poly com

October 1, 2025

Poly.com: HP’s Video and Voice Collaboration Brand

Poly, once known as Polycom and Plantronics, is now a key product line under HP. The company develops hardware and software for video conferencing, headsets, desk phones, and collaboration tools designed for modern workplaces. It matters because most organizations today rely on virtual meetings, hybrid offices, and distributed teams, and poor communication tools cost both money and time. Poly’s focus is delivering reliable, professional-grade communication devices backed by enterprise management software.

Company Background

Polycom was founded in 1990 in San Jose, California, by Brian Hinman and Jeffrey Rodman. Its first hit product was the SoundStation conference phone, a triangular device that became a staple in boardrooms. By the late 1990s, the company had expanded into video conferencing hardware.

Plantronics, on the other hand, had been around since 1961. It started with lightweight aviation headsets and gained fame for supplying the equipment used in NASA missions. Over time, it expanded into headsets for business, consumer, and call center use.

In 2018, Plantronics acquired Polycom for roughly $2 billion. The new brand was named Poly in 2019. Then in 2022, HP purchased Poly for around $3.3 billion, integrating its products into HP’s hybrid work strategy.

Headsets and Audio

Poly’s headsets remain one of its most important product lines. These cover Bluetooth, DECT wireless, and wired USB models. They’re designed for office workers, call centers, and professionals who need background noise reduction and all-day comfort.

Features like active noise cancellation, multiple microphones for directional sound pickup, and integration with Microsoft Teams or Zoom make them popular in enterprise deployments. Poly also offers speakerphones for small rooms or personal desks, providing echo cancellation and wideband audio.

Common mistakes in deployment often involve mismatching devices with the environment. For example, using a consumer-grade headset in a call center environment results in durability problems. Or placing a low-end speakerphone in a 12-person meeting room leaves voices inaudible. Poly’s devices are segmented to avoid those mismatches, but organizations sometimes cut corners on sizing.

Video Conferencing Systems

Poly’s video portfolio includes all-in-one video bars for small and medium meeting spaces, and modular systems for larger boardrooms and training rooms.

The video bars combine camera, speakers, and microphones into one unit. They are plug-and-play, and often used for huddle rooms or flexible hybrid spaces. The modular solutions, like the Poly G7500 series, allow enterprises to connect multiple cameras, microphones, and speakers depending on the size and acoustics of the room.

Important features include:

NoiseBlockAI, which blocks keyboard clatter or paper shuffling.
Acoustic Fence, which restricts microphone pickup to specific zones.
Automatic camera framing and speaker tracking, useful for dynamic discussions.

These features reduce friction in meetings. Without them, remote participants often complain of poor audio or camera framing that feels awkward.

Desk Phones and Conference Phones

Even though many companies rely on softphones, desk phones are still critical in certain industries. Poly offers IP phones that run SIP, Teams-certified desk phones, and traditional conference phones.

The SoundStation lineage continues, but with HD voice quality, touchscreens, and integration with unified communications platforms. Desk phones remain common in call centers, healthcare facilities, and front-desk environments where a physical handset is more practical than a PC softphone.

Poly Lens and Software

Poly Lens is the cloud-based software that ties the hardware together. IT administrators can use it to provision devices, monitor usage, push firmware updates, and troubleshoot issues remotely.

This matters because managing hundreds or thousands of devices across offices and remote workers is otherwise a nightmare. With Lens, enterprises can see analytics such as call quality data, headset battery life, or device registration status.

Without centralized management, organizations run into common problems: outdated firmware, unpatched security vulnerabilities, or inconsistent configurations across devices. Poly Lens solves this by giving IT control from a single dashboard.

Integration and Ecosystem

Poly’s hardware is certified for Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and other major platforms. This certification means that when employees plug in devices, they get native controls (like Teams buttons on headsets) and better reliability.

Poly also partners with companies like Pexip for secure, interoperable video conferencing infrastructure. That’s particularly important for government and healthcare clients who require compliance with strict regulations.

Market Position

Poly competes with Logitech, Cisco, Yealink, and Jabra. Logitech is strong in webcams and lower-cost devices, while Cisco targets enterprise networking integration. Poly’s strength is the combination of premium audio and video with enterprise management software and HP’s distribution reach.

The challenge is price pressure. Basic webcams and cheap Bluetooth headsets are widely available. Poly has to justify higher prices with enterprise-grade durability, features like AI audio filtering, and professional support.

Common Mistakes in Deployment

Wrong device for the space – Using a huddle room video bar in a 20-person conference room leads to poor pickup and frustration.
Ignoring software management – Buying hardware but skipping Poly Lens results in inconsistent configurations.
Underestimating audio – Many organizations spend heavily on displays but overlook microphones. Remote participants then struggle to hear.
Not training users – Features like mute indicators or AI framing only help if employees know how to use them.

Why Poly Matters

In 2025, hybrid work is still uneven. Some staff work at home, others in offices, and meetings need to bridge both worlds. Without reliable headsets, video systems, and management tools, productivity drops fast. Poly’s role is to deliver consistency—so employees can join calls without fiddling with settings, IT can support devices remotely, and meeting experiences are uniform across spaces.

Future Outlook

Expect Poly under HP to:

Expand AI-driven features like background voice separation and smarter auto-framing.
Push deeper integration with HP laptops and displays.
Explore sustainability through modular devices that can be upgraded instead of replaced.
Focus on emerging markets where demand for modern conferencing is growing.

If it executes, Poly could remain one of the few premium players as collaboration technology matures.

FAQ

Is Poly the same as Polycom?
Yes. Polycom merged with Plantronics in 2018, and the combined company rebranded as Poly in 2019.

Who owns Poly now?
Poly was acquired by HP Inc. in 2022 and is now part of HP’s hybrid work solutions portfolio.

What products does Poly sell?
Poly sells headsets, speakerphones, desk phones, video conferencing systems, and device management software like Poly Lens.

Are Poly devices compatible with Zoom and Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Most Poly hardware is certified for Zoom and Microsoft Teams, ensuring better integration and call reliability.

Why should organizations choose Poly instead of cheaper alternatives?
Poly focuses on enterprise-grade durability, superior audio and video processing, and centralized device management, which reduce long-term costs compared to consumer-grade devices.

What industries use Poly solutions?
Poly is common in corporate offices, healthcare, education, government, and call centers where professional-grade communication equipment is essential.

This is Poly in 2025: a legacy brand reshaped under HP, providing the backbone for how modern teams talk, listen, and see each other across distances.