Unified communications (or UC as it is becoming more often known) has been a phrase that has been around in business IT for a while now, but which many have not really got much of an understanding of. It may sound a bit ‘buzzwordy’, but at the bones of it, unified communications is about exactly what it sounds like it would be about – integrating all kinds of different means of communicating within a business onto a single platform, so that it is possible to do all kinds of neat things like access all of your communication types in one place (like voicemail, email, SMS, IM and fax, if anybody still gets faxes), and to be able to see the different communication statuses of different people in your organization in real time (in a much more accurate and advanced way than just by their status on the IM system you use or where their Outlook calendar says they should be).
Resistance to UC Uptake in Recent Times
UC has so far been one of those things that sounds like it would be amazing to use and yield an absolute boatload of productivity benefits, but also like it could be something expensive and complicated to implement. As a result, many businesses who are very keen on the concept have been hanging back from actually planning their migration to UC platforms of the type offered by solutions providers like Masergy. However, it is fast becoming a much more mature technology, and it seems that 2015 may well be the year UC becomes an essential for companies who want to remain ahead of their competition.
Some Factors Motivating the Move to UC
A significant factor in motivating many businesses of all sizes to move to UC is the sheer diversity of the means by which we communicate in business these days, and the platforms we do it on. Where in the past an email account, a desk phone and a cell phone were about all most professionals could be contacted on, with the rise of mobile devices and the ubiquity of things like VoIP and instant messaging, we generally all have a large number of accounts to be reached on and a few devices that can reach them. Integrating all of this saves every individual time, boosting productivity hugely across an enterprise. It also means that clients and customers can be given a better service, as you can get back to them very quickly and easily however they choose to reach you.
Cross enterprise integrated solutions are becoming bigger in scope all the time, and with many businesses now relying on things like cloud networking and enterprise security solutions, it should also be less of a daunting undertaking to switch from multiple communications systems to enterprise wide UC.
Bearing all this in mind, if you have been planning to eventually migrate to a UC platform, the start of 2015 may well be the best time to begin evaluating products and planning your strategy to get that done!
(Photo: Trey Ratcliff)