To raise its profile in the international education community, administrators realized the University needed a better unified communication solution. They selected Polycom because of its comprehensive video collaboration solutions that extend from mobile devices to immersive telepresence theaters.


Ilya Gorbunov, CIO of SPBGU, explains, "After evaluation, Polycom was technically among the best solutions available on the market today. We built the complete network based on the carrier-grade video infrastructure provided by the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform. The Polycom solutions bring HD video collaboration to any size rooms and any work environment, from large conference halls, to individual desktop solutions, to mobile devices. And from this, we can easily add more systems as the usage increases."


Students and staff members have access to Polycom RealPresence video solutions that allow them to collaborate with international universities using the latest high-tech tools. Because the RealPresence Platform is based on open standards, it is interoperable with the broadest range of business and communications applications and can therefore connect and seamlessly integrate with the multi-vendor video collaboration solutions used by many international institutions.


Polycom RealPresence video solutions are transforming education for Saint Petersburg University faculty and students:

• Facilitating internal meetings, lectures and seminars - The Polycom® RealPresence® Collaboration Servers at the University mix multi-party voice, video, and content collaboration together in the same call, simplifying and enriching the user experience.
• Improving international liaison - Saint Petersburg State University promotes the use of exchange programs and facilities by students, researchers, and academic staff. At present, the University cooperates with 230 higher-education institutions across Europe, North America, Asia, and South America, and Polycom RealPresence video solutions facilitate this cooperation with easy HD online interactions.
• Extending education to more students for lower costs - With the Polycom RealPresence Room solutions, more students can participate in a lecture from other locations. Some lecture halls are not large enough to accommodate the number of students who want to participate, and in these cases, the lecture can be seen in several classrooms at a time.