BCS demystifies unified communications at BMI conference

At the recently held BMI-TechKnowledge IP and Unified Communications (UC) Forum, Bytes Communication Systems (BCS) shared the message with attendees that UC is here to stay as a pervasive enterprise technology.

Speaking to a core group of the country's top C-level executives, BCS partnered with long-term technology partner Alcatel-Lucent, using the platform to convey the message that UC should be an integral part of a company's communications strategy going forward.

UC harnesses communications and data infrastructures and extends this throughout an enterprise; it is about mobility and improved productivity for employees, where ever they happen to be. UC in its raw form can connect employees during times when they are not able to connect via WLANs or cannot use their notebook PCs.

Says Richard Menton, Product Development Manager at BCS: "Enterprises around the world today face a number of macro and micro economic challenges, which makes the competitive landscape as well as the management of internal and external processes a huge challenge. On top of that, they face the challenge of ensuring customer loyalty, improving productivity and at the same time ensuring cost reductions throughout the enterprise."

Menton says it is against this backdrop that companies are increasingly turning to the competitive advantage technology solutions can provide them. "It is not about a bigger and better system, it is about a smarter system. A system which is pervasive and can provide you with a full view of your enterprise, while at the same time necessitating access to your business by all of the people within your supply chain, and that is where both IP and UC can play a critical part," says Menton.

According to Eddie McAlone, General Manager Enterprise and Verticals at Alcatel-Lucent South and East Africa, the real benefit of the forum was the fact that companies could present to a mature audience. "The companies in attendance appeared to understand the concept of UC and the mobile workforce, as well as the potential benefits of adopting this as a strategy hold for them, while some companies are still grappling with how they can define the mobility aspect to suit them.

"Organisations need to carefully review the business case for mobility. It has been shown that although productivity undoubtedly increases, some of the cost savings anticipated are not met, and indeed, in some cases, hidden costs emerge. Careful benchmarking of the expected benefits and how they can be measured is required in order to fully understand the ROI. In particular, Sasol's experience presented at the seminar completely reflected the messages from Alcatel-Lucent in regard to strategy, planning and ROI," adds McAlone.

BCS partnered with long-term partner Alcatel-Lucent at the event, providing attendees a single view of the solutions and methodologies they can jointly offer.

"It is conferences like this where we can see that our strategy going forward is in line with businesses in South Africa, adding impetus to our future as a company," ends Menton.