Cisco and Morgan Solar Piloting Project That Powers Office Spaces with Solar Energy

Cisco and Morgan Solar have teamed up for an innovative pilot project that aims to power collaboration and meeting spaces using solar energy. This project is a part of their efforts to unlock clean energy adoption in office spaces.

Below is the brief overview of the project:

• Energy Blinds: The project features Morgan Solar’s Energy Blinds, which are photovoltaic, algorithmically controlled window shades designed to capture clean, solar energy.
• Power-over-Ethernet: Cisco’sPower-over-Ethernet (PoE) switch is used to distribute the energy within the room efficiently.
• Webex Integration: The system is integrated with Cisco’s Webex platform, which detects when the room is not in use, thereby maximizing energy generation and minimizing consumption.
• Sustainability Goals: The solution offers businesses a new way to approach their path to net zero, providing innovative methods that can be used in commercial office spaces to advance sustainability goals through technology.

The pilot project, which is currently deployed at Cisco’s Toronto Innovation Centre, has shown promising initial results, producing up to 50W of renewable energy per window. This energy is sufficient to run the required equipment and devices in the pilot room. When the room is not occupied, the system stores excess solar energy for later use or during peak times when grid energy may be more expensive.

This initiative not only supports sustainability but also offers tangible business value, including cost savings and enhanced productivity. It could also contribute to achieving LEED certification in older buildings. With Canada committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, projects like this represent a creative approach to meeting national sustainability goals.

The two companies are also planning to expand the Cisco and Morgan Solar project. The first pilot project is currently deployed at Cisco’s Toronto Innovation Centre, and there are plans to include two additional customer sites. While the current information does not specify the exact locations or timeline for the global expansion, the inclusion of more sites indicates a move towards broader implementation.

The project's success at the initial site could pave the way for further expansion, potentially on a global scale. This would enable greater energy efficiency and on-site energy generation than rooftop solar alone, providing businesses with innovative approaches to achieve their sustainability goals.

Keep an eye out for updates from Cisco and Morgan Solar, here at IndianWeb2.com, as they continue to develop and potentially expand this promising clean energy initiative.

Cisco, Microsoft and Samsung Unveil New Meeting Room Solutions

• New integrated video collaboration solutions for Cisco Room series will feature Microsoft Teams Rooms with Front Row, and Samsung’s Smart Signage displays.
• The partnership will give all meeting participants—remote or in person—an inclusive hybrid meeting experience with the best view of each attendee.
• Purpose-built Cisco devices for Microsoft Teams combined with Cisco verified displays from Samsung make it simple for IT teams to deploy and manage at scale.

Today at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2024, Cisco, Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced new meeting room solutions to deliver enhanced collaboration experiences for hybrid meetings. With a collective vision to enable seamless and inclusive meetings for all, the companies unveiled integrated video collaboration solutions for Cisco Room Series. The solutions feature Front Row - an inclusive content layout for Microsoft Teams Rooms, with either Samsung’s newly unveiled 105” Smart Signage (model name: QPD-5K) with 21:9 aspect ratio and 5K resolution, or Samsung 4K Smart Signage screens.

Today, 98% of meetings include at least one remote participant. Yet, of the 87 million meeting spaces out there, less than 15% are equipped with video conferencing technology. As companies work to attract employees back into offices, meeting experiences need to be better than what people experience at home. This means workers have increased expectations for seamless and easy-to-use technology, equipped with high-quality audio and video. Meanwhile, to meet these demands for frictionless collaboration experiences, IT teams need standardized solutions that can be rapidly deployed and managed at scale.

Earlier in last November, Cisco partnered with HCLTech to launch Meeting-Rooms-as-a-Service (MRaaS). Available on a subscription model, the MRaaS solution modernizes legacy meeting rooms and enables users to join meetings from any meeting solution provider using Webex devices.

“In today’s era of hybrid work, it is essential that workspaces are reimagined to enable great collaboration. This means outfitting conference rooms with intelligent video systems designed to bring immersive collaboration experiences to all participants, regardless of their location,” said Jeetu Patel, EVP and General Manager, Security & Collaboration, Cisco. “Through our collaboration with these industry leaders, we’re delivering something we call Distance Zero, eliminating second-class experiences no matter where you are working.”

The combination of Cisco’s RoomOS-powered collaboration appliances, Samsung’s Smart Signage displays, and the Front Row layout available on all Microsoft Teams Rooms certified collaboration devices, provides seamless collaboration that virtually eliminates distance between meeting participants. This collaboration delivers a new standard for fully scalable, manageable and secure solutions for flagship meeting spaces.

“Our vision is to deliver enhanced collaboration experiences that meet the needs of today’s hybrid workforce for all organizations and workspaces. We are pleased that the collaboration between Cisco and Samsung supports this vision, with integrated solutions supporting equitable meeting experiences that organizations can deploy and manage at scale.” - Ilya Bukshteyn, VP, Microsoft Teams Calling and Devices, Microsoft. 

“We’ve entered a new era in which hybrid work is an integral part of the work experience. Employees simply must be able to have full functionality while working online. Our partnership with Cisco provides users with an accessible work environment, and at the center of that is our 105-inch QPD-5K display that gives users the feeling they are sitting in the same room as their colleagues.” - Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President, Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics. 

Benefits of the partnership include:

• Immersive views: Samsung 5K (5120 x 2160) and 4K UHD displays deliver lifelike, immersive hybrid meetings experiences with vibrant colors, in an ultra-slim design.
• Advanced, AI-powered collaboration: Customers benefit from advanced camera, audio and speech intelligence capabilities on Cisco devices and in Microsoft Teams Rooms.
• Simplified management and deployment: IT admins get a fully managed solution in the Microsoft Teams Admin Center alongside unrivalled insights into the meeting room with Cisco Control Hub.
• Increased scalability: The tight integration of purpose-built devices, enhanced software experiences, and comprehensive management tools make it possible for IT and Facilities to deliver hybrid work at scale.
• Seamless interoperability: Users can join fully featured Microsoft Teams or Webex meetings on the same device, without needing to reboot or reconfigure the system.

The products in these solutions are generally available today. Cisco support for 21:9 displays will be available starting March 2024.

The integrated video solution featuring Cisco Room Kit EQ and Room Kit EQX will be available on the ISE 2024 show floor. To find out more about Cisco’s full portfolio of certified devices for Microsoft Teams for any workspace visit: cs.co/Teams.