Skip to main content

So, what is this “Unified Communications” thing, anyhow?



So, what is this “Unified Communications” thing, anyhow?

Have you heard the term unified communications tossed around lately? It seems to be used a lot in IT, telecomm, and work collaboration circles. Unified communications is a newer concept that refers to a conceptual platform where multiple communications channels can join together to increase productivity and facilitate collaboration. Here’s one way to look at it. Imagine that you only own one car. And imagine it is a sporty two seater. And then imagine you decide to invite five of your friends, none of whom are able to drive, out to dinner. This means you would have to pick each one up separately and drive him or her to the restaurant. And of course, one of them lives down an old rough farm road, so you have to drive very slowly so you don’t damage the underside of your expensive little two seater.

This scenario is pretty similar to the way we handle business communications today. We aren't able to just throw everyone together in a great big van and go out and have fun. Think about all of the possible ways we communicate and collaborate in the workplace. We use email, vmail, the office phone, our mobile phone for voice, our mobile phone, a chat app, and perhaps an occasional fax thrown in for good measure. Not to mention, the workplace isn't always a specific physical location because a virtual office can exist anywhere. Slowly but surely over the past few decades the tools we use to communicate have multiplied and the locations available to “conduct” business have reached an infinite number. So, instead of driving everyone individually out to dinner, it is time we considered buying a nice big van. And that is the idea behind the concept of unified communications. It is time to look at all of our communications channels and begin exploring how we can combine them to save time and energy, and become more efficient. And perhaps as a bonus, improve the quality of our collaboration and outcomes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Has Your Website Been Optimized for Mobile Users?

    Did you know that this year there will be more mobile web surfers than stationary ones? That means more prospects are accessing your business website more through their smart phones, tablets or other mobile devices than with a laptop or PC. If you thought you had time to make the switch this year, you may want to reconsider in light of new research. A recent study revealed that around 40% of prospects move on to a competitor if they have a poor mobile experience. How prepared is your business for this change? Well, if you are just starting out, the following checklist will help...   1. Make sure your mobile site is different from your regular website -  While you must stick to your branding standards, your mobile website should be simpler than your web version. The reason being is that complicated designs that load well and look good on computers are often distorted when accessed through a mobile device. Plus, mobile surfers don’t really have the time to sift through a lot of conte

Four ways unified communications can improve productivity Part II

Four ways unified communications can improve productivity Part II In our last blog we suggested that unified communications has value to an organization's efforts to increase productivity. It can facilitate smoother, more efficient collaboration in a 24/7 workspace. Unified communications can Improve the functionality of our 24/7 workplace - The reality of 24/7 availability has been around for a while, and learning to place constraints on that is for another e-guide. However, unified communications can play a role on the 24/7 expectation problem. For one thing, with a single portal to an individual’s multiple communication channels, an employee can more easily communicate across those channels that they are not available and therefore limit expectations for an immediate or timely response when that is not possible. Also, with a unified portal, responding to different channels in off times can be easier and therefore less time-intrusive. Improve client satisfaction - Nothin

Is your Business Safe from Virtual Threats?

    Did you know that 50% of small business owners think their businesses are too small to be targeted by the thieves of the virtual world? Contrary to popular belief, 72% of hacker attacks often happen to smaller firms - firms with less than 100 employees! So how prepared is your SMB? Here’s a checklist to help you find out how vulnerable you are to these attacks.   1. Do you have Antivirus protection? -  An antivirus software program can protect you from threats that originate from emails such as phishing and virus attacks. However, the most striking fact is that 61% of small businesses don’t install any antivirus software! If you are one of them, then it’s time to change!   2. How sturdy is your Firewall? -  A good firewall system protects your computers from the variety of threats that exist in the virtual world. Examples include harmful cookies, viruses, worms and other such malicious programs used by hackers.   3. Do you use a Spam filter? -  Using a simple spam filter for your e