Broadband provider, Internode, has joined a growing number of organisations to deploy high-definition video conferencing in an effort to cut carbon emissions.
In a statement, Internode claimed it was the first South Australia-based company to deploy the Cisco TelePresence system at a cost of $500,000.
The system connects Internode’s Sydney and Adelaide offices with a Melbourne connection scheduled for later this year. It was deployed by Cisco partner and unified communications player, iVision.
Senior sales executive for South Australia, Bob Balsamo, said the company would now look to leverage the experience to further its UC business.
“For our company, it certainly puts us into the telepresence market,” he said. “It consolidates our partnership with Cisco which is one of the major video conferencing players in the world. It was basically brought together as a partnership between Cisco and iVision. It is a very high profile job for us and will certainly use it as a test bed and sounding board for other businesses that may be interested in this type of technology.”
In a statement, Internode CEO, Patrick Tapper claimed the solution boosted productivity and cut travel costs.
“We expect this facility will help us to win new business as well as do an even better job for our existing customers,” he said in the statement. “Our main reason for installing TelePresence is to make Internode’s expertise more accessible nationally. Whether it’s a sales meeting or a technical planning session, we can bring in the right person, regardless of where they are located.”
iVision installed three Cisco TelePresence System 1000 units with each featuring a 65-inch, 1080p high-definition plasma screen to display life-size images of two meeting participants at each Internode location.
Several Federal Government agencies have expressed interest in deploying video conferencing solutions in recent months, with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) opening a tender seeking a service provider for a $200,000 Cisco telephony contract to boost its unified communications strategy.
Analyst firm, Frost & Sullivan has predicted just under 50 per cent of Australian organisations will deploy a videoconferencing or telepresence solution by the end of 2010.
