Polycom Video Collaboration Improves Productivity for Engineering Firm Buro Happold, Saving up to £3 Million Annually in Travel Costs

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC), today announced that global engineering consultancy Buro Happold has implemented Polycom® RealPresence® video solutions across its global offices to reduce travel costs, improve engagement and collaboration, and increase productivity. With engineers based in multiple locations and involved in a wide range of design and construction projects from hospitals and living spaces to commercial developments, the firm uses video meetings to enable teams to collaborate face-to-face in real time. With RealPresence video solutions, Buro Happold has reduced travel costs, amounting up to £3 million (US$4.9 million) annually; gained 3,000 hours a month in productivity by working smarter; and improved the work/life balance for employees, 90 percent of whom are now video-enabled.

“We chose Polycom over its competitors because we needed to fully utilize our Microsoft Lync installation and we wanted a communications solution that would be truly unified”

Buro Happold recently implemented a unified communications solution for its global workforce* based on Microsoft Lync Server 2010. Virtually every desk has its own high-tech camera and speaker system, enabling team members to connect and collaborate from anywhere with anyone, using instant messaging, video, audio, at any time. Polycom RealPresence video solutions directly connect with Lync through open standards. This tight combination of Microsoft Lync and Polycom enables Buro Happold employees, for example, to click a name on their Lync contact list and instantly meet with a colleague face-to-face on a Polycom video collaboration solutions.

“We chose Polycom over its competitors because we needed to fully utilize our Microsoft Lync installation and we wanted a communications solution that would be truly unified,” said Jason Kane, IT Operations Manager for Buro Happold. “The combination of Microsoft Lync and Polycom video solutions has been a real game-changer in terms of collaborating across the business. Together, they provide a true unified communications platform, where anyone can join HD video or voice calls at the touch of a button. The core reason for choosing Polycom was its close strategic relationship with Microsoft,” said Shaun Mundy, Group IT Director.

“The use of video collaboration has helped make Buro Happold more competitive,” said Paul Westbury, CEO, Buro Happold. “If anyone in our 27 offices needs to offer a client their unique expertise, whether it’s a hotel or stadium development or the design for a new city, we can readily bring in the relevant people using Polycom HD video. And I can now join in meetings all over the world from my laptop, even from home, without worrying about interoperability issues—because it’s Polycom.”

Buro Happold has used Polycom® RealPresence® Room video solutions (including the HDX® 7000), powered by the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform – the industry’s most comprehensive and interoperable software infrastructure for universal video collaboration – to video-enable many of the company’s work processes that previously had involved costly travel and eaten in to staff time. These processes include:

Engineers communicating and visually collaborating and sharing data in real time on complex designs to accelerate decision making and enhance teamwork.
Staff hosting client meetings over video to discuss and collaborate on projects plans.
Project teams holding real-time digital design review meetings to present their designs and get feedback.
Managers holding internal management and team meetings across multiple locations.

Notes to Editors

*Buro Happold has offices in the following countries – China, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, India, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, US, and the UAE.

About Buro Happold

Buro Happold is an independent international practice of consulting engineers. Since 1976 we have grown in size and reach to serve public and private clients across a full range of sectors through an international network of 27 offices.

We draw on the multi-disciplinary skills, knowledge and experience of our local experts to design and deliver award winning building, infrastructure and environmental projects that excel for clients, engage with communities and enrich the lives of users.

Sustainability, innovation and holistic consulting are at the heart of everything we do and we are committed to touching the earth lightly. We think harder and are dedicated to addressing the big challenges that face the planet – climate change, population growth and scarcity of natural resources.

Current and recent projects include the Grand Museum of Egypt (Cairo), the Louvre (Abu Dhabi), the Aviva Stadium (Dublin), the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, the King Abdullah Financial District (Riyadh), the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (Stratford) and the O2 (London).

About Polycom

Polycom is the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC) solutions for voice and video collaboration, trusted by more than 415,000 customers around the world. Polycom solutions are powered by the Polycom^® RealPresence^® Platform, comprehensive software infrastructure and rich APIs that interoperate with the broadest set of communication, business, mobile and cloud applications and devices to deliver secure face-to-face video collaboration in any environment. Polycom and its ecosystem of over 7,000 partners provide truly unified communications solutions that deliver the best user experience, highest multi-vendor interoperability, and lowest TCO. Visit www.polycom.co.uk or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to learn how we’re pushing the greatness of human collaboration forward.

© 2012 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. POLYCOM®, the Polycom logo, and the names and marks associated with Polycom’s products are trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc. and are registered and/or common law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.