Today has been one of those days. I knew it was going to be a rough day when I hadn’t properly set my alarm this morning. The switch was in the middle between “on” and “off” and the middle equates to “off”. Fortunately, my internal clock was still ticking and by some miracle I woke up not much later then my semi-set bedside alarm was supposed to wake me. It’s amazing how quickly I can move when this happens. It must be the adrenaline rush that comes with the realization that I am now behind schedule on getting ready for work. This morning I was scheduled for a customer presentation. I have a 50 minute commute when there’s no traffic, I pad an additional half hour for rush hour. I was running about 10 minutes behind, but I could still make it on time if traffic was cooperating.

Traffic was not cooperating, at least not for the first leg of my commute. On the second leg of my commute traffic was moving nicely and I recovered some time. As I approached my half way mark (isn’t it something how many landmarks we have for our daily commute?) I saw that I was still 5 minutes ahead. I’m not panicking yet. I take the exit for the third leg of my commute and things are looking good for about 5 seconds, then traffic slows to a crawl and many times to a complete stop. Now I start to panic. I grab my mobile phone and send an e-mail to the presentation program manager letting her know I will need to reschedule 10-15 minutes later. If you happen to be a member of California law enforcement this is not an admission of guilt to the “hands-free” law. As I neared the presentation site, I used Jabber IM on my mobile phone to provide an update to the program manager (while stopped and not driving) and received an immediate response that everything was set. The new expectations were communicated and the customer filled the available time by going to the Cisco store. We had a great presentation.

Right after, I had a meeting to attend a couple buildings down, so I hustled over and got there just after start time. Only thing was, this was a virtual meeting. The only people in the conference room were the presenters. My laptop was back in the car two buildings over. However, the conference room was equipped with a display screen on the wall. The presenter sharing the content slides was able to display them on the in-room screen as well. I was now able to fully participate in the presentation by viewing the content as I listened.

Immediately after the presentation ended I had another call scheduled. I’m in a completely different building and without a workspace. Read More »

Tags: Cisco, Cisco Jabber, collaboration, TelePresence

It’s no secret that new technologies are changing the way students learn. The modern classroom is no longer confined to a physical space and students have access to greater educational opportunities than ever before.

Much like video has created new models for learning; mobile video collaboration is extending the boundaries of education even more. Imagine a school where students can instant message a professor from their tablet with an urgent question about tomorrow’s test and get an immediate response, or where a student athlete headed to a competition can join a lecture from their own personal mobile device. By overcoming space and time challenges, students and faculty can connect to the people and resources they need from wherever they are. No longer is education confined to the walls of the classroom. Read More »

Tags: distrance learning, education, flipped classroom, higher education, K-12, mobile collaboration, teaching, TelePresence, video conferencing

I am drafting this blog on my laptop, sitting in the Embassy Suites lounge in Raleigh, North Carolina, enjoying the complimentary breakfast buffet. I share this not to disclose my breakfast habits, nor my whereabouts but to illustrate that we are relying more and more on mobile devices to keep us connected, both professionally and personally. In fact analysts predict that by the end of 2013, 80 percent of companies will allow BYOD (bring your own device) for employees.

As today’s workers embrace mobility, they have expectations that their experience outside of the office should mirror their experience inside the office.  With mobility trends like telework and BYOD on the rise, it’s important that government organizations stay ahead of technology trends to better deliver their employees with the right tools that allow them to collaborate from anywhere at any time.   Read More »

Tags: byod, collaboration, COOP, government, jabber, mobile collaboration, Mobile workforce, mobility, TelePresence, telework, video conferencing, WebEX

For the 10,000 users on our ACE service introduction network, the new WebEx-enabled TelePresence Meeting capabilities mean everyone gets to enjoy seamless two-way video, audio, and data sharing between Cisco TelePresence and Cisco WebEx Conferencing. Users no longer have to ask, “Do I have my meetings via TelePresence or WebEx?”

The host easily schedules the WebEx-enabled TelePresence meeting using the WebEx Productivity Tool in Outlook or the Smart Scheduler Web Portal. The TelePresence video bridge information will be populated automatically, eliminating the need to manage separate invitations for WebEx and TelePresence users – it is all one click away.

Read More »

Tags: ACE, coc-collaboration, strategic innovations, TelePresence, video collaboration, Webex conferencing

 If you find yourself in Austin, Texas next week, you’ll want to swing by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) Meeting and Tradeshow which runs from May 5-7. 

Growing annually by leaps and bounds, ATA 2013 is expected to be their biggest and best conference yet, with over 6000 attendees.  The ATA 2013 exhibit hall will host 300 leading vendors with groundbreaking remote healthcare technologies and services.

And you can count on Cisco to be there front and center.   

So while you’re there, don’t miss a visit to the Cisco booth (#332) to see market leading solutions that overcome the barrier of distance while improving the patient experience.  If you take a second to let us scan your name badge, you’ll be in the running for a chance to win a $250 American Express gift card!

Finally, don’t miss Cisco executives in these two sessions:

Monday, May 6: 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Selling Abroad: Companies Making an Impact in the International Market
David W. Plummer, General Manager, Cisco HealthPresence

Monday, May 6: 4:15 – 5:15 pm
Market Watch: Not All Telehealth Markets are Equal
Barbara Casey, Senior Executive Director, Cisco Healthcare Business Transformation

In the meantime, you can learn more about Cisco Care-at-a-Distance solutions for telehealth by clicking here. 

We’ll see you in Austin!

Tags: healthcare, TelePresence, video