SCOR transitioned from its complex, outdated systems to the simplicity of Neat within three months, deploying our devices in 200 Microsoft Teams rooms worldwide—our fastest rollout yet.

Change happens at the speed of trust.

Stephen Covey, American educator and author 

SCOR is a leading global reinsurer offering clients a diverse and innovative range of reinsurance and insurance solutions and services to manage risk. Headquartered in Paris, France, it has offices in 35 countries. SCOR uses Microsoft Teams with our powerful Neat Bar Pro device in 90% of its rooms. It also uses our Neat Bar, Neat Board, Neat Pad, and Neat Center devices. SCOR manages its global Neat device deployment on a Pro plan through our Neat Pulse service offering.

SCOR is a highly interactive company that has maintained a “giant video presence” for some time. With employees who share responsibilities across its global offices, video meetings have always been a crucial part of its business. Consequently, SCOR has been at the forefront of video technology for quite some time. It was among the first companies to embrace early video technology, which initially proved successful in several key office locations used by SCOR’s executive management.

Leaping forward with simpler, more cutting-edge video tech

However, as technology advanced and demand for video usage became more widespread among its global teams, SCOR sought to leap forward and replace its old systems with simpler, more innovative video technology. At the same time, the old technology was approaching the end of its life cycle, prompting the company to act swiftly to keep its online communications fully operational. Therefore, after thorough research and testing of various video providers, SCOR ultimately demoed and selected Neat.

Reto Schadegg, Head of Global IT Infrastructure, explained, “I was at a partner’s showroom in Paris, and they showed me a Neat Board. I was amazed because I stood almost 10 meters from the device, yet I could still clearly see and hear the people on the screen because of the symmetry [Neat Symmetry]. It was so simple, and it just worked.”

Andrew Flasko, Chief Technology Officer, likened his first experience with Neat to getting an iPhone, discovering that he could have a Neat device up and running within minutes, straight out of the box.

As demand for simpler, more streamlined and effective video experiences grew at SCOR, we needed to make a giant technological leap. Our old systems were many things, but never simple. In contrast, Neat is the iPhone of video!

Andrew Flasko, Chief Technology Officer, SCOR

Saving 40% in global run costs

Besides simplicity, three other critical aspects persuaded Andrew and Reto to choose Neat: cost savings, life-cycle management, and trust. As one would expect from a large international organization like SCOR, replacing its entire global deployment without meetings being canceled or anyone falling behind is challenging (speed, as they say, is of the essence!). However, with a three-month global deployment deadline, we not only assisted SCOR in deploying Neat devices in nearly all its Microsoft Teams rooms worldwide, but we also delivered our fastest global deployment to date. Better yet, it saved SCOR 40% in global run costs!

Whatever we asked for, Neat delivered. Whenever we tested anything, it always worked. Additionally, during my visit to Neat in Oslo and meeting with the senior team, I had confidence in Neat’s capabilities. With a commitment at the highest level, I believed Neat could assist us with any issues that might arise and would go to great lengths to deliver the hardware we needed when we needed it.

Reto Schadegg, Head of Global IT Infrastructure, SCOR

Another critical factor in the success of SCOR’s global deployment of Neat devices was how thoroughly prepared it was. As an early adopter of video, all the company’s rooms were fully equipped with power, network connections, click-to-join features, and HDMI cables, so SCOR could swiftly install and set up all its Neat devices upon receipt. As a result, the company changed over 200 rooms in three months without negatively impacting its employees. People were still able to keep their existing meetings and work with their colleagues and others side by side.

People were no longer dots on the screen

Once SCOR switched to Neat, the most noticeable difference between Neat and its old technology was that in-room meeting participants no longer looked like “dots” on remote participants’ screens, thanks to our pioneering, patented Neat Symmetry capability. Whereas before everyone was group-framed, Neat Symmetry frames and tracks each person individually, as if they have a personal camera person. It enables everyone in meetings to see and interact with people up close for a more natural and inclusive meeting experience.

We have a few very large video rooms, and previously, everyone in the room appeared as dots on the screen. Now, you see individuals up close and can read their facial expressions. That’s been the greatest value add. People love it!

Andrew Flasko, Chief Technology Officer, SCOR

SCOR uses Neat Bar Pro with Neat Pad in 90% of its small to medium and large meeting rooms, with additional Neat Pads deployed as schedulers outside the room. However, the company also has several Neat Boards, which it uses on our wheeled floorstand throughout SCOR’s more open, collaborative areas. Having movable devices and furniture means that people can create a meeting space on the fly, wherever they like. As Reto said, “This is the future, and we’ll deploy more Neat Boards in this way moving forward.”

Tackling acoustically poor rooms with boosted audio

One of SCOR’s most significant challenges was handling audio in rooms with poor acoustics. With the increasing demand for video and the growing trend of companies creating non-traditional meeting spaces featuring hard, reflective, or glass walls, ensuring clear and understandable audio has become more complex. As Andrew said, “Coupled with more people in meetings, there are many odd room configurations these days with glass walls or partitions where the audio echoes or bounces around the room; having a nice, acoustically dense room no longer exists.”

For SCOR, the best solution was pairing its Neat Bar Pros with pre-existing external audio systems. Admittedly, as Reto said, “It’s not perfect,” but the speed with which the company could switch systems without fuss made a significant impact. SCOR could install the Neat devices and have everything synced in just five minutes, compared to the two days it used to take with its old tech. Furthermore, SCOR is testing our Neat Center companion device with a Neat Bar Pro to extend the audio reach and sound clarity in one of its larger, more acoustically challenging rooms and plans to deploy more Neat Centers in a similar fashion. Neat’s recent partnership with the renowned audio brand Shure gives the company even more options for the future. Read more about our collaboration with Shure.

It immediately worked when we paired Neat with our external sound structures. Although we still had reflections, they were minimal. That was amazing. Neat’s support for external audio and its partnership with Shure are important for us. 

Reto Schadegg, Head of Global IT Infrastructure, SCOR

Managing a global deployment on one intuitive platform

Finally, simplifying everything across the board has resulted in Andrew, Reto and their team handling fewer support tickets. For example, thanks to its intuitive, Red Dot Design Award-winning UI, our Neat Pulse service offering gives them a holistic view of all the company’s Neat devices. It simplifies everything by enabling SCOR to standardize firmware, software, configurations, and presets across its offices on one platform. The team can instantly see a device’s status, the room it’s in, and where it’s located worldwide. That way, they can swiftly address any user issues that may arise.

I couldn’t live without it [Neat Pulse]. You have all the information at your fingertips, which you can quickly filter. It’s perfect because it’s just so simple.

Reto Schadegg, Head of Global IT Infrastructure, SCOR

Discover Neat’s pioneering devices or see them in action in our live Virtual Demo – Neat Devices and Experiences. Better yet, book a demo and experience them for yourself.