what it sees as some of the biggest issues with current solutions in an effort to help remote users feel more a part of company meetings.

    In an interview with ZDNet, Jeetu Patel, EVP & GM, Security and Collaboration Business Units, identified three main issues with the current state of remote and hybrid videoconferencing meetings:

    • Remote workers can’t always see presentations and whiteboards present in the meeting.
    • It can be difficult to pick up on non-verbal cues via a camera.
    • Technical issues can impact the audio and video and impair the overall experience.

    Cisco is working on some novel solutions, including Webex Whiteboard. The solution is a physical whiteboard that automatically integrates with Webex to display its contents to those connected remotely. As an added benefit, both in-person and remote attendees can interact with it.

    The company is also testing People Focus, a feature that can zoom in on a person and make it easier to pick up on non-verbal cues.

    Cisco is working on the audio aspect of meetings, improving noise cancellation, silencing background conversations, and removing echoes. The company’s Meraki routers can be used to seamlessly switch over to an LTE connection if the main internet connection drops.

    Patel made it clear in his interview with ZDNet that these innovations are designed to help make remote and hybrid work as successful as possible, something he and Cisco see as an important factor moving forward.

    “Wouldn’t it be sad if after the pandemic is over, we all said, ‘Let’s revert back and go 100% to the office?’ The beauty about what we learned in the past couple of years is that talent is available anywhere, globally. And they should be able to participate in the global economy.

    “We’ve made a lot of progress over the last couple of years, and we should take that forward,” Patel continued.

  • Cisco Webex Go Improves Mobile Experience for Hybrid Work

    Cisco Webex Go Improves Mobile Experience for Hybrid Work

    Cisco is launching its Webex Go phone service, designed to streamline hybrid and remote workers’ workflow, eliminating the need for multiple devices.

    Webex is a popular videoconferencing application that Cisco has offered for years. Although Zoom gets the lion’s share of public attention, and has become a household name as a result of the pandemic, Webex is widely used in the corporate and enterprise markets.

    Cisco is working to make it even easier for hybrid and remote workers to get the most from Webex by eliminating the need for multiple devices. Instead, enterprise-grade Webex features can be added to a user’s personal phone as a dedicated business line.

    “The past year has further heightened the need for a maniacal focus on delivering an experience that delights users,” said Jeetu Patel, executive vice president and general manager, Cisco Security and Collaboration. “Our innovations released today enable enterprises to be closer to their customers than ever, helping them deliver the best possible customer experience across all channels in real time.”

    Cisco hopes to make Webex Go available in the first half of 2022.