Bank of America has signed up for a minimum 200 unit-strong roll out of Cisco's TelePresence, a video conferencing and collaboration system that enables virtual face-to-face meetings across multiple locations.
Cisco TelePresence uses high-definition video and audio, with people appearing life-size around a virtual conference table to create what the vendor calls the "experience of face-to-face meetings".
Bank of America already uses 28 of the Cisco systems for associate meetings and training but has now signed up for a massive expansion that will see the technology become its new standard for room-based video conferencing. The units will be configured to support multiple formats, from a small six-person per-room conference to larger deployments covering as many as 48 locations.
Under the managed services agreement, Cisco will install, support, refresh and maintain the TelePresence equipment and provide active monitoring, technical support and concierge service.
The vendor says it will also work with its certified channel and service-providers to enable Bank of America associates to use Cisco TelePresence to meet with external partners who also have the technology.
Bank of America Chief Technology Officer Marc Gordon, CTO, Bank of America, says: "This global Cisco TelePresence deployment will help our associates collaborate and integrate even more effectively as we deliver all of our capabilities to customers and clients worldwide."