New features and refreshed integrations improve overall meeting productivity and provide more security, flexibility and control

Lifesize®, a global innovator of immersive enterprise communication solutions, today announced numerous enhancements to its cloud video conferencing and collaboration platform to further support the remote work experience for both employees and IT administrators. New features make it easier to set up and join meetings through refreshed integrations with Microsoft Outlook and Google Apps; elevate the meeting experience, including a new digital whiteboard application powered by recently-acquired Kaptivo technology; and provide enterprises with more security, flexibility and control as they continue to deploy trusted video conferencing technology across their organizations.

Recent Gartner research suggests that nearly half of employees will continue to work remotely at least part-time after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, meaning organizations will need to provide ongoing support and technology solutions that enable employees to work from anywhere while bridging communication and collaboration with those workers who return to the physical office and meeting rooms.

“Video conferencing and virtual collaboration are now essential productivity tools for knowledge workers everywhere,” said Bobby Beckmann, chief technology officer of Lifesize. “As organizations evaluate hybrid workforce models going forward, we have committed our roadmap and development efforts to delivering the meeting experience and capabilities that employees and IT administrators need to work effectively from home, the office or anywhere that is required during these continued tumultuous times.”

Making It Easier to Join Meetings

Recent enhancements to the Lifesize cloud conferencing platform further simplify scheduling, starting and joining video meetings, whether through a web browser (eliminating the need for downloads and manual app updates) or the Lifesize desktop and mobile apps. These include:

  • Unified Login Experience: A newly designed, consistent login and streamlined join meeting experience for both paid users and guests across all devices.
  • Refreshed Add-ons for Microsoft Outlook and Google Apps: Newly updated Microsoft Outlook and Google G Suite add-ins fit Lifesize meeting scheduling even more seamlessly into existing workflows.
  • Enhanced Directory Support: New flexibility for configuring meeting visibility in internal directories, helping participants within an organization more easily locate and join large one-time group calls just as they would recurring meetings.
  • Dedicated ‘Call Me’ Link: A personalized ‘Call Me’ link accessible via the Lifesize dashboard, making it simpler for users to share their direct video extension for 1:1 and impromptu group meetings.

Elevating the In-Meeting Experience

Once hosts and participants have joined a Lifesize meeting, newly introduced features keep all stakeholders engaged and productive, including:

  • New Layouts: Forthcoming availability of new meeting layouts that provide the choice between gallery, panel and active speaker views along with a revamped user interface, making the entire meeting experience more modern.
  • Digital Whiteboard: A new digital whiteboard application within Lifesize video meetings, opening up possibilities for remote collaboration following the company’s acquisition of Kaptivo.
  • Raise Hand Capabilities: The ability to ‘raise hand’ to indicate a question or comment across all Lifesize cloud apps and meeting room systems. Meeting hosts can now also search and sort the participant list by those with a raised hand to more easily identify and recognize remote or in-office participants who have input or who have been muted by the moderator.
  • Group Chat in All Meetings: The option for all participants to join and interact in the integrated meeting chat, regardless of meeting type.

Providing More Security, Flexibility and Control

With increased global usage of video conferencing comes the need for moderators and IT or AV administrators to more purposefully and proactively secure and manage their meetings and accounts. To that end, Lifesize has added:

  • Waiting Rooms: Upcoming availability of waiting rooms to help moderators decide who will be admitted to meetings and when.
  • Advanced Meeting Moderation: New remote moderator controls, such as stopping presentations and removing participants on the Lifesize desktop and web apps.
  • User Permissions: User permission settings that empower admins to restrict meeting creation and approve requests to merge Lifesize accounts.
  • Branded Live Streams: The capability for a Lifesize live stream to be embedded on an organization’s website, providing a more cohesive, branded look and feel.
  • Remote Room System Management: Remote reboot, password reset and health monitoring for Lifesize meeting room systems as well as choice for admins on how and when to update those systems’ firmware – either early or with general availability – all of which is essential when IT and AV admins are not working onsite.

To learn more about how Lifesize is improving remote work for customers and to stay up-to-date on the latest features and functionality being debuted in Q3, follow https://www.lifesize.com/en/support/whats-new.

About Lifesize

Lifesize delivers immersive communication experiences for the global enterprise. Our complementary suite of award-winning cloud video conferencing, advanced collaboration and cloud contact center solutions empowers organizations to elevate workplace collaboration, boost employee productivity and improve customer experiences from anywhere and from any device. To learn more about our analyst-recognized solutions and see why tens of thousands of leading organizations like RBC, Yale University, Pearson, Salvation Army, Shell Energy and NASA rely on Lifesize for mission-critical business communications, visit www.lifesize.com, www.serenova.com or www.kaptivo.com.

Lifesize and the Lifesize logo are trademarks of Lifesize, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.