TANDBERG Presents “The Future of Telepresence”

Industry leader discusses telepresence innovation and showcases customizable telepresence offering at virtual event featuring Gartner industry expert and customers

NEW YORK and OSLO, Norway - “Telepresence” frequently conjures images of a select group of business-suited executives brought together around a table through high-quality visual communications. Today TANDBERG introduced the TANDBERG T3 Custom Edition, a customizable telepresence solution that shatters that image, bringing that same in-person experience to engineers, fashion designers, and educators who want to collaborate naturally with suppliers, buyers and students in a flexible workspace. This growing demand for high-quality video outside of the boardroom is just one trend driving telepresence innovation that will be discussed at a virtual industry event moderated by Gartner, “The Future of Telepresence,” on Thursday, Dec. 3.

”Earlier this year, Gartner predicted that by year-end 2012, increased utilization of video telepresence solutions would save organizations $3.5 billion annually in travel costs" said Scott Morrison, Gartner analyst and featured moderator for the TANDBERG event. “As more and more companies seek to realize the benefits of visual collaboration technologies, the industry will need to find innovative ways to expand offerings to address evolving customer challenges and needs.”

TANDBERG’s new T3 Custom Edition, which maintains the superior TANDBERG experience with natural eye-to-eye communication, a consistent touch user interface and seamless interoperability, allows integrator partners to customize TANDBERG’s award-winning T3 technology to meet specific customer needs, such as (see conceptual illustrations):
• Catwalks in the fashion industry
• Collaboration spaces for R&D teams
• Immersive education auditoriums for higher education
• Laboratory settings connecting global research teams

Highlighting the changing industry landscape, TANDBERG is hosting a virtual event, “The Future of Telepresence” on Dec. 3, 2009. Utilizing TANDBERG telepresence from several global locations, Gartner analyst Scott Morrison will moderate a panel of TANDBERG customers and executives discussing industry drivers and changing customer needs. TANDBERG executives will also share their view of the future of telepresence, provide an overview of TANDBERG’s new T3 Custom Edition, and showcase innovative concepts that demonstrate how telepresence advances will meet broadening customer demand.

“The TANDBERG T3 Custom Edition is a direct response to the expanding market for telepresence, where customers are demanding the highest-quality visual collaboration beyond the boardroom in labs and classrooms and on manufacturing floors,” said Odd Sverre Østlie, Vice President Telepresence and Advanced Solutions, TANDBERG. “TANDBERG is implementing telepresence solutions into unique education settings, and we have been chosen for the industry’s first virtual fitting room, which will revolutionize the fashion industry. This is just the beginning of a trend toward accessible high-quality visual communication that improves our lives in ways most people have not imagined possible.”

“We have experienced strong demand from our customers for a subset of their telepresence systems to be customized to meet specific application and environmental criteria,” said Charles Macli, EVP, IVCi LLC. “And for the last year our Customized Telepresence Solutions Practice has delivered the immersive, high-quality telepresence experience in different environments to enhance collaboration and make the most of the undisputed benefits of the technology. The TANDBERG’s T3 Custom Edition will help us to deliver greater value to all types of customers who can now connect face-to-face with anyone anywhere. Telepresence is no longer just for the board room.”

Two separate “The Future of Telepresence” virtual events will be held on Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 2 p.m. EST, and at 2 p.m. CET. Registration can be completed for either event at this link www.tandberg.com/press-room/video-conferencing-webinars.

For more information about the TANDBERG T3 Custom Edition, please visit www.TANDBERG.com or contact info@TANDBERG.com. Stay up-to-date on the latest company news by connecting with TANDBERG on Facebook and Twitter.