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Global video communication and software developer Polycom has decided to strengthen its India research base.
The California-based company moved into a new development centre in Whitefields in Bangalore early this month. It has a 100-strong team. The facility can house up to 250. It is engaged in halo services (acquired from HP) and basic immersive telepresence products.
Similarly, its research centre in Hyderabad has seen a doubling of professionals to 250 in the last two years.
The centre will also grow to 350 in the future. It has helped generate revenues up to $350 million from voice products.
The India Innovation Centre, as both these facilities are called, have taken up a significant role in contributing to the development of Polycom’s latest phones, video HDX production line, halo services and video collaboration software, said General Manager Balaji Iyer, who is based in Hyderabad.
Cloud platforms
In the past few years, researchers based out of these Centres have played a critical role in the development of the triangular phones, videoconferencing, video-as-managed services, etc., he said.
Looking ahead, the focus would be on mass adoption of video. “We will move into cloud, interoperability and mobile platforms. Tablet PCs, iPad, iPhone, etc., are all giving a new dimension to video communication,” Iyer said.
Marketing head (India and Saarc) Alok Anand said that with a 50 per cent market share in video conferencing in India, the company planned to expand with newer offerings, bring new technology and go to smaller cities.
The year 2012 was tough, as not many large projects came their way and there were fewer Government orders, he said.
Talent pool in India
Polycom is upbeat on finding talent in India. Iyer said: “We have hired nearly 70 per cent of our R&D professionals from top engineering colleges outside of IITs, BITS, NITs, etc.”. “In the near term through our University programme, we want to hire more women engineers and researchers to create a rich and diverse R&D environment and also improve the process of ideation,” he said.
Another strategy it is following is joint research projects. Initial talks have been started with the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad and BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, he added.
The Hyderabad Centre is engaged in development of innovative unified communications products and solutions for Polycom’s portfolio of voice and video solutions for mobile, desktop and conferencing.
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