Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications, today announced the worldwide availability of Polycom® HDX® Series 3.1, a software update for the Company’s popular HDX video collaboration solution for executive desktops and rooms.

Providing a simple and intuitive collaboration experience in HD video and voice quality, the enhanced HDX Series 3.1 software improves collaboration and productivity for organizations of all sizes with new features including:

• Enhanced virtual whiteboarding – Polycom® RealPresence® Whiteboard, the industry’s first embedded virtual whiteboard software in a video-conferencing unit with no external PC required, lets video meeting participants write on the same digital screen for easier document collaboration no matter where the meeting participants are located. Users can also connect the HDX Series 3.1 with standard touchscreens, giving the flexibility for a two-panel set-up. The standard touchscreen support also lets users annotate on the virtual whiteboard with fingertips, so no extra accessories are required.
• More choices for sharing content during a video conference – share presentations, a desktop view or other content with video meeting participants by connecting to a PC, Mac or even by plugging a USB drive directly into the HDX system (no computer required). Support for mouse control makes it easy for users to navigate and select items on the screen.
• Easily control meetings from a tablet – Polycom® SmartPairing™ technology, an industry-first, wirelessly connects Apple iPads to HDX Series systems running 3.1 and simplifies the user experience by letting users control video meeting functions such as volume and start/stop with their tablets, as well as transfer a live video call from tablet to big screen with the swipe of a finger (watch a related video)
• Enhanced, secure firewall traversal – support for Polycom® RealPresence® Access Director solution and interoperability with Acme Packet Net-Net session border controllers makes it easier for users inside or outside the firewall to join a video meeting securely.

“Video-enabling employees with solutions that are highly secure and easy for end users to operate and navigate, as well as simple and cost-effective for organizations to manage and deliver, has time and time again proven to be an IT investment that quickly pays for itself by reducing travel costs and helping companies gain thousands of hours a month in productivity,” said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, President of Products and Services, Polycom. “That is why hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world trust and rely on solutions like the Polycom HDX series for helping their employees improve collaboration and be more productive across distances and time zones.”

Increasing Productivity in Businesses Across Industries

“Our network of employees is very dispersed. People from New York, Los Angeles, UK, and India, are often collaborating on projects, which before meant that we were experiencing a lot of unproductive time in transit from location to location,” said Shaun Mundy, Group IT Director of Buro Happold, a global engineering consultancy headquartered in the United Kingdom. “Now that more than 90 percent of our workforce is video-enabled, Polycom RealPresence video and HDX room systems have helped us reduce travel costs by up to £3 million annually, and gain 3,000 hours a month in productivity.”

The law firm of Morris Polich & Purdy LLP (MPP) also relies on Polycom HDX room solutions to collaborate across five offices, with clients and contacts worldwide. “When a firm grows the way we have, it is necessary to be creative to support the needs of the business,” said George Brandon, partnership development leader at Morris, Polich & Purdy LLP. “Before implementing Polycom solutions, we had spent $3,000 for a one-time, international video conference call with a client. Now, we can host such calls whenever we want without incurring any additional cost.”

A Superior User Experience for Lower TCO

HDX Series 3.1 continues to offer high quality HD video with Polycom® Constant Clarity™ technology including Polycom® Lost Packet Recovery™ and Polycom® StereoSurround™ for crisp, natural voice clarity even when multiple parties are speaking. These technologies provide the industry’s best and highest quality experience and when combined with the simplified user interface through tablets and Polycom SmartPairing technology, the HDX experience is unmatched.

Cost savings from overall low bandwidth utilization – as much as 50 percent lower than competitors’ solutions¹ – and extended peripheral management through Polycom® RealPresence® Resource Manager, make the HDX Series 3.1 an attractive cost-effective executive room and desktop video solution that is simpler for IT to manage and support.

Availability

The HDX Series 3.1 solution is available today in select countries worldwide. For existing HDX customers on a maintenance contract, the upgrade to HDX Series 3.1 is available at no cost; for customers reactivating service, pricing starts US$400. For new customers, pricing starts at US$1,999. Polycom RealPresence Mobile 2.0 is available as a free download from the Apple AppStore™ and Google Play today; support for SmartPairing on HDX Series 3.1 will be available on the iPad® 2 and the new iPad later this month. Products and solutions availability may vary by country. For more information, visit www.polycom.com, call 1-800-POLYCOM or contact one of our more than 6,500 channel partners worldwide. For more information, visit www.polycom.com or call 1-800-POLYCOM.

About Polycom

Polycom is the global leader in open standards-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) solutions for voice and video collaboration, trusted by more than 415,000 customers around the world. Polycom solutions are powered by the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform, comprehensive software infrastructure and rich APIs that interoperate with the broadest set of communication, business, mobile and cloud applications and devices to deliver secure face-to-face video collaboration in any environment. Polycom and its ecosystem of over 7,000 partners provide truly unified communications solutions that deliver the best user experience, highest multi-vendor interoperability, and lowest TCO. Visit www.polycom.com or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to learn how we’re pushing the greatness of human collaboration forward.

1 Wainhouse: “Evaluation: Polycom’s Implementation of H.264 High Profile: WR Investigates Polycom’s Claim of No-Compromise Performance Using up to 50% Less Bandwidth,” November 2010

NOTE: The product plans, specifications, and descriptions herein are provided for information only and subject to change without notice, and are provided without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Polycom reserves the right to modify future product plans at any time. Products and related specifications referenced herein are not guaranteed and will be delivered on a when and if available basis.

© 2012 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. POLYCOM®, the Polycom logo, and the names and marks associated with Polycom’s products are trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc. and are registered and/or common law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.