The fully collaborative demonstration facilities at VideoCentric HQ in Berkshire have been expanded to include one of each of the SX series endpoints next to one of every other mainstream video conferencing system, desktop video client & mobile video client integrated into each of the world’s leading Video Communication Network infrastructures and Unified Communications Platforms.

The Cisco TelePresence SX80 has also been installed with the new Cisco SpeakerTrack 60 dual camera tracking system, which automatically tracks the most active people in the meeting and zooms into them accordingly. VideoCentric is able to demonstrate the SX80 in two ways, firstly controlled using Cisco’s new Touch-10 LCD panel supplied as standard with the SX80 and secondly controlled using AMX’s latest panoramic control unit for larger rooms – designed & programmed by VideoCentric’s in-house programming experts – where multiple external devices also need to be controlled.

Above: Cisco TelePresence SX80 Codec with Cisco Touch-10 and Cisco SpeakerTrack 60 dual “intelligent” camera

“We are really excited to now be able to demonstrate the full Cisco SX Series at our premises,” said Emily Shimell. “The SX20, since its release in 2011 has always proved to be a huge hit with customers looking for the highest quality video collaboration experience for meeting spaces and boardrooms, but now the SX80 also provides for those customers needing even higher integration capabilities, and the SX10 providing for customers with smaller spaces and lower budgets.”

In addition to Cisco video network components, the facilities also include Polycom RealPresence and the virtualised UVC platform from Lifesize. Each endpoint & infrastructure platform is also integrated with both Microsoft Lync 2010 and 2013, and are directly demonstratable with disruptive technologies including Pexip, BlueJeans and Vidyo.

“We have always strived to provide a comprehensive demonstration facility where each customer can feel comfortable in trying out the full range of solutions available on the market, without any bias from one manufacturer. With every system going through stringent testing with our expert technical & sales team before adding to our suite, customers can be assured that they leave understanding both the benefits and drawbacks of each solution, it’s suitability for their individual organisations requirements and most importantly, how it can be expertly supported for years to come,” added Shimell.

About VideoCentric

Established in 2001, VideoCentric Ltd is an award-winning, fully accredited and independent end-to-end solutions integrator of the worlds’ leading video conferencing, telepresence and video collaboration solutions.

VideoCentric design, supply and install on-premise, private, managed, cloud and hybrid video based solutions for businesses from SMB’s to large scale multi-national enterprises in both the private and public sector.

As a Cisco Premier Partner, with Advanced TelePresence Partner recognition and specialised in Cisco Collaboration, VideoCentric is uniquely positioned to successfully deploy, operate and optmise Cisco Video based solutions.

Relationships & accreditations have always been held at the highest levels possible for both Tandberg and Cisco, and continuing training of both sales, technical & product development, alongside huge investment into up to date demonstration and testing equipment makes VideoCentric one of the UK’s most trusted & knowledgeable integrators of Cisco video conferencing & telepresence equipment.

About the Cisco SX Series

The SX Series collaboration endpoints, part of the Cisco Collaboration portfolio, provides a selection of high definition video conferencing endpoints that turn any office, meeting room or auditorium into a professional video enabled space.

The Cisco TelePresence SX80 provides a powerful and flexible platform built with the integrator in mind, so that solutions can be creatively customised for customers specific requirements.

The Cisco TelePresence SX20, designed for small to medium sized meeting rooms provides a sleek, 1080p video conferencing solution with powerful features and sleek design for simple & intuitive use.

The Cisco TelePresence SX10 is a compact all-in-one unit that combines with any flat panel display to easily video enable small collaboration spaces with a professional video solution.

See the PRLog Press Release here 

“VideoCentric are very proud to announce their achievement of becoming a Cisco Premier Certified Partner. We have invested significantly in training of our sales and technical staff, and combine our Cisco expertise with our own value-added award-winning services that uniquely positions us as a specialized and trusted video solutions advisor,” commented Emily Shimell, Communications Executive at VideoCentric Ltd.

“VideoCentric continue to expand their product portfolio and wealth of accreditations & specializations, to be able to deliver any video focused solution a customer’s business demands. At the same time, we continue to deepen our expertise in our niche video conferencing and Telepresence solutions, and continue to exceed our customer’s expectations in solution design, customer service and on-going support.”     

As a Cisco Premier Certified Partner VideoCentric demonstrates a range of sales and technical expertise including achieving the Cisco Express Specialisation . This specialization includes tests on technical competency in the integration of basic routing and switching, wireless LANs, and security technologies, in addition to Collaboration solutions including the Unified Communications Business Edition Solutions and Cisco Telepresence offerings. VideoCentric was also required to integrate a base level of Cisco Lifecycle Services into their offerings and demonstrate measurably high levels of customer satisfaction based on independently audited customer satisfaction surveys.            

The Cisco Resale Channel Program provides partners with the training required to build sales, technical and Cisco Lifecycle Services skills.  Cisco resale partner certifications represent an increasing breadth of skills across key technologies and a partner’s ability to deliver integrated networking solutions.  Cisco resale partner specializations reflect an increasing depth of sales, technical and service expertise in particular technologies.

 VideoCentric also hold the Cisco ATP Certification for Advanced Telepresence, which demonstrates a partners ability to market Cisco TelePresence Video endpoints with a full breadth of video infrastructure solutions in addition to managed video conferencing services. VideoCentric has fulfilled the training requirements and program prerequisites to sell, deploy and support Cisco TelePresence Video products and solutions at the Advanced level.

“VideoCentric is committed to delivering the highest quality solutions designed to meet the needs of every customer. This means we continually invest time and resources to ensure our team is experienced and fully certified to design, sell and support advanced communication technologies,” commented David Shimell, Managing Director of VideoCentric Ltd. “By achieving this Collaboration Specialization, we can continue to integrate the best-of-breed video communication solutions with customers networked solutions, whilst providing them with the assurance that we are a professional, dedicated, and knowledgeable partner of Cisco, and their own organisation, for years to come.”

Designed to focus on a customer’s collaboration infrastructure and to support new application capabilities, the Cisco Express Collaboration Specialization develops sales, technical and service capabilities in Cisco architectures, including Borderless Networks & mobility, Virtualization, Cloud & Data Centre, Collaboration, and Small Business.  The Express Collaboration specialisation also specifically focuses on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition series, and Telepresence & video conferencing solutions, and helps to develop partners technical ability within solution planning, design, implementation and operation.

The Cisco Resale Channel Program provides a framework for partners to build the sales, technical and Cisco Lifecycle Services skills required to deliver Cisco solutions to end customers. Through the program’s specializations and certifications, Cisco recognizes a partner’s expertise in deploying solutions based on Cisco advanced technologies and services.

About VideoCentric

Established in 2001, VideoCentric Ltd is an award-winning, fully accredited and independent end-to-end solutions integrator of the worlds’ leading video conferencing, telepresence and video collaboration solutions.

VideoCentric design, supply and install on-premise, private, managed, cloud and hybrid video based solutions for businesses from SMB’s to large scale multi-national enterprises in both the private and public sector. Our portfolio includes solutions from all of the world’s leading manufacturers including Cisco, Polycom, Lifesize, Pexip, Vidyo and Avaya, and provides businesses with solutions for boardrooms, lecture theatres, meeting spaces, mobility and the remote workforce. Our video conferencing and collaboration solutions are supported with accessories including AV, interactive technologies, bespoke touch panel controllers, audio solutions and wireless presentation technologies.

Proudly supported by our award-winning maintenance programmes and customer care services, VideoCentric provide the highest level of technical support available in the UK with our own fully trained and expertly accredited staff, and have the UK’s most comprehensive interoperability & demonstration suite, with over 35 video conferencing systems, virtualized infrastructure platforms, cloud & BYOD offerings and the integration of Cisco, Microsoft Lync and Polycom video infrastructures.

Tomorrow sees the UK’s first ever live webcast of Robotic Prostatectomy, a minimally invasive surgery to treat men diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.

Using Cisco telepresence technology, VideoCentric have installed systems at Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital Urology Department to enable the Da Vinci Prostatectomy – a minimally invasive, robotic assisted surgical procedure that removes the cancerous prostate gland – to be streamed live to surgeons and the public around the world.

The Operating theatre consists of a Cisco Clinical Assistant – a high definition Mobile Telemedicine system based on a C series codec – with an integrated HD room camera, connected to the Da Vinci SI Robot. The robot is to be controlled by surgeon Omer Karim, one of the first and most experienced robotic surgeons in the UK, and specialist in diseases of the prostate and kidney. Consultant Urological Robotic Surgeon Amrith Rao will assist Mr Karim throughout the procedure.

A separate room will also consist of three highly experienced Consultant Urologists who can be emailed, directly messaged on (@iRoboticSurgery) or contacted via twitter (#dvp2012) for the public to ask any related questions or to comment. This room will be directly linked to the theatre via a Cisco EX90 telepresence system, and both rooms will be transmitted to a Cisco TelePresence Content Server, to enable recording and streaming of the surgery.

The NHS Hospital has recently become recognised as one of the leading centres in the UK for robotic assisted surgery, after hosting a series of workshops, assisted by VideoCentric and Cisco, for visiting experts and surgeons from across the globe, where demonstrations of the Da Vinci SI Robot were streamed via live link-up from the operating theatres to the post graduate medical centre at the hospital.

“The last demonstrations in February were unbelievable. The quality shown was outstanding, and the audience were amazed. Tomorrow we are going one step further – taking the cutting edge robotic healthcare technology and collaborating with the best in communications technology. Between VideoCentric, Cisco, Windsor Urology and Heatherwood & Wexham NHS Hospital, we are delivering the future of healthcare around the globe.”

Visit www.roboticsurgery.org.uk to watch the Live Robotic Prostatectomy Webcast tomorrow, Tuesday March 27th from 9:15am to 12:15pm BST

Emily Shimell, Marketing & Communications Executive at VideoCentric said, “Following on from many years of success with Tandberg, recently acquired by Cisco, we are proud to have achieved Cisco Select Certification, allowing us to further broaden the portfolio we offer to our customers. Gaining recognition from Cisco in the SMB marketplace, is a step along the way towards offering a complete Unified Communications (UC) portfolio, not just to the larger corporates, but to smaller businesses as well”.

To earn Select Certification, VideoCentric has fulfilled its training and examination requirements in technical and sales, demonstrating that the company has the knowledge and skills to deliver Telepresence, Unified Communications and integrated network solutions to the SMB market.

Miss Shimell added, “VideoCentric’s hard-earned reputation for being a dedicated, reliable and customer orientated company, combined with its knowledge, skills and strong partnerships provides an excellent opportunity for the growth of the Company, and gaining this certification with one of the world’s largest technology companies shows how committed VideoCentric is in pushing forward the boundaries of future communications.”

Monday 4th April saw the start of six ground-breaking operations being performed live over 1080P-HD video conferencing at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough.

Using Cisco (Tandberg) C-series codec technology, VideoCentric Ltd installed systems in two separate operating theatres and dual 1080P cameras to each, one camera to capture a view of the surgeons performing the operations and the other camera – an illuminated 1080P laparoscopic camera – for internal views. Both theatres were then transmitted live over the hospital IP network to a delegation of over 70 surgeons, each from separate UK hospitals, sitting elsewhere in a large seminar hall.

The event was part of a master class in keyhole surgery whereby professors from around the world who had pioneered new techniques, were able to share their experiences with other surgeons who could ask questions, challenge the techniques and make comments live, as the surgery to remove tumours from kidney and prostate organs, continued.

In a comment made to ITV Tyne Tees Television, Jane Cresswell, Consultant Urologist at the Middlesbrough Hospital said, “The immediate benefits to the patients that are being operated on are that they can have their operation performed by Professor Gill from Southern California who is really a pioneer of these new techniques“. Professor Inderbir Gill went on to explain that his techniques were different because traditionally bloodflow would have been stopped during the procedure whereas here it was allowed to continue meaning that complications would be fewer and recover times considerably quicker.

David Shimell from VideoCentric added, “Without the multipoint 1080P full high definition technology in place for the two days, the interactive event would simply not have been possible. We needed to explain to delegates that regular video conferencing systems were being used because the quality was so astonishingly high, assumptions were being made that live cable feeds were transmitting the images from each camera to the lecture theatre, whereas in practice this can be transmitted & received live to any location in the world, right now”.

VideoCentric Ltd have supplied and installed highly secure video conferencing and networking infrastructure to hospitals and healthcare establishments nationwide, and their specialised healthcare solutions and technology allows remote consultations, professional training and healthcare administration to take place securely, in real-time and on demand.

More Information

• Video Conferencing for the Healthcare Sector
• Video Conferencing Equipment Hire for Events
• Blog: SMART for Healthcare: Improving Patient Care with Interactive Technology