No Jitter Roll: Cisco SD-WAN Partership, New Meeting Tech

This week, we bring you news on the latest SD-WAN collaboration, an analytics-infused video platform, a transcription service for events, a pair of contact center integrations, and the official release of a tabletop conferencing device.

 

Cisco has teamed with programmable cloud interconnect services provider Megaport with the aim of streamlining connectivity between branch offices and cloud resources for its SD-WAN customers. Through this partnership, Cisco is overlaying its SD-WAN fabric on top of the Megaport software-defined network. This will allow SD-WAN managers to “software-define,” or program, their interconnects from branch offices to cloud infrastructure and services via Cisco’s vManage SD-WAN management platform, Cisco said. Megaport provides more than interconnections to cloud applications, including Microsoft Office 365 and Salesforce, as well as to the AWS, Microsoft, Google, Oracle Cloud, IBM, and Alibaba public clouds, Cisco said.

 

AI-powered transcription company Otter.ai launched Otter for Events, a collaboration transcription service designed for virtual, live, and in-person events. Leveraging its Live Notes technology, Otter will capture and transcribe event conversations in real-time; event hosts can use the transcription service on multiple sessions at the same time. The transcriptions are then sharable withing public and private groups set up for Otter for Events, according to Otter.ai. Other features include the ability to highlight and comment on transcripts and search by keyword. Additionally, Otter includes this new service as part of Otter for Teams, so users can launch transcription directly within Zoom webinars.

 

Otter for Event is available for no additional cost for Otter for Teams users; a premium version is available for large enterprise-level events.

 

Customer experience (CX) assurance platform provider Cyara has joined the Twilio partner ecosystem with an integration for the Flex contact center platform that lets CX managers simulate agent actions to test agent routing and data passing functionality, Cyara said. Via the integration, CX managers will be able to speed cloud migrations with automated validation and documentation of IVR applications, as well as automated functional, regression, load testing, and CX monitoring across a variety of contact center applications, Cyara said.

 

Cyara’s testing integration with Flex is available now.

 

Cloud communications provider Vonage revealed a Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration for its contact center platform. Via the integration, agents on the Vonage Contact Center will be able to pull customer insights from Dynamics 365 for improved productivity and better customer engagement, Vonage said. The integration offers click-to-dial, screen pops, a unified interface, dynamic routing on any Dynamics data, auto-logging of data into Dynamics, as well as delivery of key performance metrics and analytics.

 

This integration builds on an existing partnership between Microsoft and Vonage.

 

Workplace technology provider Crestron announced the Flex MM 30 will be available starting on Aug. 31. Flex MM, which features a seven-inch touchscreen and a wide-angle HD camera, can be remotely managed with its cloud management platform, Crestron said. The Flex MM 30 will be available in an audioconference-only version for Microsoft Teams and a videoconferencing model for Teams and Zoom Rooms, priced at $750 and $3,000, respectively.

 

Productivity software company Plectica launched Team.Video, a web-based platform that provides a virtual workspace for video meetings and collaboration. With Team.Video, meeting hosts can set meeting goals, assign lead speakers to meeting sections, and set a timed agenda via a web interface. The platform also features text chat, emoji reactions, screen share capabilities, mute controls, and the ability to take notes and “raise your hand,” Plectica said. And, participants will receive a post-meeting summary via email.

 

Additionally, IT can leverage Team.Video analytics for data on meeting sizes, a participant’s join and leave time, amount of time someone speaks, and how many times participants responded with emojis, according to Plectica. Customization allows IT to fit meeting analytics to fit an organization’s desired outcomes, data integration feeds, and reporting structures, Plectica said.

 

Team.Video is available in free, basic, and enterprise plans, with a free trial of basic available for a limited time.