Ayonote applauds Cisco on Telepresence

CHIEF executive officer of Suburban Telecom, Mr. Bruce Ayonote, has applauded Cisco Systems on the availability of its Telepresence in the country.

Telepresence is a product that could enable corporate to enjoy at distance across branches and among other international partners.

Joined by members of his management team, Ayonote who made the commendation after experimenting on Cisco TelePresence recently at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, used the platform to discuss how the technology could be deployed in the offices of banks, energy multinationals, service providers, public sector organisations and other enterprises as well as governments throughout West Africa.

“In today’s climate, when companies are looking at better ways to conduct business efficiently whilst also keeping a firm control on costs, Suburban is in the unique position of currently being the only company in the West African region that has the fiber infrastructure to offer Cisco TelePresence as cost effective solution,” said Ayonote.

He said that they were impressed with how real the whole experience was.

“We were able to interact with John Chambers in his offices in San Jose as if he was sitting across the table from us without incurring the high costs and time of travel,” he said.

Underline the fact that this product is definitely a technology that will benefit many organisations across the board in Nigeria.

He disclosed that at the initial phase, they have plans to work with Cisco to facilitate collaboration between regional governments using Cisco TelePresence.

The general manager for Cisco in Nigeria, Mr. David Seda, confirmed that a Cisco TelePresence meeting is as simple as making a phone call, and when participants sit down at the conference table in a Cisco TelePresence room, other participants appear to be sitting across the table, in life size, no matter where they are.

“For businesses in West Africa, TelePresence will bridge geographical divides, by enabling highly secure virtual meetings with multiple locations inside or outside the corporate firewall. Ultimately, the solution will help to save costs and boost productivity by reducing travel and facilitate a ‘greener’ company environment by reducing its carbon footprint,” he said.

Cisco TelePresence creates live, immersive, face-to-face experiences over the network, enabling users to experience real-time communication and collaborate with colleagues, prospects, and partners, even if they are in opposite hemispheres.

Even as Cisco TelePresence does not just match the experience of an in-person meeting; it could scale beyond in personal interactions, bringing an organisation’s few experts and specialists everywhere, anytime.

Citing an instance with a bank expert on investment products, for example, saying he could have face-to-face life-size, private meetings with any customer at any bank branch, without having to leave the organisation’s head office.

Similarly, for an exploration company, a geological data analyst can meet face-to-face with several teams on separate remote rigs and platforms all in one day, and still attend personal commitments like a child’s football game for example.


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