Reliable, High-Quality Videoconferencing

The City of Allen manages the development and government functions for Allen, TX, a mid-sized suburb of Dallas in North Texas. Allen has over 100,000 residents and is still growing. City management includes over 850 employees who run all functions of the local government, from the municipal court to community development. Allen is frequently ranked highly across the state and country as a “Best Place to Live” for its livability, safety and economics.

Challenge

The City Hall building in Allen was inconsistent in its approach to technology. Several rooms had projectors, some had basic televisions with limited presentation capabilities and many conference rooms had no audio/visual equipment at all. This setup caused confusion as employees and visitors would have to learn different presentation systems depending on which room they would be able to book.

City of Allen decided to look for a new solution for their conference spaces. They needed a system that not only would be an upgrade to their presentation capabilities, but would also streamline meetings and video conferences. Whichever solution they purchased would have to be simple to understand, and easy for anyone to walk up and start using without flipping through a dense user manual. They also needed a system that would integrate with Microsoft Office products like Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business.

Solution

After looking over several, the City of Allen settled on Newline’s X Series touch displays. The 80” X8 and 86” X9 all-in-one systems combine built-in cameras and microphones with an easy to use touch screen. An integrated computer gives anyone who walks up to the touch display easy access to any software that they choose – whether it is presentation software or whiteboarding/collaboration software, Newline’s displays are non-proprietary and let you interact your way. No additional equipment is needed to connect to remote employees or meeting participants, streamlining video conferences using Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business.

Results

Almost immediately, the City of Allen noticed an increase in technology use in their conference spaces. Conference rooms that previously had been underutilized were being booked regularly. The X8 and X9 provided consist, high-quality technology in their conference rooms, and brought a superior video conference experience for everyone who used the touch displays. Employees found the panels very easy to use, and needed no training to start making the most of the new technology. With Windows computers attached to each X8 and X9, the City of Allen was able to activate the Windows Shared PC features. This allowed them to enable Guest mode on the panels, giving even non-employees the ability to quickly get access to the features of the X8 and X9 with risking network or computer security. The City of Allen expects improved employee collaboration to continue as long as they have the X8 and X9.

“Newline panels provide a consistent, high-quality conference room and video conference experience for our employees that is simple to use.” – Eric Matthews, Director of Information Technology