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Saying 'Halo' with a Difference

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PCQ Bureau
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HP defines its Halo Telepresence solution as an 'end-to-end, round-the-clock,

managed solution for real-time collaboration'. In simpler words, what

differentiates Halo from other Telepresence offerings in the market is the

attention to detail, and the fact that the offering is a service and not a

product. Halo offers its customers an extremely easy menu-driven interface in

order to encourage a DIY model. For instance, it lets you click and choose the

location you wish to connect to, alerts the other person dynamically and starts

the conference. An open door with a white/green light indicates that the 'room'

you wish to connect to, is empty, or closed if occupied. In case you happen to

need assistance of any nature, you can click and dial-in to the Concierge, where

an individual picks up your call after recognizing the location you are calling

in from. Besides the obvious tasks of helping you with connectivity and access

issues, the Concierge can dim your conference room lights, increase microphone

sensitivity and everything else in between.

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According to HP, Halo rooms are designed to focus on people, and not on the

product/service itself. Halo has been designed in association with Dreamworks

Studios — everything from the curvature of the display screens to the chocolate

brown back walls of the conference rooms, and the lighting has been designed

after expert advice on how broadcast and movies have an uncanny resemblance to

Telepresence conferencing. In order to ensure a smooth user experience, a

dedicated worldwide network has been created by HP exclusively for use for Halo.

This network called the HP Video Exchange Network, has an Indian exchange

situated in Chennai, to enable Indian customers seamless connectivity and a

guarantee that more than 95% of connectivity issues can be sorted out by the

customers themselves. As a routine measure, at around 3 am local time, everyday,

the Concierge does automatic calibrations of all Halo rooms across the world,

which includes technology refresh and software updates.

The Halo rooms themselves are categorized into three — a meeting room format

where around 6-8 individuals can participate, a smaller option where 3-4 people

can participate and a stripped down version where 1 or two individuals can

participate, in a cubicle-within-your-workplace model. The last one, HP hopes

will be received well by midsize enterprises, especially in India, who operate

in industry verticals that require them to interact globally.

In a demo which PCQuest participated, we connected from Bangalore to the

studio in Boeblingan, Germany with Frank Kasparek (HP Halo Pre-Sales), and then

with Paul Bradley (Business head - HP Halo UK, Europe, Middle east and Asia) in

London. The experience initially was no different from other Telepresence

offerings in the market, but the option of 'managing' the service individually

made a difference and 15 minutes into the conference, the engagement level was

high and an 'almost real' feel of sitting face-to-face with the conference

members was quite impressive.

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