A lot of businesses today are working towards creating unified communications and collaboration (UCC) systems that replace the disparate mixture of voice, e-mail, video, instant messaging (IM) and SMSes used by their employees.
However, it would seem that the progress towards UCC is on the verge of colliding with bring your own device (BYOD) mobile device management.
The reality is that most companies won't be able to standardise on a single mobile device platform. Workers are accustomed to using their own personal devices, and switching back and forth from a company-provided appliance to their own may prove to be intrusive and time-consuming, says Dean Young, Head of Telecommunication Pre-sales at T-Systems in South Africa.
The question therefore is how can BYOD be integrated with a corporate UCC systems strategy that will only be effective if everyone is engaged at all levels?
What and how
A good place to start is to determine what and how. Therefore, what mobile devices are supported, and importantly, how? This will give organisations a clearer picture to work with and provide a good foundation to start for developing a UCC strategy that incorporates BYOD.
Quite logically, the next step is to ascertain which devices are used by employees. Undoubtedly, there will be a myriad of products and manufacturers to deal with. Here, it will be important to list the 'most to less' in order to identify the devices to prioritise. Chances are two or three operating systems (OSes) will dominate the list.
The next is then what features should be supported and how. For example, for those companies that feature a large contingent of remote/mobile workers, e-mail accessibility is a must. Another example is access to enterprise business applications, which is particularly beneficial to sales people who have to provide answers on product availability on the fly.
Drilling down to essential services that must be provided by the UCC system is half the battle won. Coupled with OS and manufacturers' profiles, the sheer volume of devices will become less complex.
Consider hosted UCC
For companies that are driven by BYOD user needs, a hosted UCC system is a compelling solution. Hosted UCC provides access to systems via the cloud, which means the physical software doesn't have to be installed on the device.
Hosted UCC systems work well with collaboration whiteboards, e-mail and IM applications. Smartphones, for example, use standard mobile voice services and integrate with most voice systems that support the PSTN (public switched telephone network) used in SA and most parts of the world.
Tablets, however, typically require a compatible VOIP client, even in the case for browser-based UCC systems. Fortunately, most hosted UCC providers have developed plug-ins that can be installed with minimum disruption.
Another important consideration is managing and monitoring all these devices. Hosted UCC takes over the management and monitoring of devices, controlling access to applications and minimising potential risk to the organisation and its data.
The major plus though is that hosted UCC providers are constantly developing new mobile applications that overcome interoperability and access issues, keeping trend with new devices and their required features.
It therefore takes away a lot of the headache associated with managing a BYOD environment.
The human element
Once you have your BYOD integration in place, there is another important issue to contend with: the human element.
For one, BYOD users must be able to add applications/components to their devices to conform to company communication standards. Also, if some applications/components are not available for a specific device, it is up to the user to report this and work with what is available.
Lastly, chances are good that business-critical functionality will stay within strict accessibility parameters only accessed via fixed technology, such as thin clients and user PCs. BYOD users will have to accept this and realise that they will lose some accessibility features when using their mobile devices.
What is clear is that integrating BYOD as part of a UCC strategy is a must for the future. The devices aren't going to become less feature-rich and companies should harness the productivity gains associated with BYOD.
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Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom is one of the world's leading integrated telecommunications companies with over 129 million mobile customers, almost 34 million fixed-network lines and 17 million broadband lines (as of 31 March 2012). The Group provides products and services for the fixed network, mobile communications, the Internet and IPTV for consumers, and ICT solutions for business customers and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom is present in around 50 countries and has over 235 000 employees worldwide. The Group generated revenues of EUR58.7 billion in the 2011 financial year - more than half of it outside Germany (as of 31 December 2011).
T-Systems
Drawing on a global infrastructure of data centres and networks, T-Systems operates information and communication technology (ICT) systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions. T-Systems provides integrated solutions for the networked future of business and society. The company's some 48 200 employees combine industry expertise and ICT innovations to add significant value to customers' core business all over the world.
T-Systems generated revenue of around EUR9.2 billion in the 2011 financial year.
Since the inception of T-Systems in South Africa in 1997, the company has cemented its position as one of the most successful T-Systems companies outside of Europe. A leading ICT outsourcing service provider locally, T-Systems offers end-to-end ICT solutions in both the ICT operations and systems integration markets. Its extensive portfolio of services covers the vertical, horizontal, IT and TC space. T-Systems South Africa's head office is located in Midrand with another major office in Cape Town, and 20 further representative offices in locations throughout southern Africa.
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