Cisco Unified MeetingPlace conferencing-part of the Cisco Unified Communications family of products-is a complete rich-media conferencing solution that integrates voice, video, and Web conferencing capabilities to make remote meetings as natural and effective as face-to-face meetings for increased productivity. The Cisco Unified MeetingPlace solution is deployed on-network, behind the firewall and integrated directly into an organization's private voice and data networks and enterprise applications, to provide significant cost savings, security, and a superior user experience.
The Cisco Unified Communications system of voice, video, and IP communications products and applications helps organizations communicate more effectively-helping them streamline business processes, reach the right resource the first time, and increase profitability.
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway integrates the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace solution with the enterprise e-mail system to automate the process of notifying meeting invitees and allow them to click to attend rich-media conferences.
The Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway application integrates Cisco Unified MeetingPlace conferencing with your organization's Internet mail system running the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). It combines with the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing application to notify attendees when a meeting is scheduled, changed, or canceled. When any of these events occurs, the application sends an e-mail message to meeting participants. If it is a newly scheduled meeting, the e-mail invites them to attend the voice, video, and Web conference and provides them with all the meeting information. If a meeting is rescheduled or canceled, the e-mail informs them of the meeting change or cancellation. With Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway, users can automatically send these e-mail notifications to meeting participants and to themselves. Premeeting reading material and presentations can also be associated with the meeting and sent with the invitation.
KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Notify Participants, Attend Meetings, and Distribute Materials
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway automatically notifies participants of upcoming meetings by sending e-mail messages to their mailboxes. The subject line and body text of e-mail notifications are configurable and can include meeting information such as date, time, phone and video access numbers, meeting name, invited participants, and many other items. Meeting materials, such as presentations and reports, can be attached to e-mail notifications, allowing participants to review information prior to the meeting. The Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway automates the distribution of conference details and relieves the meeting organizer from having to call or write an e-mail message to convey this information.
E-mail notifications are sent to invitees from the meeting organizer's e-mail address, allowing a reply to that message to be routed back to the appropriate person. If a meeting is canceled or the meeting time is changed, another e-mail is sent to inform meeting invitees of the change.
E-mail notifications contain a link to the location of the meeting on the Web so that attendees need only click to attend rich-media conferences. An e-mail client that detects Web link URLs in a message launches a browser window and connects to the Web conference, and from here the system dials out to the user's telephone or video endpoint. Alternatively the user can dial in using information that is provided in the e-mail message. The speed and ease with which invitees can join a conference promotes user adoption and increased use, leading to greater productivity and cost savings.
PRODUCT ARCHITECTURE
The Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway is a software application that runs on a Cisco Media Convergence Server (MCS). It communicates with a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8100 Series Audio Server to receive notices about newly scheduled, changed, or canceled meetings. The e-mail messages created by Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway are sent using standards-based protocols to an SMTP e-mail server, and from there they are routed to individual invitees, across the Internet if necessary.
English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Latin America)
Protocols supported
SMTP
Mail server authentication
Optional mail server logon (with password) supported
E-mail gateway management
• Provides Windows service
• Sends alarm messages to Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Audio Server
• Logs activity in a log file
• Communicates directly with the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8100 Audio Server platform
• Uses Cisco Unified MeetingPlace System Integrity Manager for improved service
Configuration
The administrator can configure all e-mail notification message templates as well as Cisco Unified MeetingPlace meeting-specific information.
SYSTEM CAPACITY
Each Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway application supports one Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8100 Series Audio Server and up to the maximum number of profiles allowed on the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace server.
FEATURES
• E-mail notifications are automatically sent to invited participants when a meeting is scheduled through the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Conference User Interface or Cisco MeetingTime administration application.
• Notifications include meeting time and date information, plus Cisco Unified MeetingPlace meeting login information for voice, video, and Web.
• Meeting materials can be sent automatically with the e-mail notification for attendee review prior to the meeting.
• Confirmation messages from meeting participants are delivered automatically to the scheduler.
• User names and e-mail addresses are maintained in a database on a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8100 Audio Server.
• Notifications are sent to attendees if a meeting is changed or canceled.
• A notification is sent to the meeting scheduler when a series of recurring meetings is about to end.
• Reminder notifications are sent when invitees fail to attend recurring meetings.
• Multilingual capability is available for sending notifications in each participant's preferred language.
• The e-mail notification subject field and body text can be configured using 35 distinct tags available from the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace server.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Table 2 lists the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway system requirements.
Table 2. System Requirements
Component
Requirement
Voice conferencing platform
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8100 Series Audio Server
Conference user interface software
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 5.4 Conference User Interface: MP-CONF-UI-5.4 (included with Cisco Unified MeetingPlace solution bundles)
Server platform
Cisco 7835 or 7845 MCS (refer to the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing data sheet for details)
Server software
Microsoft Windows Server 2000 (included with Cisco Unified MeetingPlace solution bundles)
ORDERING INFORMATION
To place an order, visit the Cisco Ordering Home Page. Table 3 provides ordering information for the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace SMTP E-Mail Gateway application.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about Cisco Unified MeetingPlace conferencing, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/meetingplace or contact your local Cisco account representative.
