So Far I 'm Talking about Unified Communications. What is it and what for it.

Unified Communications (UC) is a commonly used term for the integration of disparate communications systems, media, devices and applications. This potentially includes the integration of fixed and mobile voice, e-mail, instant messaging, desktop and advanced business applications, Internet Protocol (IP)-PBX, voice over IP (VoIP), presence, voice-mail, fax, audio video and web conferencing, unified messaging, unified voicemail, and whiteboarding into a single environment offering the user a more complete but simpler experience.

Gartner states "The largest single value of UC is its ability to reduce "human latency" in business processes."

Here is the History

History

The history of unified communications is tied directly to the evolution of the technology that enables it to function. The technology that makes ‘surfing the ‘net’ possible is called internet protocol (IP), and this is also the technology that enables unified communications. Previously, telephony used a different protocol, not integrated with data communications, called TDM (Time Division Multiplex). But telephony began evolving toward employing software and servers, and toward using IP in order to function in a whole new way. Voice-over-internet-protocol, or voice-over-IP, (VOIP), allows the user to have digital telephone service which utilizes IP networks (including the internet) instead of the traditional telephone network to function.deficient citation With this shift in mode of delivery, which took place over the course of the past ten years or so, unified communications, with all its real-time capabilities and uses, became possible.

The technology of unified communications

The difference between unified communications and unified messaging

Although the two terms have, in the past, been used interchangeably, unified communications should not be confused with unified messaging, despite the similar-sounding terms. Unified communications refers to a real-time delivery of communications based on the preferred method and location of the recipient; unified messaging systems can cull messages from several sources (such as email, voice mail and faxes), but holds those messages for retrieval at a later time.

Components of unified communications

Unified communications can include a variety of elements, such as instant messaging, telephony, video, email, voicemail, and short message services, all of which could be brought into real time and coordinated. The concept of presence is also a factor ¬– knowing where one’s intended recipients are and if they are available, in real time – and is itself a key component of unified communications. To put it simply, unified communications integrates all the systems that a user might already be using and helps those systems work together in real time. For example, unified communications technology could allow a user to seamlessly collaborate with another person on a project, even if the two users are in separate locations. The user could quickly locate the necessary person by accessing an interactive directory, engage in a text messaging session, and then escalate the session to a voice call, or even a video call – all within minutes. In another example, an employee receives a call from a customer who wants answers. Unified communications could enable that worker to access a real-time list of available expert colleagues, then make a call that would reach the necessary person, enabling the employee to answer the customer faster, and eliminating rounds of back-and-forth emails and phone-tag.

Unified communications in action and corresponding business benefits

Unified communications in action

Given the sophistication of unified communications technology, its uses are myriad for businesses. It enables users to know where their colleagues are physically located (say, their car or home office). They also have the ability to see which mode of communication the recipient prefers to use at any given time (perhaps their cell phone, or email, or instant messaging). A user could seamlessly set up a real-time collaboration on a document they are producing with a co-worker, or, in a retail setting, a worker might do a price-check on a product using a hand-held device and need to consult with a co-worker based on a customer inquiry. With unified communications, instant messaging and presence could be built into the price check application, and the problem could be resolved in moments.

Business benefits of unified communications

Unified communications helps businesses, small and large alike, to streamline information delivery and ensure ease of use. Human delays are also minimized or eliminated, resulting in better, faster interaction and service-delivery for the customer, and cost savings for the business. Unified communications also allows for easier, more direct collaboration between co-workers and with suppliers and clients, even if they are not physically on the same site. This allows for possible reductions in business travel, especially with multi-party video communications, reducing an organization's carbon footprint.

Who is it for?

Unified communications is very useful for knowledge workers, information workers, and service workers alike, many of whom may cross the lines between the three sectors on a daily or hourly basis, depending on the task and the client. With an increasingly mobile workforce, businesses are rarely centralized in one location. Unified communications facilitates this on-the-go, always-available style of communication. In addition, unified communications technology can be tailored to each person’s specific job or to a particular section of a company.

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