MUNICH, Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) and Ricoh have announced a major shakeup in the corporate
meeting room with Ricoh's new cognitive-enabled interactive
whiteboard which uses IBM's Watson intelligence and voice
technologies to actively support people in meetings by responding
to commands, taking notes and actions and even translating into
other languages.
The Intelligent Workplace Solution leverages IBM Watson IoT and
Ricoh's easy-to-use interactive whiteboards to change the way teams
meet and collaborate through new intuitive features that can be
accessed using natural voice. It makes sure that Watson doesn't
just listen, but is an active meeting participant, using real-time
analytics to help guide discussions so teams can make faster,
better and more informed decisions.
Most companies find that the majority of information shared and
discussed during meetings may be lost or forgotten. Ricoh is
incorporating this new powerful, innovative solution into its
broader set of service offerings to help customers continually
improve meeting collaboration and productivity. Likewise, IBM sees
a range of more complex smart meeting support functions in the
future, thanks to Watson's learning capabilities.
"Our goal is to provide employees and businesses with effective
and smart tools that automate administrative office processes and
empower people to focus on tasks and ideas that drive business
value," said Hidetsugu Nonaka,
Corporate Senior Vice President, Ricoh Company, Ltd. "Together with
IBM, we've created the Intelligent Workplace Solution to
revolutionize meetings. Instead of being a screen, the
cognitive-enabled, interactive whiteboard powered by Watson will be
an active participant capturing meeting notes and action items, and
building bridges between employees at different locations. The new
solution is poised to be a cornerstone of meetings today and in the
future."
Features of the new cognitive-enabled whiteboard solution
include:
- Simple, global voice control of meetings: once a meeting
begins, any employee, whether in-person or located remotely in
another country, can easily control what's on the screen, including
advancing slides, all through simple voice commands using Watson's
Natural Language API.
- Translation of the meeting into another language: the
Intelligent Workplace Solution can translate speakers' words into
several other languages and display them on screen or in
transcript.
- Easy-to-join meetings: with the swipe of a badge the
Intelligent Workplace Solution can log attendance and track key
agenda items to ensure all key topics are discussed.
- Ability to capture side discussions: during a meeting, team
members can also hold side conversations that are displayed on the
same whiteboard.
"Collaborative workforces are at the heart of successful
business. The challenge is bringing disparate teams together and
then enabling them to be productive," said Harriet Green, General Manager, Watson IoT.
"With IBM's Watson IoT technologies, Ricoh's interactive
whiteboards don't just guide meetings; they foster an open exchange
of ideas and make it easy for teams to work in partnership and
bringing meetings to life."
IBM is installing more than 80 Ricoh interactive whiteboards in
its new global Watson IoT headquarters in Munich, Germany. This will enable IBM's
product development teams in Munich to hold productive meetings with
colleagues in other locations like Japan, Brazil
and the U.S.
For details on the Intelligent Workplace Solution powered by IBM
and Ricoh's full line of products, services and solutions, please
visit www.ricoh-europe.com. Also, follow Ricoh on Twitter, Facebook
and LinkedIn. Search #RicohMakesInfoWork for additional content
related to Ricoh's offerings.
Across the globe, IBM is working with more than 6,000 clients,
across industries, to help them truly realize the benefits of IoT.
Many of these innovations are on display at IBM's Watson IoT
headquarters in Munich where today
IBM, customers, partners and influencers are gathering for the
first ever Genius of Things Summit. At Genius of Things
attendees will examine how Watson IoT clients are implementing IoT
solutions to drive exceptional outcomes. For more information on
IBM Watson IoT, please visit www.ibm.com/iot or follow @IBMGoT and
@IBMIoT on Twitter.
About Ricoh
Ricoh is a global technology company that
has been transforming the way people work for more than 80 years.
Under its corporate tagline – imagine. change. – Ricoh continues to
empower companies and individuals with services and technologies
that inspire innovation, enhance sustainability and boost business
growth. These include document management systems, IT services,
production print solutions, visual communications systems, digital
cameras, and industrial systems.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh
Group operates in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the
financial year ending March 2016,
Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,209
billion yen (approx. 19.6 billion
USD).
For more information on Ricoh, please visit www.ricoh.com
Contact(s) information
Jonathan Jessop Batty
IBM Media Relations, IBM Watson IoT
+44 7880 086571
jonathanb@uk.ibm.com
Media contact information for Ricoh:
John
Greco
Ricoh USA, Inc.
973-882-2023
john.greco@ricoh-usa.com
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SOURCE IBM