Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) and Microsoft today announced plans and key milestones to extend the familiar Skype for Business user experience into new and existing voice and video products and services. Polycom’s 12-year partnership with Microsoft has delivered more voice and video solutions that deeply integrate into Skype for Business and Office 365 than any other collaboration provider. These solutions enable IT leaders to meet the needs of their users while also achieving incremental revenue, cost savings and increased productivity.

Polycom is delivering on its previously announced cloud-based video interoperability service Polycom® RealConnect^TM service for Office 365, which will allow Skype for Business users in Office 365 to host video meetings with non-Skype for Business standards-based endpoints. As more companies move to Office 365, many are looking to protect their investments and have all their systems work together seamlessly. The new service, which will be available for public preview later this year, will be similar to the capabilities of the Polycom® RealConnect ^TM solution available today for Skype on premise customers that provides the same Skype for Business meeting experience across Skype for Business and non-Skype for Business endpoints. Visit booth #1624 at Microsoft Ignite for more information.

Polycom is also extending the native Skype for Business meeting experience with the new Microsoft Skype Room System – the Polycom MSR Series (formerly known as Project Rigel).  The MSR Series for Skype Room Systems brings the Skype for Business meeting experience, with rich HD audio and video, to every meeting room. Customers may also bundle the MSR Series with powerful audio and video solutions, such as the  Polycom® RealPresence Trio™ phone, the Polycom CX5100 360-degree video camera, and the Polycom® RealPresence Medialign™ system.  The solutions, suitable for small to large conference rooms, will be available in Q1, 2017 in North America. Customers may reserve their MSR Series solutions starting today.

“Our successful long-standing partnership with Polycom has provided Skype for Business and Office 365 customers with the most complete collaboration solution available today,” said Zig Serafin, Corporate Vice President of Skype for Business at Microsoft. “Polycom’s high-quality audio and video solutions, in combination with the next generation of Skype for Room System and the new Polycom cloud video interoperability service for Office 365, ensure our customers will have a seamless Skype for Business experience anywhere, on any device, and now in every meeting room.”

“Simple and familiar are the key ingredients to a successful collaboration deployment,” said Ashan Willy, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Systems Engineering & Product Management, Polycom. “Together, Polycom and Microsoft are focused on providing Skype for Business and Office 365 customers with a full portfolio of easy-to-use products and services that increase agility and productivity for organizations of all sizes across the globe.”