Cisco releases telepresence protocol and new experiences

Cisco made two moves yesterday with the announcement of a new interoperability play and the expansion of its telepresence systems into spaces other than conference rooms. Cisco has released the Telepresence Interoperability Protocol (TIP) and has signed on LifeSize, Tandberg (recently purchased by Cisco), and Radvision for licenses.

The TIP will allow multiscreen telepresence systems to interoperate, improving communications between companies with telepresence systems from different vendors. Cisco released the protocol to the public domain and is offering it to the industry royalty free.

In addition, Cisco has announce five new "experiences" that it hopes will broaden the use and adoption of its telepresence solutions. The Cisco TelePresence experiences include: the Classroom of the Future which brings telepresence to schools and training rooms; Active Collaboration using WebEx to allow users to share virtual whiteboards and other data; Remote Demonstration Center which allows companies to do product demos over telepresence eliminating the need for the old in-person sales pitch; Live Desk providing instant in-person concierge service; and Streaming Service enabling webcasting of telepresence meetings.

This is not the first announcement this year where Cisco Telepresence has moved beyond the board room. Earlier in January the company announced a consumer telepresence play involving a set-top box and a serious price tag.

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