Synergy SKY Blog

The explosion of video conferencing platforms—each with their own versions, protocols, and quirks—has made virtual meetings harder to navigate than ever. As organizations adopt Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Webex and countless others, interoperability is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity.  

• There is an alternative to buying new hardware. You can get interop software today! 

• The number of meeting platforms that you need to adapt to is increasing. Interoperability is becoming more and more important

• The major meeting platforms are changing every 3 years* 

Seamlessly Connecting SIP Devices to Modern Meeting Platforms

Compare and Contrast: Synergy SKY vs. the Competition

Synergy SKY has 3 gateways in 1

Synergy SKY CONNECT will support Apple FaceTime, making it the world's first integration between SIP video devices and FaceTime. By adhering to standard interfaces, CONNECT ensures reliability, future-proofing, and broad support across all major meeting platforms.

Synergy SKY has already become one of the most used integrations in Control Hub.

Synergy SKY Press Release:

Beyond all the given features the number one video conferencing manufacturer provides, such as a 4K intelligent camera, integrated microphones, and auto noise reduction speakers, it also has smart IoT sensors that provide Presence Detection and People Count. 

Cisco TelePresence Management Suite and Cisco TelePresence Management Suite XE (Cisco TMS/ Cisco TMS XE ) is a portal for administering and monitoring your videoconferencing network from a single, organized interface. Both of them offer centralized control for on-site and remote video systems, as well as deployment and scheduling for the whole video network.

NEWS: End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Telepresence Management Suite (TMS) and Exchange Integration (XE) Subscriptions

Making it easier for Cisco Webex devices to connect to internal and external Microsoft Teams meetings with support for One Button To Push (OBTP) Easy Join Services for WebRTC Guest Join.

The New SIP to Teams Interop, is a better approach for most - but the workflow in this blog might still be relevant for some

Synergy SKY was recently featured in a blog post on the Cisco Webex website. To learn how we together connected 120 Cisco video rooms to Zoom and Google - read the full blog here.

With Synergy SKY in-room booking, you can book both room and video meetings ad-hoc from your touch panel if the room is available. In addition, the 30.03 SW release has: Cisco Endpoint Phone Books, Room Issue Notifications.

Welcome to ‘Synergizers: The Experts Behind Video Interop”, the series where we talk and spotlight the developers and innovators behind the interoperability and video conferencing management tools simplifying the way organizations meet. The movers and shakers of our multi-vendor videoconferencing world. 

Meet Henrik Romnes, Developer at Synergy SKY. 

Henrik is one of R&D’s whizz kids (not that he would ever admit to this!). With a background in maths and an understanding beyond his years of all things video-related, he is responsible for making sure your video meetings work. You don’t get black screens when you connect to your meetings? That might very well be Henrik’s doing. We spoke with Henrik about his growth as a developer, as well as challenges and prospects in the videoconferencing industry. 

Welcome to 'Synergizers: The Experts Behind Video Interop', the series where we talk to and spotlight the developers and innovators of interoperability and video conferencing! These are the movers and shakers of our multi-vendor video conferencing world and are on a solid mission to simplify video meetings across the globe. 

Meet Egil Hasting, CTO at Synergy SKY. 

While it's not easy to say who the mother of our interop solution is, most people at Synergy SKY would agree that Egil is the undisputed father. He was responsible for conceptualizing, developing, and strategizing how to bring the product to the market. If there is anyone with a good understanding of our video interoperability, it's Egil.

A lot of companies today are mandating their workforce to return to the office. Whether your preferred way of working is from the office, hybrid or remote, one thing is for certain - video conferencing endpoints and meeting rooms in offices need to be flexible enough to include all working models.  

Synergy SKY stepped in to support the NHS with continuation of critical MDT meetings that include remote clinicians joining the meetings on Microsoft Teams, by providing an alternative interoperability solution. 

Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) service continuation is essential in the NHS for the health and well-being of patients and the collective expertise of specialists involved in a patient’s pathway. This includes the discussion of the diagnosis, pain management, support, welfare or treatment, and recovery. 

In June 2020, the NHS announced an agreement with Microsoft that would lead to the rollout of Microsoft Teams to 1.2 million users, across 450 organisations supporting patients in the NHS.  It was highlighted in a study by the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust* that this roll-out saved NHS users 2.9 million hours of NHS time.  According to NHS Digital, it replaced 14.5 million phone calls and hosted more than 32 million virtual meetings. Needless to say, it has been a huge success and became “the norm” for users across the NHS.  

Many organizations need a more inclusive and complete solution for interoperability right away. Synergy SKY CONNECT, which was launched earlier this year, can enable organizations to continue to use Cisco and Poly/Polycom devices in meeting rooms with Microsoft Teams.

At Microsoft Ignite, Cisco announced that in the first half of 2023, their latest generation Room OS devices will run Microsoft Teams natively. I applaud this development as users and administrators need simpler videoconferencing experiences when in the office. As significant as this announcement is, it, unfortunately, does not provide a solution for the millions older generation but high-quality Cisco / Poly SIP devices which do not have the onboard processing power to support either native MTR and Webex device interoperability.

Presentation sharing and application sharing, interaction and control features on the Cisco devices supporting macros (Touch 10 panel, DX-series, Desk Pro etc.) improved audio and video quality and a dedicated loading screen are new features that will enhance your video meeting experience and business collaboration.  

In Microsoft Teams meetings the new presenting experience with PowerPoint Live, Whiteboarding, and Hand raising introduces interactivity beyond traditional static presentation sharing (BFCP).

Only Synergy SKY gives you a similar native MS Teams experience on SIP devices.

Cross-platform video meetings shouldn’t be complicated. Watch Sean Lessman discuss the multi-vendor video complexities and potential solutions for easy collaboration at this year’s Cisco Live.

As the first Cisco Live! hybrid event ever and the first in-person one since 2019, the excitement couldn't have possibly been higher to finally meet industry professionals face-to-face and discuss collaboration in a hybrid work environment.

Although video meetings make it possible to continue business operations as normal, the day-to-day social interaction between colleagues can be just as important for moral, drive, and mental health. And, with the right tools, you can make a pretty decent virtual lemonade out of your home office lemons.  

With Synergy SKY Management Suite you can now get video dial-in details automatically inserted when you schedule a meeting, without having to click the Microsoft Teams plug-in or adding @webex in the location field. You will never forget to add the video option again. 

When deciding on software to streamline your set-up and eliminate your challenges, it is important that this software gives you the needed features today, tomorrow, and for the future. 

Experienced Videoconferencing and Collaboration/Workspace Technology teams have long understood the value of endpoint management tools such as Cisco TelePresence Management Suite (Cisco TMS).

With the recent acquisition of an IoT platform and a fresh certification from Cisco, Synergy SKY opens its doors to millions of new meeting rooms.