May 2009 - Sound & Communications

A look at the United Steelworkers telepresence systems in Pittsburgh PA.Lazard Ltd.• Lazard Ltd. is an advisory and assetmanagement firm with offices in 15countries. The company provides servicessuch as mergers and acquisitions,Every Patchbay…for Every Project.2 x 32 Mini-WECO Video Patchbay 969-S Programmable Bantam Audio Patchbay (800) 500-8142 www.Bittree.comasset management and restructuringto corporations, partnerships, institutions,governments and individuals. In1999, Lazard partnered with Teliris tocreate a global meeting capability assimple to use as walking down thecorridor to a conference or meetingroom and discussing a business issueface-to-face.Initially, Teliris systems were installedin New York, Paris and London.Additional systems have been addedin San Francisco, Chicago and Milan.The fully managed solution enables executivesfrom multiple points aroundthe world—at a moment’s notice—tohold a meeting that fully replicates theeffectiveness of a live interaction.A Lazard executive stated, “We wanted,above all, to have sufficient humaninteraction to resolve conflict withouthaving to travel, thereby moving ourbusiness forward much faster. Thishas been achieved in spades. It is reallythis aspect that is unique. It comesfrom the ambience—the image size,quality, placement, etc.—and from thesound quality, two-way, etc.”One Communications• One Communications is the largestCLEC (competitive local exchangecarrier) in the Northeast. The firmoffers a robust portfolio of advancedtelecommunications solutions, includingvoice, converged solutions, internetand private networking services.In 2006, the firm released a request forproposal (RFP) to deploy telepresenceand avoid travel costs.One Communications currently hasa mix of telepresence and legacy videosystems, both group and desktop. Itinstalled Tandberg Experia telepresencesystems in Rochester NY andWaltham MA. Russ Oliver, EVP andChief Technology Officer at One Communications,stated, “Start with the endin mind: ‘What do you want to have andhow long will it take to get there?’ Welike a standards approach to be able tointeroperate with anyone. We like theflexibility to connect with anyone withthe push of a button.”In the future, One Communicationswill explore the use of video for trainingand the installation of a bridgeto link sites together. Oliver added,“There is enough competition now tobe able to get a fair price. Telepresenceaffords us executive-proof systems thatcan operate with one touch.”Nortel• Nortel is both a user and resellerof telepresence technology. Telepresencehas been deployed globallyto drive efficiency and effectiveness.The technology is being used to alloworganizations to become more strategic:to connect with partners, customersand suppliers. Hugh McCullen,70 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com