Monthly Archives: October 2011
2011
Cisco TelePresence Tech Tip: Managing Infrastructure Authentication
What is Infrastructure Authentication?
Cisco Border Controllers, Gatekeepers, and VCS Control and Expressway units have a feature called Authentication. This feature controls which units can register to a given infrastructure device through a username/password challenge. The user names and passwords can either be stored locally on the unit, or they can be obtained from an LDAP Directory Server.
Infrastructure to Infrastructure Authentication
Neighbor relationships and traversal zone relationships between infrastructure components can also be authenticated. In the case of the VCS Expressway, traversal relationships must be authenticated.
Authentication and NTP Servers
In order for authentication to work, all units involved must have a synchronized time stamp. These stamps are provided by one or more Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers. Cisco recommends that all units use the same NTP server. However, authentication will work as long as all the NTP servers have identical time stamps. A public NTP server that can be utilized for authentication can be found at the IP address: 129.6.15.28.
Here are some examples of where to find NTP Server settings:
Cisco C Series Codec NTP Server Settings
Cisco MXP Series Codec NTP Server Settings
Cisco Video Communications Server (VCS) NTP Server Settings
If you have further questions about infrastructure authentication, or any other technical topics about Cisco TelePresence, contact the ZCare technical team (888-492-2734, zcare@kbz.com)
About ZCare
ZCare Technical Support is the all-inclusive KBZ service program, offering 24/7 technical support for Cisco TelePresence and video communication systems and equipment. To learn more about ZCare, visit http://www.kbz.com/services/technical-support.aspx
2011
Video Conferencing In Academia Post Sparks Interesting Feedback and Discussion
Continue reading »
Last week’s blog post discussing the advantages of video conferencing in academia triggered a wave of response from this blog’s readership, particularly from members of the Video Conferencing Professionals LinkedIn group. Although the original post focused on areas where video conferencing has penetrated outside of the classroom setting, many of the comments tackled the distance learning concept and the effectiveness of using telepresence as a tool for engaging remote students.
2011
Cisco TelePresence Tech Tip: How to Back Up and Restore Settings/Directories on a Cisco MXP Using a Web Browser
Prerequisite: In order to communicate with a Cisco MXP endpoint using a web browser, you need to either have your codec on a network IP where it can be reached, or you need to connect a PC to the Ethernet port of the MXP using a cross-over cable.
To back up Cisco MXP settings/directories, follow these steps:
1. Browse to the CiscoMXP with a web browser by typing the IP address of the unit into the address bar.
2. When prompted, enter the username and password. (Tip: There is no such thing as a username on a Cisco MXP codec. However, some browsers will require one. Simply type anything for username, and it will be accepted.) Continue reading »
The MXP web interface appears.
2011
Moving Past Distance Learning – Video Conferencing in Academia
Video conferencing technology in the academic setting is often presented as a tool used by teachers to remotely connect with students. While it is true that the capacity for facilitating distance learning is one of the key advantages of video conferencing, telepresence also has many other benefits to offer learning institutions.
Research
Universities and colleges have always performed a crucial role in moving scientific and social development forward through a focus on research. Telepresence increasingly serves as a bridge between colleagues separated by geography who are working on the same project together, facilitating a level of communication and collaboration not possible over email or the telephone. This is especially important for researchers working at smaller schools where access to the same level of resources found at larger urban campuses is simply not available. Connecting rural academics with better-endowed institutions levels the playing field for researchers investigating areas of interest that are heavily dependent on specific equipment or subject matter experts.
Continue reading »
2011
Benefits of Video Conferencing When Managing a Remote Work Force
Geographically-diverse work forces are becoming more and more common in the modern business world, and a greater percentage of companies are turning towards video conferencing as an effective tool for managing these types of remote employment arrangements. Organizations looking to expand their work arrangements outside the confines of a conventional office are seeing the benefits of video conferencing and telepresence technology.
There are certain positions which have traditionally demanded that workers spend a substantial amount of time away from their desks. Sales personnel, for example, are often called upon to meet with clients at far-flung locations, in some cases traveling halfway around the world in order to make connections and demonstrate products. Offering a video link to the home office not only provides a regular two-way communications channel between traveling employees and management, but it also allows for the continuation of a sense of community by enabling the participation in group meetings on a face-to-face basis, which represents a significant upgrade over a less personal conference call from a distant hotel room.
Continue reading »
2011
Telepresence As A Business Continuity Strategy
Few events are as jarring to a business as losing communication with its key decision-makers – an eventuality that more and more companies are preparing for by turning toward telepresence. In an era where even the smallest hesitation can result in a costly missed opportunity, organizations are bolstering their executive and management communications strategies with a larger telepresence element designed to maintain business continuity in the face of extenuating circumstances.
Mobile video conferencing offers companies the opportunity to maintain contact with their most important employees, including C-level executives, should an emergency situation occur. The threat posed by a natural disaster or disruptive local or even global event that interferes with the ability of workers to access an important facility is one which all companies must plan for. Whether it’s a local flood that renders a satellite office inaccessible or whether a volcano erupting in Iceland grinds worldwide air travel to a halt, business continuity in the event of such a scenario depends on establishing the best possible communication between key members of an organization.
Continue reading »
2011
Videoconferencing Professionals LinkedIn Group Roundup – September 2011
September was a fruitful month for conversation in the Videoconferencing Professionals LinkedIn group, with a healthy amount of participation from group members on a wide range of different topics. Trygve Wettestad, business development manager at Orange Business Services, started an intriguing discussion about the benefits of video conferencing via cloud-based video solutions versus those which run on a dedicated infrastructure owned outright by the client.
The general consensus of the group was that cloud-based video was notable for its ability to save on the up-front costs associated with dedicated video conferencing hardware, as well as reducing or eliminating the expense of the specialized training required to use and maintain it. This trends small and medium-sized businesses towards cloud-based communications, while larger organizations with greater access to IT resources favor the stability and lower long-term total cost of ownership afforded by a dedicated solution (like Cisco TelePresence). John Skeehan, senior product marketing manager at LifeSize, and Dave Dumas, project manager at Cox Communications, each provided particularly insightful comments and information during the course of the discussion.
Continue reading »
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