Unified communications (UC) refers to the continuing evolution of communications and its related technology. It is a direct result of the convergence of communications networks, communications and business applications and devices.
It combines multiple capabilities (voice communications, messaging, mobility, conferencing and collaboration applications), enabling new approaches to communications, and is changing how individuals, groups and organisations communicate. For forward-looking IT professionals, UC is an ongoing communications objective rather than a particular product, application or solution.
"Better than live" communications
Ideally the goal is to facilitate better business results through improved communications outcomes that are enabled by "better than live" communications experiences. While enabling "better than live" experiences is a lofty goal, there is a precedent in the broadcast communications industry with multiple camera angles, instant replays, and expert colour commentary delivering an enhanced experience during a television sports telecast.
Ultimately, I believe that a successful UC solution must deliver a rich, real-time collaborative environment that rivals or exceeds what can be readily achieved through face-to-face communications.
Presence and availability indication is one of the cornerstones of a "better than live" UC experience, significantly improving the frequency of successful interactions. A user`s presence status can provide information to others about the ability or willingness to communicate as well as the preferred communications mode. It is important to enhance the traditional concept by enabling users to manage how their presence information is displayed and how communications modes are to be used. Through "Smart Presence", the user`s preference settings control which devices are contacted and how calls are handled (eg, forwarded to another user, sent to voicemail, or delivered a custom greeting based on presence status, caller`s identity, time of day or by calendar information).
Video telepresence promises a new dimension to video conferencing and collaboration by creating the experience of "being there", while avoiding the many downsides of business travel. The benefits of pervasive telepresence deployments are dependent on the technology being both easy to use and cost-effective to deploy. The ideal telepresence solution enables participants to naturally communicate over distance with their colleagues as if they were across the table using a simple desk phone Web interface, high-definition video and immersive, spatial wide-band audio technologies.
The journey to "better than live" communications involves a migration from today`s disparate real-time communications solutions through the addition of improved voice/ Web/video collaboration, rich presence and availability indication plus mobile communications and messaging.
The path to UC should be an evolution of existing IT investments (not a replacement) through a measured, pragmatic deployment of functionality. It is a multi-step process that involves:
* A move to IP communications (a well-proven, essential first step towards UC)
* Integration with mobility and messaging applications
* Deployment of collaboration infrastructures based on specific user or site requirements
* Deployment of presence and UC clients (specialised, fixed and mobile) to strengthen access to communications value
* Selective integration of communications with business software
In this world of open standards, a proprietary or single-vendor "closed system" approach to UC is retrogressive. Most IT professionals prefer the flexibility of an easily integrated and managed multi-vendor approach. According to Zeus Kerravala of The Yankee Group: "Whatever system that gets put in likely needs to work with a combination of PBXes, data networks, e-mail and other business applications, and possibly some consumer communications tools as well."
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