Cisco is releasing several new Webex solutions, including Webex Legislate, designed to be used in government and judicial proceedings as legislative bodies increasingly adopt remote work technology to carry out their meetings, hearings, and cases.
Announced during the Cisco Partner Summit Digital last month, Webex Legislate is a secure, purpose-built cloud solution designed to meet the specialized requirements of global legislatures, according to Cisco.
Similar to enterprise use, Webex Legislate is designed to provide an experience similar to an in-person one, but this solution allows legislators to remain close to their constituents while still being able to attend important meetings and cast their vote on laws and other proceedings.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we’ve seen U.S. government hearings and other deliberations conducted via videoconferencing technology, and we’ve seen how some solutions might not be a perfect fit for certain legislative bodies that struggle to just get the technology to work.
Webex Legislate provides a videoconferencing experiences with a new dashboard that includes controls designed to help manage hearings, floor debates and votes, including:
- Customized voting features that allow legislators the ability to debate and vote on laws
- Secure sidebar rooms that mimic conversations lawmakers would have in caucus or on the floor
- Interpretation and closed captioning for sessions conducted in multiple languages
For moderators, Webex Legislate includes controls that allow for unique rules, procedures and roles of each legislative body. Appropriate permissions can be given to committee chairs, speakers, lawmakers, staff, citizens, press and more. Other controls include timers, mute, and more.
For security, Webex Legislate includes single sign-on with multi-factor authentication, visual and verbal verification with secure lobby admission, chain of custody for all procedures and anonymous or customized voting.
According to Cisco, Webex Legislate was funded and co-developed by Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, in conjunction with Irish systems integrator and Cisco partner, Davra.
For the courtroom, Cisco announced Connected Justice that provides support for courtrooms, correctional facilities and community corrections by offering similar videoconferencing tools.
This solution is designed to help courtrooms conduct their business while social distancing, help correctional facilities access critical services and help reduce recidivism by delivering remote telehealth and teletherapy services.
