Poly

LONDON - Apr 03, 2012 : Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based Unified Communications (UC), today announced that mobile commerce technology provider, mBlox, is using Polycom® RealPresence® video collaboration solutions across its global offices to cross cultural divides and boost business efficiency by bringing people together for face-to-face collaboration and content sharing in high definition.

 

A global leader in mobile engagement solutions, mBlox enables enterprises and solution partners to engage with 5 billion consumers by providing connections to 800 mobile operators in over 180 countries, enabling transactions with consumers on any mobile device across the globe.

 

"We required an immersive 24/7 collaborative meeting environment," said Andrew Mutty, SVP of Production and Customer Services, mBlox. "Getting people to work together across global offices in multiple time zones can be very difficult, and the nature of our business means we do an enormous amount of group conference calls. Just using voice communications alone doesn't provide the personal interaction we required – you don't see the body language, which makes it harder to understand the intonations, the unsaid things that you can get from a video conference. Being able to communicate face-to-face from anywhere makes all the difference when working across language and cultural divides, and it also helps us to be more productive and get to market with new innovations faster."

 

Following a rapid three-month delivery of the video solution, in the midst of three separate office moves, mBlox has already achieved significant savings on the cost of video calls and on company travel costs. On the recommendation of Polycom partner Gage Networks, a global provider of Cloud Communications Services, mBlox chose Polycom® HDX® 7000 Room Telepresence systems, across three office sites in London, Singapore and Sunnyvale, along with Polycom® VVX® 1500 video-enabled business media phones. The technology is fully integrated into the Gage Networks Global Cloud Communications Platform with Cloud Contact Centre and IP Telephony delivered across a converged global MPLS network provided by Gage Networks. Polycom's HD video solutions use H.264 High Profile technology, resulting in up to 50 percent less bandwidth usage than competitive solutions.

 

"After just three months, the Polycom solution paid for itself," added Mutty. "We have seen savings in excess of £100,000 annually by moving away from using external conferencing service providers and removing the service costs associated with multipoint video calls. With more sophisticated video collaboration resources in place we've also dramatically cut travel costs and increased employee productivity. The expense dedicated to managing our communications resources has also dropped."

 

"Gage Networks relationship with mBlox has grown over a number of years," said Andrew Davis, CEO of Gage Networks. "The key value proposition for mBlox was to communicate globally and simply through one communications platform. The ability to bring in third parties through a Cloud Communications Platform, which leverages the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform, has enabled companies with a multi-site location such as mBlox to do short code 4-digit dialing between different continents and locations. The Gage Networks Cloud Communications Platform provides an extremely cost-effective way to truly unify communications. Short digit dialing rather than dialing through multiple carriers around the world is now available to small companies like mBlox rather than just being in the realm of large enterprises."

 

"Day-to-day activities are much smoother and interactive now," added Mutty. "For example, for our all-hands meetings we can position the Polycom RealPresence video system in the middle of the room so everyone can access it and take part in the discussion. The quality of the HD video and additional clarity of HD voice adds even more depth and realism to our meetings. We're also able to offer our executive employees more flexibility, with home offices that are equipped with Polycom® VVX® 1500 units so they're just a four-digit dial from any mBlox location."