New Partner-Driven Cisco Webex Solutions Target Legislative, Judicial Use Cases

The tech giant worked alongside partners to create two new, highly-targeted Cisco Webex solutions, including Webex Legislate and Connected Justice.

The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the delivery of critical government services and Cisco is stepping in with two new, secure collaboration solutions to keep these all-important services for citizens moving, while reducing the need for physical contact.

“Coming through the pandemic, we see most of our government clients working in a hybrid environment -- sometimes at home or in their workplace … whether it‘s courts, corrections, or community care, people are working hard to keep the wheels of justices seamlessly operating,” Cassie Roach, vice president of Global Public Sector for Cisco, told CRN.

To that end, Cisco debuted two new solutions; Webex Legislate for remote and hybrid legislative sessions and Connected Justice Solution for Courts, Correctional Facilities and Community Corrections at Cisco Partner Summit Digital 2020.

[Related: New Cisco Webex Features Promote Productive Remote Meetings, Safe Return To The Conference Room]

Webex Legislate is a secure cloud offering that meets the highly specialized requirements of global legislatures, Cisco said. The newest Webex offering lets legislators attend sessions, hearings, and debates remotely through a familiar interface. Legislators can also cast their votes right from Webex through customized voting features and jump into secure, private sidebar breakout rooms with fellow legislators. Webex Legislate also offers simultaneous interpretation services in multiple languages and closed captioning, said Jean Rosauer, Growth and Government Sector executive for Cisco Webex.

Webex Legislate lets legislators stay in their regions and close to their constituents, Rosauer said.

Using Webex Legislate, moderators can also customize the offering in accordance with unique rules, procedures, and roles of each legislative body. Permissions can be given to committee chairs, speakers, legislators, staff, citizens, and press, Cisco said.

Webex Legislate was funded and co-developed by Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program, which is active in 37 countries, along with Irish systems integrator and Cisco partner, Davra, though Cisco‘s SDKs.

“Reseller partners can certainly sell Legislate, but we are also encouraging them to develop their own solutions for their vertical customers,” Rosauer said. ”For many of our partners, it‘s a chance to go back to their government customers with something really new and exciting.”

Cisco’s new Webex-based Connected Justice video offering was designed to connect people to courts, correctional facilities and community corrections, especially as COVID-19 complicates the delivery of critical government services, Cisco‘s Roach said.

Cisco Connected Justice assists in a handful of use cases for judges, attorneys, clients, and clerks. For one, the solution can be used in a courtroom to bring together participants in real-time. Courts can hold virtual, or hybrid hearings with an integrated docket dashboard that identifies a virtual lobby and sidebar rooms, which offer an attorney-client confidentially-level of security, Cisco said.

For correctional facilities, the solution provides a an easy to manage method for virtual visitation services and remote access to court appearances, telehealth services and distance learning. Cisco Connected Justice can also be used for community corrections, or to help government agencies provide rehabilitative support and supervision through a mobile and integrated case management solution from Cisco technology partner TRACKtech, which offers an automated rehabilitation and compliance monitoring platform for criminal offenders and case workers.

Cisco Connected Justice was created in conjunction with Cisco partner Cloverhound, a solution provider specializing in collaboration services based in Charlotte.

This latest Cisco solution will enhance collaboration across agencies, help maintain daily operations, and can help reduce recidivism, Roach said.

San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco said that Webex is now Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)-certified for calling, meeting, and messaging solutions, which lets U.S.-based Federal employees and contractors work from any locations while still meeting government security and privacy requirements.

Webex Legislate will be generally available in December and Cisco Connected Justice is available now.