‘India usage 2nd-highest for Webex’

Networking firm Cisco said its video meeting platform Webex has seen the second-highest usage in India, after the U.S., over the last few months.

On average, Webex — which competes with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams and which has its second-largest user base in India, after the U.S. — has had more than 11 million India-origin meetings a month and over 80 million participants. It has seen active sign-ups from financial services, ITeS and the public sector, said Sameer Garde, president, Cisco India & SAARC.

“We have seen a massive increase in Webex usage in the last few months, with India having recorded the second-highest usage outside of the U.S during this time. Now, even with the country unlocked, we continue to see such demand, that started in March 2020, growing for Webex,’’ he told

The Hindu .

According to Mr. Garde, Webex is not just a collaboration tool and start-ups, enterprises and governments are building innovative solutions on this platform to meet the newly emerging communication demands of the digital economy.

“For instance, an ICU cart built on Webex was deployed at multiple COVID wards in a couple of hospitals in Karnataka to virtually consult with patients without risking the spread of infections. This also saved about 40 minutes of doctors’ time getting in and out of PPE kits,’’ he explained.

On the healthcare front, Cisco has been actively working with several hospitals across five States in the country. Similarly, large-scale events, virtual investor meetings, and several new use cases are developed and deployed on Webex, as per the company.

“We have recently introduced a wave of innovations to continue to bring the best-in-class collaboration experience to our customers,’’ Mr. Garde added.

Real-time video conferencing platforms globally reported a surge in usage and user base, as enterprises, schools/colleges and individuals took to them to stay connected to ensure business continuity and workflow.