Why Unite could be Intel's best kept secret

How has Unite been received by your customers since its launch?

We see growing momentum with Intel Unite. It’s solving some critical pain points for our customers. IT appreciates the simplicity of the solution for end users and how easy it is to implement. Intel Unite works within an organization’s current network infrastructure and integrates with other UC platforms through partner plugins. Combining this with the built-in features of remote management and end-to-end security, this increases the value of the solution for IT.

For the end-user, it removes the burden of trying to find the right dongle or cable when sharing content in a meeting. By simply entering a 6-digit PIN, users are able to wirelessly share and collaborate on meeting content effortlessly. There’s no training required.

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What are of the most common challenges businesses are facing today that Unite can help overcome?

We see a few challenges that businesses face that the Intel Unite solution solves for:

Ease of use – collaboration technologies can be burdensome to use, leading to late meeting starts and frustrated employees. Intel Unite is an intuitive wireless content sharing solution that enables employees to start their meetings on time, effortlessly.

Integration – it works with existing meeting room technology, so for end users this brings a level of simplicity and an integrated meeting experience. IT is able to maximize their existing investments. Its open platform drives unique differentiation in a world of proprietary collaboration technologies.

IT insight – we’ve built in advanced telemetry for IT to get the most insight out of how employees are using meeting rooms or the technology in the meeting room. IT can then use this data to make decisions on how often a meeting room or technology gets used.

Scale - Intel Unite is designed as an open, flexible platform delivered at a competitive cost point, which enables organizations to scale their collaboration spaces within their current IT resources and infrastructure. End users benefit because they have a consistent meeting experience across different meeting spaces (ad hoc collaboration spaces or conference rooms) or if they join a meeting remotely.

Are there any particular customer success stories you want to highlight?

We are excited about the versatility of Intel Unite and its relevance across different verticals like healthcare and education. We’ve seen organizations move quickly from piloting Intel Unite to full deployment. Below are two success stories from some our customers.

- Cerner, a healthcare innovation leader, recently deployed the Intel Unite solution at their newest campus to improve meeting room productivity. Company leaders say the solution also enhanced global collaboration and innovation that helps keep Cerner and its customers on the leading edge. “Of all the available options, the Intel® Unite solution provided the simplest user experience. Associates walk in, launch the app, type in a PIN, and they’re connected to the display.” – Ben Crosier, Technology architect, Cerner.

- At Anaheim Union High School District in California, Intel Unite is now an indispensable classroom aid. Wireless connectivity, the ability to stream video content without latency, interactive features and low cost have made Intel Unite a vital collaborative learning resource. Anaheim UHSD CTO Erik Greenwood commented that his school district of 31,000 students “needed to simplify display connectivity across a variety of devices and platforms. We also needed to be able to easily stream content into the classroom. The Intel Unite solution helped eliminate these hurdles.”

What part can Unite play in a businesses' digital transformation strategy?

As workspaces dramatically change based on the digital transformation, Intel Unite is the collaboration tool that creates consistency and scale in how people collaborate and share information whether you’re in the meeting room or remotely attending a meeting.

Employees want technology that is easy to use. They also want to collaborate in ways that go beyond the traditional conference room. IT needs a platform that is open and helps them maximize their investments while helping them embrace the new world of work for their employees. Intel Unite delivers on both these fronts.

How do you see Unite affecting the workplace of the future?

We’ll continue to see change in how workspaces evolve with a mix of conference rooms and ad hoc collaboration spaces. There will also be a variety of devices powering collaboration in these spaces from desktop PCs to All-in-One’s and touch enabled screens.

Finally, we’ll also see more smart building features present in conference room such as smart lighting and temperature control. Intel Unite can create smarter working spaces while making it easy for IT to implement. Its ability to easily scale across any meeting environment and deliver a consistent experience is creating a new more intuitive way to collaborate.

Stephanie Hallford is Vice President & General Manager, Business Client Platforms at Intel