Yesterday marked the general availability for the integrated solutions combining IBM’s collaboration offerings with Cisco’s communication capabilities. These solutions, which were first announced last year and have been undergoing early adopter testing for the past several months, provide organizations with single sign-on for Cisco collaboration capabilities and the ability to launch them from within IBM Connections Cloud and IBM Verse.
As we have been discussing since the we first announced the partnership, we are focused on providing organizations with the ability to choose the real-time collaboration solutions that best meet their needs, while still offering all of the advantages of a seamless, integrated experience.
As noted in the solution brief, highlights of the integrated capabilities include:
MEETINGS:
- Launch Cisco WebEx from Connections Cloud
- Leverage my Cisco WebEx Personal Room as the default
- meeting in my IBM VerseTM calendar invites
- Launch or join a Cisco WebEx meeting from Verse
MOBILE:
Share content from Connections Cloud or Verse within Cisco WebEx and Cisco Spark on your iOS device:
- In the Cisco WebEx Meetings app, share a file from Connections Files Cloud mobile client
- From the Connections mobile client, choose a file to be opened in the Cisco WebEx Meetings app or Cisco Spark app
- From the Cisco Spark app, share a file from Connections Cloud mobile client
- Share an email attachment in the Verse mobile client to the Cisco WebEx Meetings app or Cisco Spark app
REAL-TIME COMMUNICATIONS:
- Click to launch Cisco Spark from Connection Cloud Navigation bar
- Click to Chat from Connections Cloud business card to Cisco Spark
- Click to launch Cisco Jabber from Connections Cloud Navigation bar
- Click to Chat from Connections Cloud business card to Cisco Jabber
IBM VP Marcy Pearson, writing on the Social Business blog, highlights the benefits that organizations can see:
Collaboration Solutions with IBM and Cisco allows your organization to re-think end-to-end collaboration. IBM’s Connections Cloud redefines enterprise engagement by helping workers make better-informed decisions, speeding up access to the right information and expertise inside a connected enterprise. The new Cisco Spark platform redefines real-time communications by changing the way teams work together before, during, and after meetings. Meetings can become simpler, easier, and more effective – all while the technology seems to disappear. Together, this solution joins knowledge and decision-making, in the cloud, to change the way enterprises get things done.
The solutions are integrated not only through single sign-on, but through cross-platform launch, use, and share of capabilities, making users’ each and every workday lighter, simpler, faster and more effective. We accomplish this by providing both real-time and asynchronous collaboration functionality through a single, integrated solution offering. The offering is cloud-based, subscription model, with automatic updates and improvements over time.
The integrated solution can be purchased from IBM sellers and IBM Business Partners.
Links:
- Social Business Blog: Now Available – Collaboration Solutions with IBM and Cisco
- ibm.com: Now Available! Collaboration Solutions with IBM and Cisco
- Solution Brief: IBM and Cisco: Working together to redefine everyday work
- Announcement Letter: Collaboration Solutions with IBM and Cisco: IBM Connections Cloud enterprise social network, cloud-based email, and calendaring solutions combine with communication capabilities of Cisco to redefine everyday work
Adam Gartenberg 