User manual POLYCOM CONFERENCESUITE - SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDE

Polycom® Management Solutions Selecting the right combination of applications for your organization October 2004 Connect. Any Way You Want. Video and Voice communications are becoming a critical part of more and more organizations each year. As organizations increase their dependence on this technology, it becomes increasingly important to maintain the technology's proper operation and measure and track its usage. Polycom has a wide range of different management applications enabling an organization to purchase and use only the software they need. When selecting the Polycom management applications best suited to an organization's needs, it is important to understand that some situations will be best served by a combination of these applications. This paper focuses on identifying the key differentiating features between each application and does not cover the complete feature set of each application. The features listed are unique to all other Polycom applications available today. This paper is intended to augment the information available on these applications through datasheets, presentations, and other whitepapers. These materials are available on the Polycom Website, www.polycom.com. Select the "Product and Services" tab and then select the Network Systems and Network Management options. The applications reviewed in this paper are grouped in the following order: Scheduling, Reservations, and Conference Management Polycom ReadiManagerTM LX100, Network Aware SchedulerTM ­ Polycom Conference Suite module WebCommanderTM, MGCTM Personal Scheduler, and MGC Manager Monitoring, Management, and Directory Services Polycom ReadiManager LX100, Video Network Management ­ Polycom Conference Suite Module Global Management SystemTM H.323 Gatekeeper Polycom PathNavigatorTM These management applications are focused on one of the following areas: 1) the video network, 2) the MGC, or 3) the endpoints. Polycom ReadiManager LX100 is both a multivendor scheduling tool and Polycom centric endpoint management tool. Polycom ConferenceSuite and Polycom PathNavigator are video network-centric tools enabling them to be used in multivendor environments. WebCommander, MGC Personal Scheduler, and MGC Manager are MGC-centric tools providing indepth management and monitoring capabilities on the MGC. Global Management System is a Polycom endpoint-centric tool focused on endpoint maintenance and a global address book. Polycom offers in-depth tools to address specifics needs of the organization. ReadiManager LX 100, Network Aware Scheduler ­ Polycom Conference Suite Scheduling Module Polycom ReadiManager LX100 The Polycom ReadiManager LX100 is an appliance with a unified multi-vendor scheduling application and a Polycom-centric management application. Polycom ReadiManager LX100 is required for organizations that: · Require a single appliance to connect to the network to schedule and manage the video conferencing equipment ­ For enterprises that have no more than 100 video codecs deployed, they can all be managed and scheduled. It combines all the device management functionality of Global Management System and the majority of the scheduling functionality of Network Aware Scheduler. · Do not require high-end scheduling capabilities only available in the Network Aware Scheduler ­- While the product is very feature rich and an advanced scheduling, if any of the following features are required for scheduling conferences, then the Network Aware Scheduler is better aligned to meet the enterprise requirements - Bandwidth reservation and GK authorization, cascaded MCUs, trouble ticketing, distributed scheduling, catering, and redundancy. · Need a simple, automated wizard-like interface to schedule conferences ­ For users that don't often schedule conferences, but they are required to schedule their own conferences, the automated wizard-like web interface walks them through the scheduling experience ensuring a positive and successful experience. The Network Aware Scheduler is a very robust scheduling application. This scheduling module in Polycom Conference Suite is available separately and operates independently of the other Polycom Conference Suite modules. Network Aware Scheduler is required for organizations that: · Use Microsoft® Outlook® or IBM® Lotus Notes® and want to schedule network bandwidth, rooms, people, and video equipment to ensure successful conferences ­ There are two key elements in this capability. The first is being able to create and manage vide conferences from inside of Outlook or Lotus Notes. The second is that it enables the ability to schedule and reserve the network bandwidth, rooms, equipment, and people. All this gets loaded directly onto users' calendars. · Want to utilize both stand-alone bridges and embedded multipoint endpoints to create multipoint conferences ­ The Network Aware Scheduler enables currently deployed resources in the organization to be better utilized (endpoints with embedded multipoint). It also enables videoconferences between two endpoints without any bridge involved. · Have a mix of manufacturers' equipment and want one application to schedule all video network equipment ­ Scheduling applications from endpoint manufacturers are only focused on their own endpoints. However in the case of Polycom's Network Aware Scheduler the endpoints from major manufacturers can be scheduled to dial each other or be called from a bridge. · Want problems with equipment tied to trouble tickets to ensure fast resolutions ­ If a problem occurs on a device, a report can be made against that device in the trouble ticket system. That way any current or future conference creators can be made aware of these issues and appropriate action can be taken. · Need full CDR for point-to-point and multipoint calls for easy billing ­ Although a number of Polycom products include CDR data, only the Network Aware Scheduler CDR can contain all IP and ISDN calls made from/to endpoints and through bridges. · Need catered meals automatically tied into their conferences for convenient food delivery ­ Many organizations require food services to be brought in for particular scheduled conferences. Network Aware Scheduler provides a very flexible catering application completely integrated into the conference scheduler. 2 WebCommander, MGC Personal Scheduler, and MGC Manager WebCommander, MGC Personal Scheduler, and MGC Manager are considered MGC-centric applications meaning they focus on detailed MGC reservations and management of conferences. WebCommander is composed of three modules (available as separate applications): 1) WebCommander Director (focused on "in-meeting" controls), 2) WebCommander Scheduler (focused on MGC conference reservations), and 3) MGC personal Scheduler (focused on MGC reservations through Outlook). WebCommander Professional is a bundle of all three modules. WebCommander Modules are required for organizations that: · Need Unified ("calling card" audio/video) or Audio-only conferences set up on the MGC from either Outlook or a web interface ­ When bridge calls need to be scheduled for audio or audio/video calls, only WebCommander can accomplish this today. The MGC Personal Scheduler adds an Outlook interface to the scheduling of the MGC in this situation. · Need to utilize "personalized" MGC Virtual Meeting Rooms that enable ad-hoc conferences (with preconfigured settings via templates) ­ Users can setup predefined conferences, but leave them inactive until they are needed at a moment's notice. · Need Real-time Conference Information (MGC resources) shared among other MGC centric tools ­ There are a number of detailed statistics and settings that are only available through WebCommander and MGC Manager * today. Note: WebCommander Scheduler and Director are browser-based applications, while MGC Personal Scheduler uses Outlook to reserve MGC-based conferences. * MGC Manager is an administrative application built into every MGC. 3 Video Network Management ­ Polycom Conference Suite Management Module Video Network Management is a multi-vendor management and monitoring application. The management module in Polycom Conference Suite is available separately and operates independently of the other Polycom Conference Suite modules. The Room Control module is also available separately, but does require the Video Network Management module. Video Network Management is required for organizations that: · Have a multi-vendor video network and need to remotely manage and monitor the entire network ­ While Global Management System is focused on Polycom equipment only, Video Network Management supports multi-vendors for monitoring and management. · Would like to monitor video latency and jitter through Cisco Routers and Switches ­ If Cisco routers and switches are in use in the organization, very useful video latency and jitter diagnostics can be performed and tracked to ensure network optimization. · Need to track and quickly resolve problems with video network equipment ­ A trouble ticketing system is built into Video Network Management enabling quick reporting and escalation of equipment problems with reports and email updates of equipment status. · Want to remotely control conference room peripherals* ­ There are many other types of equipment in conference rooms that can also be monitored or manipulated remotely with the Room Control module. * Requires the purchase and installation of the Video Network Management module. 4 Global Management System Global Management System focuses on the detailed management of Polycom specific equipment. It also provides the directory services for all Polycom equipment. Global Management System is required for organizations that: · Need an automated Global Address Book for easy dialing from Polycom endpoints ­ Users can easily select other video devices from a menu available on any Polycom endpoint. · Want to easily maintain software versions and settings on Polycom equipment ­ Software loaded on Polycom endpoints can be updated remotely and at a scheduled time. Likewise the settings and configurations of these same units can be set through a similar automated process. · Need very detailed instant status on Polycom endpoints for quick and easy troubleshooting ­ Very detailed statistics on call protocols, rates, video snapshots, etc. · Want to track calls by account codes on ViewStations when making ad-hoc calls ­ Codes can be required at the time a call is made from a ViewStation® to be associated with the call in the CDR report. 5 Polycom PathNavigator Polycom PathNavigator is an advanced H.323 gatekeeper that fully understands both the IP and ISDN communication protocols for enforcing network bandwidth policies across the enterprise PathNavigator is required for organizations that: · Need an H.323 gatekeeper to manage the IP video traffic on their network ­ H.323 communications can become an issue on a data network if it is not managed properly. PathNavigator ensures IP traffic does not exceed predefined policy limits. · Want the simplicity of Polycom OneDialTM and Conference-on-Demand ­ Users can simply dial other video devices using simple telephone extensions just like using a telephone. They can also easily create multipoint conferences from their video endpoint without having to know how to schedule a bridge. · Require User-based Bandwidth Policies with Full Network Topology Logic for IP video ­ PathNavigator fully understands the complex network topology of the enterprise network and controls users' bandwidth usage across all LAN and WAN segments. · Need to provide to users automatic call routing and least cost routing of IP or ISDN calls ­ When a user places a call, Polycom PathNavigator will automatically switch to ISDN if the IP connection is unavailable. It will also route ISDN calls through IP backbones to reduce long distance ISDN charges. Summary While there are a number of different management applications available to Polycom users, it is important to remember that each application serves a particular set of needs. In many cases an enterprise may need to deploy combinations of these applications to best suit their needs. If you are unclear as to which application will best fill your needs, a Polycom representative will be happy to assist you in your decision. 6 ©2004 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. Polycom, the Polycom logo and ViewStation are registered trademarks and Network Aware Scheduler, WebCommander, MGC, Global Management System, Polycom PathNavigator and Polycom OneDial are trademarks of Polycom, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Polycom Headquarters: www.polycom.com 4750 Willow Road, Pleasanton, CA 94588 (T) 1.800.POLYCOM (765.9266) for North America only. 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