Microsoft Hardware Helps Corporations Reduce Spending While Preserving Face-to-Face Communication

REDMOND, Wash. Oct. 1, 2009 Consumers have been using Microsoft Hardware’s popular LifeCams for years to stay in touch with family and friends, and now businesses are following suit, using these webcams to connect with colleagues and minimize business travel to ultimately reduce overhead. Today, businesses around the world use Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to keep employees connected, and with LifeCams optimized for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, corporations can meet the challenging economic times and offer workers the ability to make video calls in place of business travel.

Microsoft Corp.’s newest optimized webcam, LifeCam Cinema, is available now and offers 720p high-definition (HD), widescreen video calling to Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 customers. The webcam’s high-quality video calling and conferencing helps maintain corporate communication in an increasingly distributed work force.

Cutting Costs and Staying Green

Many businesses around the world, including Intel Corp., are already reaping the benefits of using LifeCam webcams and Office Communications Server 2007 R2 for employee communication and look forward to the HD experience that LifeCam Cinema offers.

“We have been using LifeCams and the latest Office Communications Server for the past several months for one-on-one and group meetings, and our employees really appreciate that they’re able to easily conduct highly productive PC-based ‘Virtually There’ meetings with amazing quality with colleagues across the globe on a more frequent basis,” said Rick Echevarria, Intel VP, GM, Business Client Platforms. “We’re already seeing significant travel cost savings and reduced logistics complexity with LifeCam Cinema and its HD capabilities, which also helps us meet our corporate sustainability and green IT goals.”

Replacing travel and in-person meetings with videoconferencing, which can be done using a webcam such as one of Microsoft’s LifeCams, not only preserves face-to-face communication and can save money, but also dramatically cuts back on the harmful impact on the environment. An American Consumer Institute study estimated that if videoconferencing was substituted for 10 percent of business air travel, it would reduce carbon emissions in the U.S. by 35 million tons annually.1

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2

A key component of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 is 720p HD video — the ability to have high-fidelity video coupled with crystal-clear audio just by turning on your machine — and LifeCam Cinema brings this to life, connecting workers around the office and around the world. Full 720p HD capability is enabled by the new generation of business PCs with Intel vPro technology, which provides exceptional video quality and security to enrich business-to-business communications.

“Businesses all over the world can benefit from pairing Office Communications Server 2007 R2 with Microsoft’s LifeCams,” said Yancey Smith, director, unified communications product management, Microsoft. “LifeCam Cinema offers an immersive video experience along with cost-saving opportunities to our customers.”

LifeCam Overview

LifeCams are essential tools to corporations today, and Microsoft offers a range of LifeCams that are certified for Office Communications Server to deliver exceptional performance and are perfectly suited for corporate needs:

  • LifeCam Cinema. Microsoft’s first webcam to offer a 720p widescreen sensor, LifeCam Cinema delivers high-definition video for video calling and conferencing.

  • LifeCam Show. With an ultrathin design, a 2.0 megapixel sensor and three attachment options — a laptop clip, a desktop stand and an attachment disc — LifeCam Show is the answer for real-time collaboration in the office and on the go.

  • LifeCam VX-5000. The LifeCam VX-5000 meets every worker’s need with a flexible attachment base that molds to virtually any monitor, including flat screens and notebooks, or sits directly on the desk. It also features world-class VGA optics and a built-in unidirectional microphone for crystal-clear audio.

Enterprise Multipacks

Microsoft Hardware recently launched Enterprise Multipacks for the three LifeCams listed above. The Enterprise Multipacks do not ship with software and are an environmentally friendly option for purchasing these plug-and-play webcams in bulk. LifeCam Cinema, LifeCam Show and LifeCam VX-5000 come in packages of 60 units, 50 units and 80 units, respectively. More information about the program and included product options can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/business/business.mspx.

About Microsoft Hardware

For more than 26 years, the Hardware Group has employed innovative engineering, cutting-edge industrial design and extensive usability testing to create products of exceptional quality and durability that enhance the software experience and strengthen the connection between consumers and their PC. Microsoft Hardware is an industry leader in ergonomic engineering, industrial design and hardware/software compatibility, offering consumers an easy, convenient and enjoyable computing experience. In 2008, the Hardware Group debuted the world’s most advanced tracking technology — Microsoft BlueTrack Technology — allowing consumers to track on more surfaces than optical and laser mice.2 More information about the Hardware Group is available at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

1 American Consumer Institute study

2 Compared with the leading commercially available mice as of fall 2008. BlueTrack does not work on clear glass or mirrored surfaces.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

Related Posts