Polycom RealPresence and Microsoft Lync Improve Efficiency at John Laing

By Rory Lidstone TMCnet Contributing Writer

John Laing, a specialist inventor, operator and manager of public sector infrastructure assets, recently decided to implement a combination of Microsoft (News - Alert) Lync Server 2010 and Polycom RealPresence video solutions to create an end-to-end unified communications and collaboration solution across its global operations. With 73 offices in the U.K. and six additional offices overseas, John Laing employees can now use video meetings to collaborate securely in real time to handle projects and important business functions.

The company sought certain key requirements in its unified communications and collaboration solution, namely the ability to interoperate with existing systems and applications and ease of use to drive user adoption. It also wanted both in-office and mobile collaboration capabilities.

With the help of Polycom (News - Alert) partner Wirebird and technology automation specialist AMX, John Laing designed and implemented video meeting rooms with four Polycom RealPresence Room video solutions — including the Polycom HDX 8000 — at its London head office, as well as six other conference rooms worldwide. For mobile employees, the company is implementing RealPresence Mobile 2.0 (News - Alert), providing on-the-go collaboration with tablets and smartphones.

So far, the solution has been a hit, thanks to Polycom's integration with Microsoft Lync and half of John Laing's 1,000 employees regularly collaborating – either using Polycom's desktop-based or room-based video solutions. In fact, Polycom's extensive compatibility with Lync was also a huge factor in its selection by the firm, according to IT director for John Laing, Dylan Jones.

"The interoperability between Polycom and Microsoft Lync was key in our decision. Using Lync with Polycom just brings the whole solution alive to the desktop," said Jones. "People can either go to formal conference rooms or participate in meetings from their desk, enabling everyone to talk and see body language, which you don't get over the telephone."

Aside from making John Laing more productive, Polycom RealPresence has also made the firm greener, drastically reducing its carbon footprint from travel and commuting.

Edited by Alisen Downey