SAN JOSE, Calif., October 15, 2008 - Cisco today announced the first Cisco® TelePresence rooms available for public use. These Cisco TelePresence rooms are available on a pay-per-use model to businesses and organizations of all sizes seeking ways to increase the number of face-to-face meetings and collaboration with key partners, suppliers and customers while reducing costs and delays associated with travel. Public Cisco TelePresence rooms are available immediately at the Cisco TelePresence Suites in Santa Clara, Calif., and in Boston, London, and major cities throughout India, including Bangalore and Mumbai, in collaboration with Tata Communications.

The newly available Cisco TelePresence rooms build on the existing footprint of more than 1,000 Cisco TelePresence rooms at more than 200 organizations around the world, and on Cisco's internal deployment of almost 300 Cisco TelePresence rooms in 40 countries and 129 cities. This new model marks a significant step in Cisco's vision of building a public global Cisco TelePresence network. These new public Cisco TelePresence rooms will improve global collaboration by extending the in-person virtual meeting experience to businesses that may not yet have deployed Cisco TelePresence technology. Uses include supply chain dealings, employee training, recruiting, companywide global events, and other applications where being in person is critical but often impractical.

"Access to public Cisco TelePresence rooms by the hour opens the door for more frequent face-to-face interactions with key business colleagues and partners without the typical delays inherent to traveling for business meetings," said Geoffrey Moore, author of Dealing with Darwin and managing director at TCG Advisors. "Cisco TelePresence is the technology equivalent to a private jet; it provides me with the ability to participate in meetings taking place in multiple cities throughout the course of a day. It is a major step in balancing work and personal life, while reducing travel costs and increasing productivity."

For individual contributors, consultants and contractors who work with geographically dispersed teams, the new model will also provide an entry into the Cisco TelePresence experience, bringing a unique way to collaborate on timely projects and speed decision making, thus improving important business relationships.

"Public Cisco TelePresence makes the immersive, real-time Cisco TelePresence experience available to a much broader audience, fundamentally changing how businesses and individuals can collaborate globally without traveling long distances," said Marthin De Beer, senior vice president of Cisco's Emerging Technologies group. "With the introduction of a pay-per-use model, we're able to increase our customer's ability to access Cisco TelePresence without the upfront capital investment."

Availability

Public Cisco TelePresence rooms are available for booking immediately. Pricing varies from US$299 to US$899 per hour, depending on the size of the room selected, which can accommodate one to 18 meeting participants in a single room. To schedule a meeting at the Cisco TelePresence Suites, visit www.ciscotelepresencesuites.com for more information.

In collaboration with Tata Communications, the Taj Hotels owner, the Indian Hotels Co. Ltd., and the Confederation of India Industry (CII), Cisco has made public Cisco TelePresence facilities available for rent at the Taj Hotels in Boston, London, Bangalore, and Mumbai, and at CII offices in Bangalore, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai, India. Tata intends to open 100 additional rooms, including rooms in New York at the Pierre Hotel, by the end of calendar year 2009. For additional details and locations, visit http://www.tatacommunications.com/telepresence/index.html.

Supporting Resources:

• Cisco TelePresence Public Suites
• Cisco Web Site
• Cisco TelePresence
• 'OnStage' Experience in Bangalore

Images:

• Cisco TelePresence System 500
• Cisco TelePresence System 1000
• Cisco TelePresence System 3000
• Cisco TelePresence System 3200

Recent Announcements:

• Tata Communications Launches Public Cisco TelePresence Rooms Worldwide
• Cisco Targets $34B Market with New Collaboration Portfolio
• Cisco Introduces Personal TelePresence

Technorati Tags: Cisco, TelePresence, Collaboration, Globalization