TORONTO – Cisco and Telus have joined together to donate collaborative technology tools to help international charity Free The Children become more mobile and connected with youth around the world.
Cisco’s donation of six of ITS TelePresence, WebEx Telepresence and Jabber Video units allow the organization’s staff to connect face-to-face with colleagues in offices in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, as well as the organization’s offices around the world. Telus, which has been a sponsor of Free The Children since 2006, supplies the network platform for the Telepresence technology.
“Cisco’s TelePresence technology will revolutionize the way we interact with our staff, offices and youth around the world,” said Free The Children co-founder Marc Kielburger, in a statement. “We are truly thankful to Cisco and Telus for their support and generosity and for helping us leverage technology to stay better connected as an organization and create programs with a truly global reach.”
The TelePresence technology has enabled the organization to hold meetings and training sessions online and reduce travel costs between offices.
“For Cisco, it’s not just about the technology; it’s about what the technology enables for organizations like Free The Children. It’s about creating opportunities for collaboration, brainstorming, and the ability to fire up Jabber video and meet face-to-face with anyone anywhere in the world over any device to improve lives and build thriving communities,” said Nitin Kawale, president, Cisco Canada.
In addition to its sponsorship of Free The Children’s We Day event, Telus holds a cause marketing campaign each year to raise awareness and funds for the organization. The telco’s Phones for Good campaign raised $500,000 last year through proceeds of sales of every Telus Samsung Galaxy SIII or Samsung Ace Q phone.
