For the most part, organisations have been slow to virtualise unified communications (UC) applications, according to Ruckus Wireless.
According to the 2013 ITWeb UC survey, 68.04% of respondents said they understand the business benefits of UC and 31.96% stated that adoption of UC was extensive in their organisations. However, 34.02% have no plans yet to deploy UC, 30.93% have already deployed, and 13.4% intend to deploy within the next year.
Technological advancements mean companies are able to virtualise communications and collaboration applications without being concerned about the impact on business operations, says sub-Saharan Africa sales director for Ruckus Wireless, Michael Fletcher.
"Wireless technologies have played a big role in opening up Internet access, allowing people to communicate with others in remote locations, and as communication methods converge, WiFi makes it easier for one to leverage UC to enable access to critical business applications from a common interface."
As more employees bring their own devices to work, organisations face an overwhelming burden on their existing networks, says Ruckus, noting that the increased use of personal smart devices results in issues related to performance, security and management.
The consumerisation of IT means a diverse amount of smartphones using WiFi and VOIP technology are accessing enterprise networks, says Fletcher, adding that as the corporate workforce becomes increasingly mobile, desk phones are giving way to smartphones, while powerful tablet devices marginalise PCs. He notes that Ruckus is working to safely and automatically weave smartphones and other devices among WiFi hotspots, which will ultimately make connecting seamless.
The WiFi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 Technical Task Group is responsible for developing a set of specifications on how users can move among WiFi networks that are operated by different service providers, without having to check network names or enter passwords, says Fletcher.
"Hotspot 2.0 is currently undergoing lab trials and will hopefully be released either later this year or early in 2014," he says. "It will provide enterprises with the opportunity to offer their existing wireless LAN capacity to a number of operators, by charging them recurring fees for WiFi network access. The advantage for users is a seamless WiFi experience."
For Fletcher, the imminent launch of Hotspot 2.0 bodes well for increasing adoption of UC. "As these smart devices pop up everywhere within companies, more WiFi will be needed to achieve the same performance as traditional laptops," he concludes.
Share