Technology

Unified communications

By Steve Trusty

How familiar are you with unified communications (UC)? UC is in its very early stages compared to many other technologies, but it is something you should be considering and planning for. Productivity can be enhanced, employees can save time, and your firm can save money.

“The sooner companies can establish their UC system, the sooner they can start reaping the benefits,” says Louie A. Belt, internetworking principal at Pomeroy IT Solutions. “Besides the benefits of productivity improvements, UC also enhances the way in which all employees communicate.”

Smart Business spoke with Belt for more of his insights into UC.

What is unified communications?

UC is an integration of applications that create the unified workspace that allows people to choose how, where and with whom they wish to communicate. Major components include IP telephony, messaging, conferencing and meetings, media exchange, instant messaging, text messaging and setting calendars. With UC, employees can work from anywhere they need to be and be able to share information with anyone that needs to know. There are applications that allow your cell phone to effectively turn into a desk phone when you walk into the office.

Why should I be interested in learning more about UC?

If you are interested in improving your company’s communications and profitability, using UC is a very good thing to do. It is a platform to integrate business applications with communications. There are various factors to consider, and it is important to put the proper planning into what is going to work best for your business. Results documented by Sage Research showed organizations using UC saved an average of 32 minutes daily per employee because presence technology enabled staff to reach one another on the first try. That was just one of the many savings that they have documented.

What are the key factors that one should be aware of concerning UC?

When evaluating your move into UC, you need to look at your current business practices. You need to determine how these practices depend on communication and how you can leverage UC into your practices. You need to know when to modify business practices to take better advantage of UC and where cost or time savings will be realized.

As workers become more mobile and work from various locations, UC becomes even more important. UC allows you to optimize time and resources effectively. UC is business driven, and each case must be evaluated on its individual merit.

What are some of the benefits of UC?

It is easier to access information. There is the ability to reach mobile colleagues and key decision-makers quickly. More effective communications are realized. You can experience on-demand collaboration. Essentially, when implemented effectively, it results in employee time savings and cost savings. Wherever employees’ work takes them, they can work more effectively. With gas prices what they are, there can be substantial savings for everyone.

How do I make sure that I am obtaining the best UC fit possible?

Review your current systems and take on some pilots that could improve processes for you. Proactively implement the organization changes that anticipate the technology and market changes. Plan for the future. When evaluating, understand your company’s core strengths. Understand your vendor’s core values and know where they intend to go in the future. There are a number of things to evaluate when choosing vendors and systems.

1. Total cost of ownership — Looking not only at initial upfront costs but also looking at the real cost over the lifetime and the value of what is received for what is being spent.

2. Feature robustness — Consideration of scalability, flexibility and adaptability. Can it be reconfigured and changed? Also consider compatibility — will it work with other programs in your system?

3. Business continuity — Survivability of system. Is it able to take hits to the system and allow you to continue business? Can it survive outages?

4. Management and support — How easy is it to maintain? Can I handle internally or do I need to outsource? If so, what is the experience of the vendor’s development team and what are the support systems available?

5. Complexity — How complex is the solution in terms of installation configuration, ease of maintenance and, most importantly, how easy is it for users to use and navigate?

LOUIE A. BELT is internetworking principal at Pomeroy IT Solutions. Reach him at (615) 351-6095 or lbelt@pomeroy.com.