GlobalMeet Collaborationiwas an audio, web and video conferencing solution that is designed to make global communication easy from anywhere using any device. As of 2023 the product has reached EOL and will no longer be sold.
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Polycom RealPresence Group Series
Score 6.1 out of 10
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The Polycom RealPresence Group Series is a video conferencing codec that connects to a standards-based video conferencing infrastructure to allow users to make video conference calls. There are three products in the series – RealPresence Group 300, RealPresence Group 500, and RealPresence Group 700. It is certified to use with Office 365 and Skype for Business.
GlobalMeet is well suited for an organization that wants a simple web conference platform with no added features. It seems like this is the way to go if you want to not spend a lot of money for a service. GlobalMeet is not well suited for large organizations, or someone who needs to host multiple meetings and needs robust features such as attendance tracking, presentation sharing, and ease of use.
If you're always working in the Polycom ecosystem then the Group Series codecs are reliable and the quality of the camera and microphones are extremely good. However, the system relies heavily on either having onsite server technology and/or cloud based bridging capability. In addition, the peripherals like cameras and microphones are quite expensive. Maintenance and support costs also make the ongoing investment a costly one
Recording feature useful to playback information from the meeting
Accessibility of domestic and international call in numbers make it possible for participants to call in no matter where they are traveling or located.
There is a cost for the conferencing services unlike competitors like FreeConferenceCall.com or Skype which have free options. However, you pay for what you get and the audio/connection quality can and has been an issue for us with other vendors.
There are a lot of shortcuts that can be used on the line to mute/unmute lines, record the audio, request operator assistance, etc. However, these are difficult to memorize so we end up forgetting or relying on a print-out of the shortcuts that we keep near our desks. I wish there was an easier way to use these such as voice commands.
In the post-conference email recaps you get the phone numbers of those who dialed in. However, it can be difficult to know who these numbers belong to unless you remember the direct #s for the participants. I wish there was a way to save contact info for certain phone numbers within the system and let GlobalMeet add the names to the numbers for all future post-conference emails.
The only issue that we have experienced with Polycom RealPresence Group Series is the speed dial functionality. When attempting to use the speed dial buttons, the system occasionally sends a call through the computer system, not the phone. While the computer call option is valuable, not everyone can answer calls that way and we have had to do a manual lookup of an extension and call back when that happens.
GlobalMeet is not a very good tool. There are better web meeting platforms available in the marketplace. The system is clunky, not intuitive, and experiences often technical issues. They have made updates recently but it is too little too late. It may be a good platform for smaller organizations with tighter budgets.
I have provided such a high rating because setting up the meeting only requires a few clicks. Within a couple minutes of telling my team that I will set up a meeting and send an invite, that invitation is already sitting in their inbox. I move at a fast pace and GlobalMeet is keeping up
The directory is slightly dated and unless you have a Skype for Business integration license, dialing users into a call is difficult. The Group Series Remote whilst minimalistic is actually more difficult to use than the previous HDX remote. Having to recharge the battery on the group series remote is both annoying and difficult as if you do not keep on top of it, you will be faced with a situation where the remote is not working and then have to try and find another one. Not ideal if you need to start a video call (assuming auto join has not been enabled in the admin portal).
For the most part GlobalMeet loaded everything quickly. The only problem that we had was when the whole company was on a training at one time, we had a hard time with screen sharing and the pages loading in a timely manner. Everything seemed to slow down when lots of people were on the system at once
As previously mentioned, I was in charge of facilitating a weekly meeting with 60 attendees. I had major issues with the screenshare crashing repeatedly during the meeting. I got in contact with a GlobalMeet Technician immediately. He was extremely responsive and worked with my technician to resolve all of the issues quickly. After his intervention, I never had the same issue again.
I can't say I've needed support more than a handful of times. One was for trying to connect a Polycom Conference phone and a Real Presence together. After a few months, we came to the conclusion it wasn't possible, that was the only frustrating occurance with support. Any other time if we needed to RMA a device, it was very smooth.
I was not involved in the purchasing decision, but choose GlobalMeet over Skype in some situations since not all organizations permit their colleagues to join other Skype environments. WebEx is not widely deployed in the organization. I have just started using Teams, and I am not as familiar with using it yet. However, I have had success with joining other organizations that use Teams on a call. It is disappointing that functionality such as the whiteboard is not mutually available in those situations (yet).
Polycom RealPresence Group Series stands head and shoulders above Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex Meetings both for dependability and robust delivery of function. One established the meetings were very hard to break apart but easy to end when so desired. The installation of the devices, the training of technicians, and end-users were both intuitive and easy to manage, where the same interactions with Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex In my opinion, and experience, were challenging to work through.
The price for webinar for GlobalMeet is quite pricey compared to other similar vendors.
GlobalMeet can be used for unlimited free calls and video conferencing, hence in our company with extensive global calls this platform is very cost-effective.
Unlike most conferencing software. Other users don't have to download GlobalMeet App and therefore it is easy to send meeting invite to clients.
Attentively support system that responds fast to queries and this saves time for us.
Once pexip integrates Polycom/skype this will be a big win for us due to the RPTouch integrating the "one - touch join". This will increase adoption of video greatly.
Before the Group series with peripherals was implemented the cost of a video room was twice what it is today. Massive win.
Due to provisioning and automated firmware the IT involvement has been greatly reduced. No longer is there a need for manual changes to individual endpoints.
