When it comes to productive business communications – solid endpoints are no less important than reliable UC platforms. And one of the most important things when it comes to choosing endpoints – especially with large rollouts including employees in different levels of technical expertise – is ease of use.
The folks at Yamaha seem to know this very well, which is why Yamaha UC has made sure to include software-agnostic Plug and Play products in its product range from the get-go.
“We have software-agnostic, Plug and Play products for both audio and video conferencing,” shares Reece Stead, Business Development Manager for Yamaha Unified Communications in the UK.
“It was always on our agenda to maintain a BYOD functionality and make sure our products are nice and easy to use.”
Simplicity is Key
This is how it works:
Yamaha’s Plug and Play products – whether it’s their speakerphones or video collaboration soundbar – are simply recognised by the computer as an external audio and/or video device, and start operating straight out of the box.
“It takes away the requirement to download specific drivers, which means that anybody can use our UC products relatively easily,” explains Stead.
“For example, if you’re not very technically minded, and you’ve had a speakerphone supplied to you as part of your WFH package – it would be the same as plugging in your phone charger – just plugging in a USB cable, and away you go”
This also makes things much easier from an IT management support perspective.
“Rather than having users on the phone asking: Which drivers do we need to download? Where’s the file gone? Can you give me the admin password? – you plug it in, and it works.”
When it comes to large rollouts, this is a major advantage.
“We’re starting to see customised software built into things like Hardwar-as-a-Service rollouts as well. This means that a specific software certification isn’t required – there’s a built-in back end software, which is customised and sits in the background, handling all the updates for you.“
Communicating Remotely
When the pandemic hit, Yamaha found their products’ Plug and Play capability to be even more of an advantage.
“It’s always been important, even prior to COVID, but I think it’s become more important,” notes Stead.
“Before, you had John at the IT desk that is only two floors up. Now, it’s a lot harder to manage people who are spread out across a wide area, all working from different locations.“
According to Stead, this challenge will remain topical for at least the current year.
“Both corporate spaces and educational users will have to make decisions as to what they’re going to do: Will they be returning staff to the office? Are some of them going to continue working remotely? And if they are going to work remotely, what infrastructure do they need to put in place? Ultimately, the easier it is for that infrastructure to work for the end-user, the better.”
Diverse Product Range
Yamaha have seen their Plug and Play products gaining even more popularity as a result of the new reality, as people are forced to communicate remotely or move to larger workspaces.
“We’ve seen our YVC–200 portable speakerphone becoming quite popular among people working from home, seeking a high-quality audio solution which doesn’t require wearing a headset,” says Stead.
“We’ve also seen this with our YVC–330, even though it was originally made for huddle room spaces. People seem to like it for home working, since it’s both USB-powered, and has SoundCap technology – which creates a bubble around you. This means that if you’ve got kids running around in the background, or a dog barking – it cuts all of that out.”
Yamaha’s YVC-1000 speakerphone was initially built for office use, but this product has also been gaining more popularity while being repurposed for COVID-inspired needs.
“What we’ve seen is: some situations, which normally would take place in a small meeting room, now have to go into a much larger space, Stead explains.
“For example, housing associations who might want to meet – they need something that will work out of the box, so they can bring their members in virtually; but will also have the reach to be able to pick up a large area. The YVC-1000 ticks both those boxes.”
The company’s video collaboration soundbar, the CS–700, has also been getting some more attention.
“We’ve seen quite a lot of success with it throughout the pandemic and before as well. If you pop into a huddle room and want to start up a meeting, you simply plug in your laptop, and you’ve got a full video and audio solution set up and working for you. This really provides that work-from-anywhere, BYOD capability everyone needs right now”
The Link Lonk
March 23, 2021 at 12:05PM
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Yamaha Brings Simplicity to Endpoints with Software-Agnostic Plug and Play - UC Today
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