The first batches of COVID-19 vaccines are making their way to healthcare workers around the globe.  However, it will likely take a while before typical information workers receive their vaccinations and start returning to the office en masse.  In the meantime, a high percentage of enterprise workers will continue to work from their home offices, kitchens, or breakfast nooks.

In recent months, Cisco and DTEN have released personal collaboration appliances designed to offload the video conferencing experience from the user’s PC (desktop or laptop).  Industry heavyweight Crestron and industry newcomer Neat have also announced that personal collaboration solutions are forthcoming.

In September 2020, Recon Research completed a round of hands-on testing of the Facebook Portal+ smart video calling device (see the From the Lab note).  At that time, the Portal+ supported only Facebook collaboration apps, including Messenger, Workplace, and WhatsApp.

Recently, Portal apps for BlueJeans, Cisco Webex Meetings, GoToMeeting, and Zoom have made their way onto our Portal devices.

This “From the Lab” note focuses on the Cisco Webex Meetings experience on the Facebook Portal+.