mBlox embraces flexible working program with Polycom video collaboration and increases employee productivity by allowing people to meet face-to-face from anywhere
London, UK - Aug 08, 2012 : Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC), today announced that Wembley, UK-based mBlox, a leading mobile commerce provider, is successfully using Polycom® RealPresence® video collaboration solutions, including Polycom® RealPresence® Mobile, to combat the congestion in London during the Summer Games in late July through mid-August. With the population surging by up to a million people in the capital attending the Summer Games, London is braced for severe disruption to its transport network. The UK government has urged businesses in London to put remote working practices into place and is leading the charge with civil servants starting a flexible working programme this week.
mBlox has already enabled its staff to work remotely and has no concerns about disruption over the coming weeks, leveraging technologies such as RealPresence Mobile to enable face-to-face collaboration via video.
“At mBlox we are conscious of the need to empower our workforce by introducing mobile and remote working, and promote a flexible working environment as part of our normal business practice,” says Andrew Mutty, SVP of Production and Customer Services, mBlox. “Making full use of our IT investment in Polycom video collaboration solutions, as well as leveraging cloud-based video deployments in London, Singapore and California, ensures that it will be business as usual this summer at mBlox, as our employees can connect and collaborate face-to-face anywhere, from the executive boardroom and conference rooms, to mobile offices and beyond.”
Polycom’s RealPresence secure HD video and telepresence solutions enable video collaboration from anywhere, so that employees can stay visually connected to their teams even when away from the office. This includes video collaboration software for desktop PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones that can connect into room-based systems and immersive theaters, enabling a dispersed workforce to effectively communicate with customers and colleagues at the touch of a button.
“Video collaboration has continued to attract a high level of interest and investment from businesses, which has enabled it to keep growing despite increasing budgetary challenges. More and more organizations are recognizing the importance of video collaboration to improve productivity and time-to-market, as well as increase business continuity and agility in the face of problems such as travel disruption during major sporting events, extended holiday periods or the impact of extreme weather conditions,” says Duncan Clarke, analyst from Canalys. “This growth trend is set to continue as solutions become more user-friendly and offer greater flexibility, such as the ability to connect HD mobile solutions to room or group systems. These features help individuals carry out their jobs more effectively while on the move.”
Polycom solutions to support flexible working:
- Polycom RealPresence Mobile 1.3 software application is available as a free download from the Apple AppStore™ for the new iPad®, iPad 2, and iPhone® 4S; and from Google Play for HTC One™ S, HTC One™ X, and HTC Jetstream™ tablet; the Motorola XOOM™ and the DROID XYBOARD by Motorola; and the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 8.9 and 10.1. Polycom RealPresence Mobile, powered by the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform, lets customers extend the use of video collaboration beyond the conference room to easily connect with other standards-based video environments virtually anywhere in the world, including immersive video theaters, conference rooms, desktop systems, laptops and other mobile devices. Similar to connecting a smartphone to the corporate email server, RealPresence Mobile can be registered to the RealPresence Platform, allowing customers to enjoy advanced features including provisioning, management, firewall traversal, content sharing and connectivity to desktop and immersive video room systems, including multi-party calls.
- Personal video collaboration on laptops can be achieved by installing Polycom® Telepresence m100, which delivers ease-of-use and HD quality at a low cost allowing seamless connection to the millions of room and immersive telepresence systems online worldwide.
- Polycom has also developed a flexible working e-kit: the ultimate survival guide for people working from home or on the go. Full of tips and tricks for getting the most out of working on the move, download it for free here.
Businesses that implement remote working practices will quickly realize the benefits: a recent survey from Polycom found that European companies with flexible working programs report that affected employees are an average of 39 percent more productive than others.