There are a whole heck of a lot of reasons why video collaboration is being adopted in all kinds of workplaces by all types of organizations and for any and all team-oriented work tasks. If there is a hindrance to the growth of collaboration, says NEC Display Solutions of America product manager Christopher Feldman, it’s that sometimes collaboration solutions can be difficult to implement and use … and sort of intimidating.
[related]NEC is looking to remove those barriers with its NEC InfinityBoard®, which it calls an all-in-one solution for meeting rooms and a powerful, scalable resource for team-focused meeting rooms. The NEC InfinityBoard® stands alone or integrates with unified communications and collaboration (UCC) platforms and is neither difficult to use or intimidating, according to Feldman.
InfinityBoard® will “offer customers the greatest amount of overall flexibility for how they’re using it in the facilities,” says NEC’s Christopher Feldman.
The great thing about the design principal behind the InfinityBoard® for customers, he says, is that NEC leverages applications and workflows they already use so when it comes time to work with InfinityBoard®, “you already know how to use it.”
Many of the customers that will adopt InfinityBoard® already have certain UCC applications embedded in their work processes, Feldman acknowledges. The flexibility of the InfinityBoard® will allow it to be blended into and become a strong contributor in any ecosystem.
Besides that, InfinityBoard® is a powerful collaboration tool that NEC says taps into the fast evolution happening in workplaces. It facilitates presenting, brainstorming, reviewing and video conferencing. The ultra-high definition InfinityBoard® solutions come with stylus pens and custom 40W audio presentation speakers. A slot-in PC based on Open Pluggable Standard (OPS) interface provides for flexibility when it comes to future upgrades.
The most significant upgrade stems from the impact that InfinityBoard has on organizations’ team-focused meeting strategies. Let’s analyze a few ways NEC InfinityBoard® improves collaboration.
InfinityBoard® Is an All-in-One Solution
When customers purchase an InfinityBoard® they get a complete collaboration package, Feldman says. That includes:
- 55-, 75- or 86-inch UHD Touch Display — Intuitive pen writing, palm erasing and finger touch, provided by FlatFrog InGlass touch technology.
- Video Conferencing Camera – The Huddly conferencing camera encompasses the whole room with 120-degree viewing angle.
- Conference Speakers – Providing excellent speech intelligibility for video conferencing with ultra-low distortion speakers.
- OPS Slot-in PC — Flexibility with pre-installed Microsoft Windows 10 Pro to install applications as needed and allowing for future performance upgrades.
Mosaic Software Suite
When customers purchase NEC InfinityBoard® they get a license for Mosaic Hub, which is significant, says Feldman. “The Mosaic Hub software, installed for free includes your video conferencing, your messaging, whiteboarding, wireless presenting, and document import.”
Mosaic Hub is a screen to screen and room collaboration solution designed to be simple and intuitive to use. Users will be able to connect boards together simply and easily by connecting the InfinityBoard® to the internet and entering a session number for security.
Still, InfinityBoard® Is Software-Agnostic
Even though InfinityBoard® boasts a strong software element and offers the Mosaic Hub, it’s important to realize that the product stands alone from a hardware standpoint, Feldman adds.
“We’re not defining how you can put our equipment into your space,” says NEC’s Feldman.
“You can use the InfinityBoard® either with the software that’s included or you are free to use whatever works best for your workflow. The InfinityBoard® includes a high performance Intel i7 OPS computer that isn’t locked down and can run many professional applications,” he explains.
“If you want to have expandability or some freedom with the creativity of how you’re going to actually implement these creative solutions, InfinityBoard® fits because the system itself stands on its own and then you could either use the included software that’s in the package or you can just use the hardware that’s included.”
You Can Grow with InfinityBoard®
As integrators and their customers know, technology is evolving quickly. Nobody wants to align themselves with a technology solution that won’t allow an organization to continue to improve their workflows. For example, Feldman says, “In the PC world, a graphics card that is good today will change six months from now. With collaboration and screen technologies, these solutions change every time there is an update to the software.”
“The modern office is constantly in a state of flux; the InfinityBoard® has the ability to be adapted to these changes in environment and workflow,” says NEC’s Feldman.
“What we’ve really tried to do with the InfinityBoard® is to build something flexible. We needed it to be modular. That way, the system itself is easier to implement and easier to service.”
The parts are included with InfinityBoard® but the customers aren’t bound to them. They can feel free to change parts or upgrade. For instance, they can choose to replace the soundbar with surround sound. They can tie the InfinityBoard® into a Crestron system or use it as a stand-alone solution in a huddle room.
The way the InfinityBoard® is built, “it’s going to offer customers the greatest amount of overall flexibility for how they’re using it in the facilities,” Feldman says. “We’re not defining how you can put our equipment into your space. The modern office is constantly in a state of flux; the InfinityBoard® has the ability to be adapted to these changes in environment and workflow.”
Learn more about NEC Display Solutions of America’s NEC InfinityBoard® here.
