Getting the most out of Skype for Business content in video calls

[Brian Phillips (Brian_Phillips)]

At Polycom, we’ve put a ton of work over the years into native integration with Microsoft Lync, and now Skype for Business.  We’ve gone way beyond “interoperability” that our competitors claim, which typically means big compromises in quality and user experience.  Our native integration ensures Skype for Business works together seamlessly with your Polycom video environment, giving users the best experience without changing their behavior or workflow.  Polycom RealConnect is a great example of this – everyone just connects how they’re used to connecting, whether they’re using a RealPresence Group system, Skype for Business, an immersive telepresence room, or even a competitor’s video system.  It all just works, and behaves the way you expect it to behave.

Now we’re extending this even further in the latest 5.0 software for RealPresence Group Series.  We have native integration with Skype for Business for video and audio, plus you can receive Skype for Business content natively. (Click here to watch the related video.) This means content gets treated as content – which might sound pretty obvious, but with many other systems out there content is treated as video, which introduces all sorts of problems. With RealPresence Group Series 5.0 software, I can call from my Group Series 500 directly to a Skype for Business client and they can share their screen with me, just like I was another Lync or Skype for Business user.  Or I can connect to a multi-point call hosted on Skype for Business and get the same benefit.

But the part that impresses me the most is being able to control the content on someone else’s PC.  You’re probably familiar with this ability in the Skype for Business client on your PC – you can request control, and then use your own mouse and keyboard to navigate the PC on the other end.  Then you can edit their documents, open new programs, or do nearly anything else, just like you are sitting at their PC.  Now you can do this through RealPresence Group as well!  For the first time you can control someone else’s PC right from your group video system, using a mouse and keyboard connected to the group system or a touch monitor.  It’s another one of the benefits of our native integration. The basic “interoperability” offered by our competitors doesn’t allow you to have a true Skype for Business experience like this.

Try this out for yourself by updating your RealPresence Group system to the latest 5.0 software, which will be available later this month, and let us know what you think.

Additional resources:

• Read the press release: Polycom Advances Voice, Video and Content Collaboration Experiences with Three New Solutions
• Watch the related video