Cisco IT Case Study
WebEx with High-Quality Video
How Cisco IT Ensured Network Readiness for Webex High-Quality
Video
BUSINESS BENEFITS
Supporting 360p video to all global offices results in
no disruption to user experience.
● Enriches interactions within virtual teams
and with customers and partners
● Makes it easier for employees to join
Cisco TelePresence sessions from
WebEx
● Improves experience on smartphones
and tablets.
● Did not affect performance of other
applications
“In our lab tests, we validated that the new
Cisco WebEx service with high-quality video
automatically downgraded resolution from
360p when needed, and then gracefully
upgraded again as soon as the bandwidth
was available.”
Niisa Carter, Unified Communications
Architect
Since Cisco IT originally began offering a WebEx service,
employees have come to expect high-definition video. One reason
is growing use of Cisco TelePresence® technology in conference
rooms as well as on employee desktops. To provide a richer video
experience with Cisco WebEx®, Cisco IT decided to take advantage of
the latest high-quality video service, with 360p resolution.
Cisco IT determined that no bandwidth upgrades were needed to
introduce 360p instead of 90p video in all global offices.
Calculations included facts, such as circuit type and 95th percentile
overall circuit usage, as well as estimates, such as the percent of
employees who work in each office, and the percent of employees
choosing theater mode.
Cisco IT also conducted internal tests to validate that Cisco WebEx would automatically reduce video
resolution when needed. Cisco® WebEx reduces video resolution when it detects network congestion, restoring it
again when bandwidth becomes available. Cisco IT does not accept compromises in video quality for immersive
Cisco TelePresence services, but decided that occasional lower resolution is acceptable for Cisco WebEx.
Cisco IT introduced the high-quality version of Cisco WebEx in June 2011, without any impact on the
performance of other applications. The high-quality video enriches interactions within virtual teams and with
customers and partners. This achievement helps Cisco IT realize its vision of a borderless enterprise, where
employees can collaborate from anywhere, with any device.
When not viewing a document or web page, participants can opt to view the active speaker in full-screen
theater mode. In addition, they can view up to five other participants beneath the active speaker. Scheduling and
participating in sessions are simpler. And employees, partners, and customers can now join a Cisco TelePresence
session from Cisco WebEx.
The new version of WebEx also improves the experience for mobile employees. Employees can start a meeting
on a mobile device and then just touch a button to transfer the call to their office phone. Employees on the go can
also join the video portion of Cisco WebEx sessions from an iPhone 4 or iPad2 tablet, which have built-in front-facing
cameras.
More employees are turning on video since the upgrade. Cisco IT expects the trend to continue as people
recognize how much video enriches their communications. Cisco IT is now upgrading to Cisco WebEx 11, which
provides 720p resolution.
Fo r Mo re In fo rm a tio n
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All contents are Copyright © 2011 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Cisco IT Case Study
WebEx with High-Quality Video
No te
This publication describes how Cisco has benefited from the deployment of its own products. Many factors may have
contributed to the results and benefits described; Cisco does not guarantee comparable results elsewhere.
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All contents are Copyright © 2011 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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