Lenovo announced a new version of its ThinkSmart Manager conference room solution, announced last December, with new features that help IT administrators further improve productivity in new workspaces.
ThinkSmart Manager is designed to help companies foster better communication and collaboration at work, enabling IT and operations divisions to enable an evolution of workspaces. Administrators can install, manage and monitor all Lenovo ThinkSmart in the enterprise from a single location, with complete visibility into the status of each device.
With the ability to perform bulk reboots and upgrades, ThinkSmart Manager is easier and faster to install, reducing the need for one-time installations. IT administrators can also check device usage status and times, automatically search for problems, and proactively fix them. Over time, meeting room settings can be optimized and refined, resulting in increased productivity across the business.
Increasingly, workspaces are being redesigned with employee health and safety in mind, and IT divisions need tools to help them enable and support a distributed workforce that increasingly works in hybrid mode. Collaborative technology tools are the foundation of employee productivity and engagement, but they need to be supported technically, often remotely.
ThinkSmart Manager offers remote management from a single console that relieves the burden of IT technicians by minimizing the need for physical intervention and ensuring that ThinkSmart collaboration technology continues to be available at all times. This tool helps support the use of devices such as ThinkSmart Hub 500, Hub, Cam, Bar, ThinkSmart Edition Tiny, and supported Logitech ™ peripherals.
What’s new in ThinkSmart Manager 2.0
New features and updates include:
- A single-state analytics dashboard for Microsoft Teams Rooms
- The addition of a mobile app for iOS ™ or Android ™ devices that allows IT administrators to access ThinkSmart Manager from their smartphone to check device status and receive push notifications with a dashboard view of installed services
- Visibility of device functionality (ok / error) and its status (online / offline / in meeting)
- The ability to create and send team notifications within ThinkSmart Manager without going through email.
- Bulk recording, by uploading a CSV file, of all devices upon receipt, instead of physically recording in every single meeting room, saving time and energy, especially on large campuses with several rooms in multiple buildings .
Among the additional Premium features:
- Summary dashboard with pie charts showing functionality, status, room type, people count, room usage, meeting devices and data export.
- Bulk restarts for specific devices, locations or workgroups; ability to set multiple criteria per location; enabling and disabling of rules.
- The ability to create and send emails to inform team members through a specific device or peripheral
- Notice if a peripheral is disconnected from the device
- Single control panel: Integrated view of ThinkSmart Manager 2.0 and Logitech Sync, compatibility with TAP, Meet-up, Rally and Swytch products
- New management of device usage licenses since purchase: IT administrators can view licenses created in their organization and apply them to devices.
Another new aspect of ThinkSmart Manager 2.0 is the service options. Previously, it was only possible to have one year of free service, while today there is the option to use the free version or to upgrade to the premium version by paying a fee to increase the scope of the service according to the user’s needs.
Prices and availability
ThinkSmart Manager 2.0 from Lenovo is already available in Italy. The Premium version of ThinkSmart Manager 2.0 is available at an annual cost of € 111.00 for a single login. Find much more information on the Lenovo website.