How to Bring Skype for Business Online Into the Meeting Room Published: 12 September 2017 ID: G00341344 Analyst(s): Tom Eagle, Mike Fasciani For infrastructure and operations leaders seeking a truly "unified" UC experience, the meeting room is often the last element to be aligned. This report provides guidance on three major options for extending the Microsoft Skype for Business Online experience from the desktop to the meeting room. Key Challenges Integration options between the Skype for Business Online (SfBO) unified communications (UC) platform and group video systems have been introduced relatively recently (2H16), resulting in limited market awareness of their availability and business use cases. Diversity of integration choices has sown confusion within enterprise IT and other buying centers, particularly around the risk of not having key features such as two-way content sharing. Many organizations want more control over their meeting room environment than they can achieve with third-party cloud-based video service options. Recommendations Infrastructure and operations leaders planning, selecting and deploying UC solutions should: Create seamless direct connectivity to SfBO without necessitating additional mediation by deploying hardware-based endpoints such as Skype Room Systems. Evaluate cloud-based meeting and interoperability services for their ability to work with the Skype workflow to improve the continuity of the organization's meeting experience. Use premises-based virtualized infrastructure when directly managing the overall meeting solution is critical by specifying similar features to cloud-based meeting services, such as heterogeneous video endpoint support and integration with SfBO. Table of Contents
Strategic Planning Assumptions... 2 Introduction... 2 Analysis...4 Create Seamless Direct Connectivity to SfBO by Deploying Hardware-Based Endpoints... 4 Skype Room System... 5 Non-SRSv2 Endpoints...5 Microsoft Surface Hub...6 Evaluate Cloud-Based Meeting and Interoperability Services for Their Ability to Work With the Skype Workflow... 6 VaaS...6 Cloud-Based Interoperability Service... 7 Use Premises-Based Virtualized Infrastructure When Directly Managing the Overall Meeting Solution Is Critical...7 Gartner Recommended Reading... 8 List of Tables Table 1. SfBO Meeting Room Options... 4 List of Figures Figure 1. Gartner Peer Connect Poll Results...3 Strategic Planning Assumptions With a 5% annual growth rate, conferencing will be the fastest growing UC segment through 2021. By 2021, 53% of UC spend will be generated from cloud UC (includes cloud telephony, messaging and conferencing), up from 32% in 2016. Introduction Recent results from a Gartner Peer Connect survey (see Figure 1 and Note 1) indicate that online meetings are a key purpose of using the SfBO UC solution. Meanwhile, our UC forecast expects cloud-based UC (telephony and messaging) to be the fastest growing UC segment, with a 15.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2021 (see "Forecast: Unified Communications, Worldwide, 2014-2021, 2Q17"). Hence, this polling data, combined with our forecast data, suggests Page 2 of 9 Gartner, Inc. G00341344
that online meetings will continue playing a major, if not dominant, role in the enterprise UC experience. Figure 1. Gartner Peer Connect Poll Results Note: Online meetings require E3 minimum, and cloud PBX requires E5 minimum. Source: Gartner (September 2017) In Gartner inquiry, demand is particularly strong for interoperability solutions between Microsoft's SfBO meeting feature and conference spaces in enterprise facilities. More specifically, users want to understand how to extend their SfBO meeting experience from the desktop to the conference room. However, having a conference room participate at all is a challenge, whether that means having the room accept an invitation to join a SfBO meeting or originate a SfBO meeting as a host. The following sections, as summarized in Table 1, describe three resolutions to this challenge: Gartner, Inc. G00341344 Page 3 of 9
Table 1. SfBO Meeting Room Options Type Hardware-based elements comprising either codecenabled or "soft" endpoints Cloud-based bridging platforms, typically available from video-as-a-service (VaaS) vendors, and interoperability services Consider When A direct connection to a SfBO account without mediation is important. There's a preference for a particular manufacturer that offers SfBO integration (such as Polycom, Logitech, Crestron or Microsoft). Adding a VaaS subscription on top of a SfBO account is acceptable financially and operationally. Obtaining the feature advantages of a VaaS (such as endpoint agnosticism and including participants outside the host organization) is critical. However, using the VaaS approach typically involves breaking with the Skype workflow and interface. Where that is unacceptable, organizations should consider the RealConnect for Office 365 cloud interoperability service. Locally hosted transcoderless, softwarebased virtualized infrastructure Retaining direct management of the overall meeting experience is a priority while securing many of the feature benefits of a VaaS platform and integration with SfBO. Virtual infrastructure deployments tend to protect the native client experience so users can participate in SfBO meetings while retaining the interface of the meeting platform they joined with (video endpoint and SfBO). Source: Gartner (September 2017) These options are nonexhaustive, but represent commercially available solutions often appearing in client inquiries with Gartner. Analysis Create Seamless Direct Connectivity to SfBO by Deploying Hardware-Based Endpoints Before the advent of purpose-built hardware solutions for SfBO interoperability, it was not uncommon for organizations to install a PC or laptop in the conference rooms where they wanted to join SfBO meetings. The PC/laptop could be connected to a full-size monitor/tv, webcam and internet, and users could sign into their SfBO account. This had the advantage of being low-cost and simple to configure, but lacked the advanced features of actual videoconferencing endpoints (such as optimized camera and audio functions). Today, there are three approaches for an in-room SfBO experience utilizing a direct connection between hardware-based endpoints and the SfBO platform. However, IT leaders need to be aware of the differences in operational and user experiences between these systems. Page 4 of 9 Gartner, Inc. G00341344
Skype Room System In September 2016, Microsoft introduced the next-generation Skype Room System, or Skype Room System v2 (SRSv2), which was formerly known as Project Rigel. SRSv2 combines a center-of-table touch console driven by Microsoft Surface Pro with SRSv2 software packaged with Skype Roomcertified audio and video peripherals to enable a collaborative Skype for Business (SfB) room experience using the SfBO interface. SRSv2 supports both on-premises and online versions of SfB through the familiar Skype interface; it has its own Office 365/SfBO resource account used to join meetings. However, these SRSv2 systems are new to market, and specific features associated with each version should be closely examined to ensure they satisfy individual organization's use-case and functional requirements. To minimize variability in the endpoint and hardware experience, organizations should consider selecting one audio/visual (A/V) component vendor as a strategic standard. This will help with user adoption and lower training requirements. There are three SRSv2 offerings, with each manufacturer offering different configurations based on meeting room size: The Logitech SRSv2 is based around its SmartDock, an A/V control console incorporating the Microsoft Surface Pro. This is paired with one of Logitech's SfB-certified ConferenceCams, the choice of which depends on the size of the meeting room. The Crestron SRSv2 uses the Microsoft Surface Pro touchscreen with Crestron A/V and control systems. It is bundled with a USB microphone and camera. Polycom's SRSv2, or Polycom MSR Series, combines a range of Polycom's voice and video solutions that are designed for different room sizes, including Polycom's RealPresence Trio conference phone, the CX5100 endpoint and EagleEye camera technology. Non-SRSv2 Endpoints Microsoft offers a certification program for non-native video endpoints (so-called integrated endpoints) for integration with SfBO (and on-premises SfB). To date, the only manufacturer to secure this certification is Polycom, with its RealPresence Group Series video endpoints. Certified interoperability means that Group Series solutions follow the familiar SfB workflow and allow users to easily initiate calls within SfBO. This approach allows users to take advantage of more A/V options via the advanced feature-set that Group Series offers. The performance feedback on this approach is limited because the offering was just launched in 3Q17. Other, non-microsoft-certified versions of group system endpoints exist, which also register directly with SfBO. For example, StarLeaf's range of GTm room system endpoints are configured for direct interoperability with SfBO, with one-touch join capabilities. These non-srsv2 endpoints address one of the key challenges for IT organizations looking to increase their utilization of these relatively expensive collaboration assets. Being able to use the SfBO workflow with these non-srsv2 endpoints lowers the intimidation factor for nontechnical personnel, simplifying the process of initiating and managing the group video-system-based meeting. Gartner, Inc. G00341344 Page 5 of 9
Microsoft Surface Hub Purpose-built as a meeting room collaboration device using SfBO and Office 365, the Surface Hub (available in 55-inch and 84-inch screen sizes) is an interactive whiteboard with videoconferencing features. It uses the SfB interface and natively integrates with the SfBO platform, which should make setup and provisioning straightforward, although this may vary based on staff expertise and local network factors. For organizations that prioritize content-centric sharing and are committed to Office 365 collaboration environments, the Surface Hub represents a viable option to extend the SfBO experience into the conference room. Evaluate Cloud-Based Meeting and Interoperability Services for Their Ability to Work With the Skype Workflow Options for SfBO interoperability exist, even in the absence of SRSv2 and certified endpoints. Conference room video systems can use the cloud-based functions of VaaS platforms or Polycom's RealConnect for Office 365 to interact with SfBO. VaaS Comprising a cloud- and usage-based consumption model for videoconferencing, VaaS platforms, such as BlueJeans and Zoom, have relied on their ease of use and access simplicity to grow their influence in the meeting solution marketplace. Just as significantly, one of VaaS' other key advantages endpoint agnosticism (or support for heterogeneous video device environments) helps enable conference room participation in a SfBO meeting. By using the bridging function of VaaS platforms, SfBO users can connect conference room video systems and participants outside of their organization. Although the obvious disadvantage is the requirement to purchase licenses for the VaaS platform in addition to the organization's Office 365 account there are significant advantages: Initiate and receive videoconferencing calls with group video systems (such as Cisco, Lifesize, Polycom and Vidyo). This may be done either directly using the VaaS bridge or through a virtual meeting room (VMR), depending on the VaaS solution and configuration. Enable two-way content and screen sharing with conference room systems and guest participants. Schedule meetings through add-ins for Microsoft Outlook; some VaaS client apps will autopopulate join instructions. Invite guests from outside your organization to join using their choice of endpoint, including group video room systems. Not all VaaS vendors offer these features, so each service needs to be evaluated individually to align user requirements with vendor capabilities. Page 6 of 9 Gartner, Inc. G00341344
Cloud-Based Interoperability Service In early 2017, Microsoft and Polycom introduced RealConnect for Office 365, a subscription-based video interoperability service for SfBO users. Although the service itself is new, the Polycom RealConnect technology was originally introduced in 2014 for Lync and Skype for Business onpremises deployments. This joint cloud video interoperability service allows SfBO users to schedule Skype Online meetings that will support traditional (that is, H.323/SIP standards-based) conference room video systems (Cisco, Polycom, Lifesize). The service is hosted within Microsoft Azure and operated by Polycom. As opposed to the conventional VaaS approach, the RealConnect service uses the Skype scheduling workflow in Outlook, and maintains the existing SfBO workflow and conferencing experience. This means SfBO users don't need to change the way they schedule or join the meeting, and they can engage in a SfBO video meeting that can include bidirectional content sharing. Where SfBO workflow consistency is a priority, organizations with significant investments in group video systems will find the RealConnect for Office 365 service delivers a streamlined provisioning experience for administrators. The RealConnect license is provisioned and managed via the Office 365 admin portal. Use Premises-Based Virtualized Infrastructure When Directly Managing the Overall Meeting Solution Is Critical For organizations that want to retain close management of their videoconferencing estate, virtualized infrastructure options can be deployed on-premises (typically in a customer data center). Virtualized infrastructure is a more recent alternative to hardware-based multipoint control units (MCUs) for enabling multiparty video calling. Virtualized infrastructure is software that does not depend on MCU transcoding, and can be deployed on purpose-built servers or on generic servers meeting configuration requirements. There are some feature similarities between local virtualized infrastructure deployments and cloudbased VaaS, such as endpoint interoperability and scaling ease. Support for SfBO within the conference room is also a key function of virtualized infrastructure, with some options protecting the native client experience. If a meeting participant enters from SfBO, then they will see other participants as Skype users. If a standard group conference room endpoint joins, then they will use that endpoint's interface. There are three major virtualized infrastructure software choices today: Cisco Meeting Server (formerly Acano) Pexip Infinity (Microsoft certified) Polycom RealPresence Clariti (Microsoft certified) Gartner, Inc. G00341344 Page 7 of 9
Each will vary in terms of certain features, such as the extent of content sharing, but all enable standards-based group system endpoints in the conference room to successfully participate in SfBO meetings. Gartner Recommended Reading Some documents may not be available as part of your current Gartner subscription. "In the Digital Workplace, Conferencing Markets Are Evolving Into a Meeting Solution Market" "Magic Quadrant for Web Conferencing" "Magic Quadrant for Group Video Systems" "Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide" "Select the Right Technology for Modern Meeting Rooms" "SWOT: Microsoft, Skype for Business Online, Worldwide" Evidence This report draws on end-user and vendor interactions regarding workplace practices, video services and broader videoconferencing technologies. Note 1 Peer Connect Poll The Peer Connect poll was conducted by Gartner staff with client members of Peer Connect. See here for the context. Page 8 of 9 Gartner, Inc. G00341344
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