Microsoft Lync connects employees, partners, and customers wherever they are, helping you reduce costs while increasing productivity and responsiveness. Lync delivers a unified communications solution and gives users a consistent experience for presence, IM, voice, and video across PCs, Macs, phones, and browsers.
Check out this great video on how Lync helps businesses connect, collaborate and create
Everyone is getting excited about the September release of the SMART kapp and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon. Critics love it. Techies can’t wait for it. And the awards just keep coming. Here’s the latest news on the SMART kapp buzz. And remember, you can pre-order yours at Smartboards.com today!!
media release
SMART kapp Earns Multiple Honors Following InfoComm Debut
CALGARY, Alberta – August 14, 2014 — SMART Technologies’ new SMART kapp digital capture board has earned multiple awards since debuting at InfoComm 2014, North America’s largest audio visual trade show. After reviewing thousands of products from over 700 vendors, the influential AV industry publication rAVe honored SMART kapp with two of its “Best of InfoComm 2014 Awards”; Best Overall New Product and Best New Presentation Product.
A dramatic upgrade to the dowdy dry erase board and flip chart, SMART kapp lets users share work sessions in real-time and to save the work at any point to be shared in the cloud or by email. In beta testing now and available for pre-order with select channel partners, SMART kapp is scheduled to ship in September, 2014.
“Our staff members comb the InfoComm floor looking for the best and most interesting products. We talk to attendees about what they saw, reviewed and liked as well.” said Sara Abrons, Editor at rAVe Publications. “SMART kapp was our consensus winner for Best Overall New Product. It was one of the products attendees were all talking about and were most excited about this year.”
Industry buzz around SMART kapp had started even before InfoComm opened. Telepresence Options included SMART kapp in its preview article “15 Hot Exhibits You Need to See at InfoComm,” writing “we’re so excited to see SMART Technologies new SMART kapp digital capture board.”
After the show Wainhouse Research featured SMART kapp in its “InfoComm14 Topline,” writing, “SMART Technologies drew an impressive crowd with its new SMART kapp system, a very simple whiteboard/ink marker system that captures, saves, and pushes content to mobile clients in real time.”
Corey Moss, blogging in rAVe, highlighted the SMART kapp launch in “Disruptive at the InfoComm—My Top Ten,” calling it “A product launch of a different kind at InfoComm and fun to watch…SMART kapp digital capture board is as easy and intuitive to use as a dry-erase board, but delivers much more with features designed for today’s workplace.”
Tech Target’s Gina Narcisi wrote “SMART is focused on giving users a familiar, standalone tool that enables quick collaboration, while including remote employees, too.”
Educators also recognized the potential in SMART kapp. Dennis Pierce, Editorial Director of eSchool News included it his “Top new AV product worth noting” with the headline “SMART kapp ‘disrupts’ the traditional dry-erase board.” In a Tech Decisions article entitled “Why K-12 Should Take a Look at SMART’s Latest Product: SMART kapp,” Chrissy Winske wrote “this combination of dry-erase board and interactive learning app offers exciting possibilities for small group instruction.”
“We are gratified to see the enthusiastic response SMART kapp is getting from these influential commentators,” said Neil Gaydon President and CEO, SMART Technologies. ”It really was a thrill to be at InfoComm, to preview the product to attendees and to see their eyes light up when they realized just what SMART kapp can do, when they see the magic happen.”
Priced at $US899 MSRP, the 42” SMART kapp will be shipping in September 2014 (a larger size board will be available later in the year). Customers can pre-order SMART kapp today via www.smartkapp.com and be one of the first to own a SMART kapp board as soon as shipping commences.
View images of SMART kapp.
For more information visit www.smartkapp.com or follow SMART kapp on Twitter at @SMARTcollab.
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc.is a leading provider of technology solutions that are redefining the way the world works and learns. SMART products enable inspired collaboration in schools and workplaces by turning group work into highly interactive, engaging and productive experiences. SMART delivers integrated solutions of hardware, software and services designed for superior performance and ease of use.
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Certain information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking information or statements. In particular and without limitation, this press release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to cost and resource reductions associated with the implementation of the platform and the availability date of such platform. By their very nature, forward-looking information and statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks that predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking information and statements will not be achieved. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking information or statements. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking information or statements. Any forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
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The SMART kapp™ isn’t even shipping yet but already it’s getting a lot of attention for its innovation and style. It has been featured by news sources like IT World Canada, Gadgetify, and Tech Target. The SMART kapp™ is being applauded for its simplicity of use and functionality.
David Maldow, analyst and associate publisher at Telepresence Options, states, “This is an upgrade from the classic dry erase board behind the desk or in a meeting space. Up until now, there was no middle ground — it was either a $10 dry erase board, or a $5,000 smart board that also has collaboration and video conferencing integrations that [businesses] might not need.”
Last week SMART kapp was listed as one of the Top 10 Disruptive Products at InfoComm2014 by the voice of InfoComm, Rave Publications. They also won “The Name Fits” award at the show. This all led up to SMART kapp™ being awarded Best Overall New Product AND Best New Presentation Product at InfoComm 2014!
The experts and industry leaders loved using this cutting age presentation tool and so will you. Pre-Order your SMART kapp™ now!
July 01, 2014
Presentation Products, Inc. Achieves a Microsoft Silver Small Business Competency
Presentation Products, Inc. earns distinction through demonstrated technology success and customer commitment.
New York City, New York, USA — July, 01, 2014 — Presentation Products, Inc. today announced it has achieved a Silver Microsoft Small Business competency, demonstrating its ability to meet Microsoft Corp. customers’ evolving needs in today’s dynamic business environment. To earn a Microsoft silver competency, partners must successfully demonstrate expertise through rigorous exams, culminating in Microsoft certifications. And to ensure the highest quality of services, Microsoft requires customer references for successful implementation and customer satisfaction.
Presentation Products come to Unified Communications Design & Integration with years of experience as an audiovisual systems integrator specializing in high end technology for the business environment Our recommendations for platforms to consider and technologies to include are always based on your specific goals and needs as the end user of the system. As a Microsoft Silver Business Partner, we are able to support Office 365 and Microsoft Lync Deployments. “This Microsoft Silver Small Business Partner competency showcases our expertise in today’s technology market and demonstrates our knowledge of Microsoft and its products,” said Orin Knopp, CEO “Our plan is to accelerate our customers’ success by serving as technology advisors for their business demands.”
“By achieving a silver competency, organizations have proven their expertise in specific technology areas, placing them among the top 5 percent of Microsoft partners worldwide,” said Phil Sorgen, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp. “When customers look for an IT partner to meet their business challenges, choosing a company that has attained Microsoft competencies is a smart move. These are highly qualified professionals with access to Microsoft technical support and product teams.”
Earning the Microsoft Small Business competency demonstrates partner expertise and commitment to deliver solutions tailored to Small Business customer requirements. Given the focus on adoption of Cloud computing by over 50% of SMBs in the near future to drive their business operations, partners that invest in this competency are ready to address the rising customer demand for Microsoft solutions based on Office 365, Windows 8, and Lync.
The Microsoft Partner Network helps partners strengthen their capabilities to showcase leadership in the marketplace on the latest technology, to better serve customers and to easily connect with one of the most active, diverse networks in the world.
As a full service design build firm, Presentation Products has been the leading provider of turn-key audiovisual solutions in the tri-state area for over 20 years. Headquartered in New York City, the staff of more than 40 professionals provide audio visual integration services ranging from design and engineering, project management and installation to training and support.
For more information, press only:
Brandon Knopp, Presentation Products, [email protected]
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The AV design and integration industry provides unique, simple technology based solutions for businesses that seek to advance their performance and services through increased communication and better collaboration. The AV industry has evolved rapidly and continues to propel itself into the future. According to the most recent report released by InfoComm International, the main contributor to AV Standards, the audiovisual industry churns out an impressive $78 billion globally and is forecasted to expand to $115 billion by 2015.
Audiovisual firms can tackle one or a combination of four main categories of AV work which are the hardware (physical level), software (programming level), environment (business level), and content (data level). These components serve to meet different needs, but collectively function to meet one goal, the advancement of all forms of communications throughout an administration. The industry can be broken down into this classification system based more exclusively on services offered, as opposed to the actual merchandise provided. These distinctive services have separated IT specialists from AV professionals, whom have the necessary skills and training to provide optimal AV performance.
The AV industry can be categorized within a few major markets that include, but are not limited to: Corporate, Colleges or Universities, K-12 Education and Government or Military (click to see typical solutions). Recently the AV industry has made strides to begin and further its involvement in: Retail, Sporting Establishments, Museum Showcases, Meeting Rooms, Convention Sites, Healthcare Organizations, and Places of Worship. As the world becomes more technologically advanced and interconnected, this technology will continue to gain entry into more markets and advance its presence in the industries listed above.
Audiovisual Technology emerged out of a demand for products like overhead projectors, screens, and simple audio equipment. As we fast-forward from these nascent stages, our audiovisual needs have drastically changed. Nowadays successful businesses are likely to have advanced forms of rapid communication not only to allow the business process to move swiftly, but also to display high forms of functionality. Audiovisual design and integration firms have met the challenges put forth by their customers and continue to push boundaries by now finding new applications and creative solutions for its clientele.
Las Vegas will be home to InfoComm 2014 from June 18-20. The convention will be featuring a plethora of new, cutting edge technology from some of the AV world’s top contributors and innovators. Sponsors and partners include all the major names, including Crestron, Microsoft, SMART, Samsung, and Panasonic. This conference will be the top AV event of the year with over 950 exhibitors and 35,000 participants who collectively represent 110 countries. With a clear international presence, InfoComm will be featuring a Latin American Breakfast and an international reception, business center, and buyer program. Beyond these international showcases, there will be more than enough activities and showcases to look forward to.
Specifically, the seminars will feature show pavilions with the most desirable audio, digital signage, conferencing, and lighting and staging solutions. Audio demo rooms have been designated as testing spaces for attendees to experience some of the industries recently developed audio products. InfoComm University will be providing hands on tutorials focused on advancing AV professional’s abilities in the industry. Participants will also have the opportunity to get a first hand look at an audiovisual installation while on a tech tour. Some past highlights that will be making a return to InfoComm this year include: the rigging safety presentation, Technologies for Worship magazine’s live events stage, a production camera display, and many others. For the first time the convention will turn its attention towards a “tech-know job fair”, which will also prove beneficial both for job hunters and employers.
SMART kapp™ by SMART Technologies is the next evolution dry erase board that allows you to capture, save, and share all of your content. Building off its predecessors, SMART kapp™ takes the simple writing style of the marker and dry erase board, but allows users to “work and share with others in real time- all using your smartphone or tablet”. This digital capture board is taking us one step further in maximizing our connectivity with the ability to share data seamlessly in real-time and it will hit the market at InfoComm 2014. For advanced information on SMART kapp™ Sign up to receive information on the day of release.
Beginning in June, Presentation Products Inc. will become one of a select group of qualified SMART resellers able to sell the SMART kapp product nation-wide. Officially announcing the product on May 12th, 2014, SMART Technologies said,
“SMART kapp allows you to write, draw and capture ideas using dry erase SMART ink markers – just like the old-fashioned dry-erase board—while enabling you to instantly save your work images, convert them to PDFs, and send to anyone, anywhere, instantly. SMART kapp eliminates the ineffective practice of photographing whiteboards and flipcharts or furiously typing notes during meetings to save and share valuable information and insights.”
SMART technologies, the leading innovator in interactive technologies, has positioned this latest product as the first revolution of the “dry erase board” since 1956. With the ability to capture and quickly share notes digitally, the SMART kapp digital capture board represents a further step towards more seamless collaboration in the 21st century.
At the core of media and advertising is the need to present and execute creative concepts for your clients and their brands. Whether this is for traditional print, broadcast media, or digital platforms, firms need the communication and collaboration tools that match their capabilities and visions. Client-facing conference rooms need to impress with their ease of use and superior audio and visual performance. Internal meeting rooms need to make communicating and collaborating simple and efficient. “First impression” spaces like a corporate lobby often benefit from a digital flourish that is in lock-step with a corporate image. Here are three examples of solutions PPI has designed and implemented with recent clients.
The creative digital agency came to PPI with a concept for a “social media command center” where they could collaborate with clients on real-time marketing efforts for live events from the Oscars to the Olympics. The system was built in an unfinished, industrial loft space, and the design is an impressive array of flat panel displays with a clean, industrial aesthetic. A customized video and control solution powers the system, allowing users to easily tailor it for different events. The client now has a space where they can work side-by-side with clients, and demonstrate how the agency manages real-time, minute-by-minute advertising campaigns.
PPI worked closely with the management team to develop standard designs for conference rooms that would make meetings, presentations, and video conference calls simple and easy. Once established, PPI deployed these rooms throughout the building. Then we built more in satellite offices throughout the city. Then we deployed them in other offices in the US and overseas. When employees book a conference room, whether in Times Square or Soho, they can expect the same touchpanel, the same features, and the same operation everytime, everywhere. PPI has also designed and built artful high-tech ambiances in their lobbies and public spaces to welcome both employees and visitors alike into a space.
You started with a handful of talented, dedicated people. Now you have hundreds of employees, multiple offices, multiple conference rooms, and vastly different needs and priorities. Your technology solutions need to grow with your revenue, while still reflecting the unique style and culture that contributed to your success. A common need of rapidly growing tech firms is a meeting space for frequent “town hall” or “all hands” meetings, where remote participants can participate and the event can be streamed to satellite offices. PPI has designed custom systems for the unique requirements, and budgets, of growing media and tech firms to help communicate their vision and direction to employees and investors.
PPI provides media and advertising agencies with tools that allow them to be more collaborative, creative, and innovative. Our goal-driven solutions maximize the potential of any space, from client facing pitch rooms, to collaboration labs, digital media command centers or town hall event spaces. We spend a lot of time listening; we learn and understand your culture, creative vision, and technology goals. Then our team of consultants and engineers create and deliver solutions that give your company the edge it needs to constantly inspire innovation. Contact Us to Begin the Conversation.
Over the last few months, we have had many technology officers come to us wanting to understand more about how a Lync Room System would fit into their overall Unified Communications strategy. From organizations with remote workers looking to more easily connect outside of the office, to global corporations and institutions with multiple campuses who are in need of a more seamless distance collaboration experience, all of these interested groups are looking for ways to build meeting spaces and communication infrastructure that keeps better pace with the demands and opportunities of the 21st century workplace. As an audiovisual technology integrator, this is where we come in to help clients successfully deploy and adopt a new technology.
In the case of the Lync Room System, a good first step for many of our clients has been to launch a Pilot or Proof of Concept test in order to evaluate the solution and determine its worth to the organization. This approach is only going to be worthwhile however, if all aspects of the integration are taken into account. Successfully deploying the Lync Room System requires an understanding of both the unit as a standalone technology as well as its ability to join the network and connect users without ugly delays and difficulties. The experience needs to be optimized not only for the participants in the meeting room, but also for remote attendees joining in virtually. Whether you are implementing a recently purchased product or are carrying out a Proof of Concept test, here are some Pre and Post Installation tips to consider when deploying a Lync Room System.
The Network
Just as with any other new technology deployment, a network readiness assessment should be carried out before making any moves to install new components. Lync 2013 and the Lync Room System offers a tremendous meeting room experience delivering HD video, conference room audio and real time voice and data collaboration, but it is imperative that the solution’s demands on your network infrastructure are taken into account. Lack of network resources can result in poor performance and will detract from the overall user experience. There are several ways to ensure your network is ready for a new Room System. Microsoft has tools and bandwidth calculators that can be used by experienced and qualified in-house staff to measure capacities, or experienced UC Deployment Partners can be engaged to ensure the environment is ready upfront.
The Space
Another Pre-Installation consideration is space. When picking the location for the hardware, you have to be aware of how the setting will affect the meeting experience. Factors such as room location within the building or campus, lighting or lack thereof, and potential background noise need to be taken note of and considered deeply. Even when deploying a Pilot System, choosing the wrong room will result in poor test results and therefore a wasted opportunity. We’ve seen firsthand Pilots being deployed in unused conference rooms which were chosen for the test without considering the reasons these rooms are underutilized in the first place! Without an appropriate setting, Proof of Concept tests with these systems will be useless. An upfront room survey and walk-through can help identify potential impacts to the quality of the experience and steps that can be taken to create a more optimal meeting room environment.
Training
After a system is installed, many organizations are faced with the “now what” moment. While the room system provides a familiar and intuitive Lync Interface to users, it is still a new technology that will not invite adoption without some training. You want employees in your organization to feel encouraged and inspired by a new technology in the office, rather than intimidated and perplexed. For both existing and new Lync users, the learning curve on these systems is small, but like any new technology there can be fear in learning and using something different. It’s important to plan for a series of interactive, instructor led training on system usage and best practices for managers and key employees who will be using the Lync Room System. One of the key benefits of the system is that it replaces the legacies of difficult and hard to use meeting room technologies. But don’t let this blind you to the benefits of a well-planned and interactive training program. For those in the technology field, it’s easy to assume that everyone will get the ease and simplicity of the system out-of-the-box; more times than not though, this isn’t the case. It is important to work with employees after the fact so that the average information worker has the confidence to use the system.
Utilizing System Metrics
After the initial adoption training, it is important to implement longer term performance monitoring. Both SMART and CRESTRON supplied room systems have the ability to provide usage metrics for their Lync Room Systems. Implementing and utilizing these tools provide another way to measure your technology investment. By providing and monitoring this data, organizations can design processes to keep the knowledge base of its users up to date and identify particular rooms or systems that may be underperforming or underutilized, thereby maximizing the overall return on investment in Lync.
All of these factors should be considered both when deciding on a solution and when choosing the right technology integrator for the job. As a design and integration firm with years of experience in system integration for the business environment, Presentation Products offers full service support from consulting to system programming, commissioning, training and maintenance. When you are ready, contact us to learn more about Piloting a system and setting up an initial room survey.
The release of Lync 2013 was a landmark moment for Microsoft’s Unified Communications product line. Following the trend of major innovations in UC strategy and technology in the last few years, the 2013 launching has transformed the life of the office worker yet again. With more investment in video and voice collaboration, the new technology allows colleagues to meet virtually from anywhere, with any device. One of the newest related products to utilize the advanced features of Lync 2013 is the Lync Room System, which extends the functionality of Lync into the conference room environment. This new solution brings together the best in Unified Communications and video and data collaboration hardware and software to transform the meeting room into a distance collaboration haven. There is still some confusion however, about where these systems fit within an organization. Read the full article for a comprehensive look at what lync is and what it is not.
“The demands and turnarounds we face in our business today have never been greater. Our clients feel it, we feel it, and I am proud that we continue to face these head-on in partnership with our clients to deliver breakthrough work that works. We do this all while continuing to grow our offering with new capabilities, new global offices, new people and of course new clients and brands.” ~McGarryBowen creative chief Gordon Bowen in a statement to Ad Age
mcgarrybowen is a global, full-service, integrated marketing communications agency network headquartered in New York, with offices in Chicago, London, Düsseldorf and Shanghai. The Agency was founded in 2002 on a simple request to clients: “give us your biggest challenge.” Over the decade since, mcgarrybowen has grown to become one of the most successful agency start-ups ever, earning “Agency of the Year” honors from Advertising Age in 2009 and again from both Ad Age and Adweek in 2011. Famous for big, organizing ideas and “work that works,” mcgarrybowen counts some of the world’s most iconic companies as its clients, including Disney, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Verizon, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kraft, Mondelez International, Marriott, Pizza Hut, Chevron, Crayola, Procter & Gamble, Sears and United Airlines.
As a leading digital, mobile and social agency, mcgarrybowen needed a social newsroom command center where they could collaborate with clients on real-time marketing efforts for live events from the Oscars to the Olympics. The system needed to accommodate for the Agency’s tenacious, adaptable style through a collaborative but unified approach to project management and creative production. The system was to be built in an unfinished, industrial loft space within mcgarrybowen’s open-floor offices located in the iconic Starrett-Lehigh Building.
PPI combined a clean, industrial aesthetic and an impressive array of flat panel displays with a customized video solution to create mcgarrybowen’s Social Media Command Center. The unique design used floor to ceiling poles to suspend 50” and 90” displays in the unfinished space, making for a high-profile but not overwhelming audiovisual installation. Two major aspects of the project design were:
The industrial-style mounting solution is the centerpiece of the new space. Arranged with six 50”displays, one centered 90” display, and careful cable management, the installation lends itself to the unfinished aesthetic of the room. In order to make the displays apear to be “floating” off the walls, PPI mounted them on floor-to-ceiling steel poles and left visual space behind them for event-specific wall coverings and artwork.
The backbone of the system is a 16×16 Crestron Digital Media Matrix Switcher, which allows the user to route any source to any combination of displays. A multiviewer video processor gives mcgarrybowen’s content team a flexible set of tools to design captivating visual canvases on the 90” display with any source connected to the matrix switch. The system is controlled from a 10” touchpanel with a custom programmed GUI that allows for full control of the Command Center when tailoring it for different events.
“The key to success for this project was making the user interface intuitive and simple. Our programmers spend a lot of time on a design that invites and encourages users to take control of the system, rather than intimidating them with complexity. Training was short and virtually unnecessary.”
-Zach Baxter, CTS | Corporate Account Manager at Presentation Products, Inc.
Building an AV system in an industrial space presented a lot of visual challenges. PPI’s unique design and custom technology integration made for a solution that is more than the sum of its parts. Shortly after completion,
mcgarrybowen used the system to manage a live response social media Super Bowl campaign for a high profile client. The system provides a new way for mcgarrybowen to exhibit the dedication they bring to their work in front of new clients.
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