35 Years of Cisco Desk Collection

A 35-year journey of innovation that turned video collaboration into an on a regular basis important.

In February we launched the brand new Cisco Desk Professional G2, a milestone that displays simply how far video collaboration has come over the previous 35 years.

There was a time when audio-only wasn’t a alternative, however the usual. Video wasn’t but constructed into laptops, and dealing from house wasn’t even a part of the dialog.

At present, video is a pure extension of each machine—a 4K window into any desk or assembly room on the planet. However the journey to this all-in-one simplicity was something however simple.

It took a long time of iteration, experimentation, and innovation—all rooted in a single concept: bringing “telepresence” from the boardroom to the desk.

Let’s make a journey down reminiscence lane with the innovation that paved the way in which for the trendy workspace.

Tandberg to Cisco

The story of the trendy desk video machine begins with Tandberg, lengthy earlier than Cisco introduced the imaginative and prescient to scale. This Norwegian pioneer helped bridge the hole between fundamental audio communication and high-definition video conferencing.

At a time when video was reserved for devoted rooms, Tandberg challenged the established order. It began with the Tandberg Imaginative and prescient in 1991. The aim was to create techniques just like the Tandberg 1000 (2001) and Tandberg T150 (2004) to deliver video onto extra private desks, combining built-in shows with H.323 video in a single unit.

They weren’t with out quirks and had been managed by infrared remotes. However they proved a vital level: video might be used in smaller areas.

Again then, the concept of placing a codec on a desk was insane. We had been basically attempting to suit a server into an image body.

Because the idea matured, gadgets just like the Tandberg 1700 (2006) and later the Tandberg E20 (2008) refined the expertise. Marketed as a “Video IP Telephone,” the E20 introduced a extra acquainted kind issue, a ten.6-inch display, and “DVD-quality” video into on a regular basis workflows, serving to normalize video as one other technique to talk.

 When Cisco acquired Tandberg, it wasn’t simply increasing a portfolio, it was constructing on a imaginative and prescient that will form the way forward for video-first collaboration.

The Govt Expertise (EX Collection)

EX60 and EX90 (2010)

With the introduction of the EX Collection, Cisco redefined the desktop video expertise by bringing full HD telepresence to workspaces with trade main audio and digital camera high quality. The 24-inch, high-resolution EX90 was a real game-changer, serving as each a major PC monitor and a strong video system that allowed customers to share PC content material with distant members seamlessly.

The EX Collection changed cumbersome remotes and complicated setups with the legendary contact controller, (later renamed Contact 8), making video calls so simple as utilizing a smartphone.

The design introduced progressive options equivalent to Doc Mode permitting the digital camera to tilt down and seize bodily papers on the desk, an early step towards in the present day’s seamless content material sharing and digital whiteboarding experiences.

Each element of the EX Collection emphasised readability and easy integration of video into the workspace, setting a brand new normal for government collaboration.

Desk Expertise (DX Collection)

The All-in-One Shift: DX70 and DX80 (2014)

With the introduction of the DX70 and DX80, Cisco took one other main step ahead by shifting from standalone video gadgets with a touchscreen or a distant to totally built-in techniques.

The DX Collection marked a turning level in design. Gone had been cumbersome bezels and separate contact controllers, changed by a smooth, monitor-first kind issue. The DX80 set the tone for contemporary desk gadgets— it was clear, all-in-one, and interactive.

Initially powered by Android, the DX gadgets aimed to merge cell apps with enterprise video. Whereas that imaginative and prescient noticed combined adoption, the {hardware} itself stood out—and shortly discovered its method into among the most recognizable workplaces on the planet, from open-plan tech campuses in Silicon Valley to buying and selling flooring in New York Metropolis and world places of work in London.

Cisco later transitioned the platform to RoomOS, combining the reliability of room techniques with the intuitive, touch-first DX design. The end result was a reliable, all-in-one machine that turned a fixture throughout trendy workspaces—and a transparent basis for the Desk Collection that adopted.

The Trendy Period: Cisco Desk Collection & Desk Professional G2

Constructed on the legacy of the EX90 and impressed by the touch-first design and smooth type of the DX80, the unique Cisco Desk Professional set a brand new normal for desktop collaboration. What started as a single machine finally advanced into the great Desk Collection.

When the Desk Professional was created in 2020, the mission was easy…

“At its core, the Desk Professional was conceived because the successor to the EX90,” says Kjell Rune Runde, {Hardware} Engineering Chief. “We got a transparent, formidable path: construct one of the best desktop video system ever. That problem was extremely inspiring and motivating for the complete group.”

At present, we have now reached a brand new peak with the Desk Professional G2.

The Desk Professional G2, not too long ago acknowledged with the 2026 iF Design Award, the G2 displays an ideal steadiness of kind and performance. It’s not only for private video; with an expanded area of view, it now helps huddle rooms. As a 4K monitor, docking station, and AI-powered collaboration hub, it removes the necessity for separate peripherals within the private workspace. With a brand new dual-camera system and 80W USB-C passthrough, the Desk Professional G2 simplifies the trendy surroundings like by no means earlier than.

“Desk Professional G2 represents a refined evolution of Cisco’s industrial design language and is developed with the concept of lowering environmental footprint. Our imaginative and prescient has been to create one thing that blends fantastically into trendy workplace environments but offering an distinctive consumer expertise.”

— Lisa Muhrbeck, Industrial Designer

Trying again, it’s exceptional how far desk collaboration has come—from Tandberg’s early experiments to the DX collection, and now to the Desk Professional G2. All through this journey, our mission has remained the identical: make distance disappear.

Study extra concerning the new Desk Professional G2 by becoming a member of our webinar How IT Groups Are Creating Assembly-Prepared Workspaces in Minutes on Might 5^th.