Eliminating Alienation and Enhancing the Value of New Workstyles
Founded on July 1, 1999, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. has grown to become a major force in the industry, with 9,350 employees and a total group workforce of 17,550 as of March 2025. Headquartered in Japan, the company continues to innovate and support a wide range of customers across the country.
The Challenge: Hybrid Meetings Without True Inclusion
As hybrid work became the new normal, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS noticed a persistent problem: meetings combining in-person and remote participants often left remote attendees feeling excluded. The legacy setup, centered around table speakerphones, didn’t allow for clear identification of speakers or seamless participation from afar.
“Employees joining remotely from their PCs could not clearly see expressions, know who was speaking, or which part of the materials was being explained. This made it difficult to participate in discussions or fully grasp the outcomes,”
– Mr. Naonori Hamada, Director, Digital Innovation Department
Attempts to have everyone join Microsoft Teams from their own devices didn’t solve the problem—people would still talk to those physically present, neglecting the remote audience. Internal surveys confirmed the issue: remote workers reported feeling “alienated” and struggled to contribute meaningfully.
The Solution: Cisco Devices for Immersive Hybrid Meetings
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS deployed a suite of Cisco Devices, certified as Microsoft Teams Rooms devices, to create a seamless and effective hybrid meeting experience across their offices. This certification ensured native integration and optimal performance with Microsoft Teams, allowing remote and in-person participants to communicate and collaborate more naturally. The implementation included the Cisco Room Bar Pro and Room Bar, which are high-quality, all-in-one video devices tailored for meeting rooms of various sizes. For interactive collaboration and visual engagement, the company introduced the Cisco Board Pro, a large touch display that supports both writing and video conferencing.
To accommodate personal use and small group meetings, Cisco Desk Pro devices were installed, providing desktop video conferencing capabilities. The Cisco Room Navigator was also added—these intuitive touch panels with LED indicators make it easy for employees to book meeting rooms and check availability at a glance.
Beyond video devices, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS leveraged the Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series and Cisco Spaces, enabling robust wireless connectivity and comprehensive spatial analytics. This combination not only supports reliable communication but also empowers the company to visualize, manage, and optimize their office environments through data-driven insights.
Smart Meeting Rooms: Data and AI at Work
Cisco Devices introduce advanced smart sensor capabilities, including the ability to track motion, temperature, humidity, and occupancy within meeting spaces. These features are designed to optimize how meeting rooms are used while also enhancing comfort for employees throughout the office.
By integrating sensor data from Cisco Devices with analytics from Cisco Spaces and wireless access points, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS is able to visualize and analyze office and meeting room operations in unprecedented ways. One practical application is the automatic release of meeting rooms that remain unused after a certain period, ensuring that valuable space is not wasted and is always available when needed.
Room usage data is further enhanced by being displayed on unified 3D rich maps, where it appears alongside real-time network information. This provides a comprehensive and dynamic view of office activity, empowering the company to make informed decisions about space management.
Additionally, by linking device and network data with the internal directory, employees can quickly locate their colleagues across the office, making it easier to connect and collaborate. As Mr. Naonori Hamada notes, “We can proactively utilize data to improve our business and office environments.”
The Results: Better Meetings, Happier Employees, Smoother Customer Communication
Since implementing Cisco Devices, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS has resolved the sense of alienation often experienced by remote participants—now, everyone is engaged and meeting quality has noticeably improved. The benefits extend beyond internal collaboration; external meetings with customers are also smoother and more effective, thanks to consistently stable audio and video.
Centralized management through Cisco Control Hub enables efficient operation across large, multi-site environments, while visualizing and optimizing room usage helps support the evolving needs of both the business and its employees. As Mr. Naonori Hamada notes, “Surveys show that many employees feel meeting preparation and facilitation have improved.”
Looking Ahead: Toward Smarter Buildings and Companywide Transformation
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS is gradually rolling out Cisco Devices nationwide, aiming to support a new era of hybrid work across all its offices. The company is also exploring advanced data integration to realize “smart buildings”—where systems like air conditioning respond automatically to room usage and occupancy.
“We would like to use Cisco Devices to optimize the entire office—for example, by automatically controlling air conditioning based on meeting room usage.”
– Mr. Naonori Hamada
By solving the challenges of hybrid meetings and enabling data-driven innovation, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS is setting a new standard for future-ready workplaces in Japan.
Interested in enhancing your organization’s hybrid work and smart office capabilities? Contact our team to learn more about Cisco Devices and solutions.
Sidebar: About NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc.
NTT Communications Corporation changed its name to NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. on July 1, 2025. As an Industrial and Regional DX Platformer that drives digital transformation across industries and communities, we are enabling the development of a decentralized, autonomous, and collaborative society where businesses and communities can thrive sustainably. Our mission is to unlock new value and help create prosperity for all.
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