Intel Extends Videoconferencing Experience

The most costly time that most organizations spend usually occurs in a conference room. The collective salaries of those present on an hourly basis are usually considerable. For that reason alone, it makes sense to make sure that time is as optimally spent as possible.

To enable that to happen, Intel has been making the case for Intel Unite, high-definition video conferencing software that gets deployed on a hub based on Intel processors. Today, Intel announced it is making available Intel Unite client software for both Apple iPad and Android tablets alongside existing support for PCs running Windows and Apple MacOS. In addition, Intel has added a telemetry module that makes it simpler to track usage of hubs and their actual locations in an office complex.

Finally, Intel is making available tools that can be used to limit who has permission to use Intel Unite, as well as support for static PIN number option.

Tom Garrison, general manager for the Business Client Group at Intel, says Intel sees Intel Unite as an application that helps expand the number of use cases for its higher-end VPro Core processors. It’s priced at less than $1,000, and Garrison says Intel is trying to make HD video affordable for just about every organization by eliminating annual licensing fees.

“There’s no need to buy a recurring software license,” says Garrison.

Next up, Garrison says, Intel expects to see more organizations using Intel Unite to translate languages during a meeting in real time. Longer term, Garrison says Intel is also working toward embedding augmented and virtual reality capabilities within Intel Unite.

The IT industry is clearly on the cusp of making major advances in terms of how individuals collaborate with one another. What effect those advances will have on productivity, of course, remains to be seen. But the way people interact with one another online will soon never be the same.