The free exchange of information is at the core of any enterprise, meaning the communications network is fundamental to doing business. Clearly, communication and collaboration are much more than the sum of your PBXes and smartphones and IM clients and QoS schemes - and in this InformationWeek Tech Center, we'll cover the technical, policy, and strategy considerations.
Commentary/How-To's
Celtics, Nets Score With Unified CommunicationsNBA teams' IT executives explain how and why they decided among on-premises, hybrid and hosted technology services. Will Social Show Its Face In Unified Communications?
At Enterprise Connect, the buzz about social media is oddly muffled. Then again, has anyone really proven social and unified communications belong... Why Apple Must Enable FaceTime On LTE
Video calling is a sci-fi staple, from Star Trek to The Jetsons. But to bring it mainstream, Apple must allow FaceTime on LTE. Apple iMessage: UC On The Cheap?
By transparently merging SMS and IM, Apple is throwing the carriers a curve. But it could be a hit for IT. Qualcomm Touts Smartphone Battery Life, Not 4 Cores
Mobile World Congress will showcase new advances in LTE 4G power efficiency, not smartphones with quad-core SnapDragon processors, says Qualcomm exec. What One-Time Passwords Could Do For Mobile
Smartphones will soon be wallets. They're already corporate data repositories. And finally, Yubico lets us stop using static passwords to lock it...
News
Cisco WebEx Now Works Sans CloudCisco also expands collaboration technologies it offers via partners, including a 'rendezvous conferencing' option for videoconferencing. Cisco Squeaks Past Microsoft In Gartner UC Ranking
Despite its strength in networking and telephony, Cisco has been chasing Microsoft in unified communications. Now, mobile emphasis may be giving... AT&T: No iPhone FaceTime Without Paying Extra
Legal experts say AT&T violates FCC rules with plan to restrict FaceTime use on its cellular network to premium-plan customers.
More Stories:
- Vidyo Free Cloud Service Bridges Videoconferencing Systems
- Avaya Bets On BYOD With Unified Communications Update
- Enterprise Video At The Crossroads
- Plantronics Aims To Build A Smarter Headset
- Cisco: Cloud Is Changing CIO Role
- Communications Outsourcing: How To Prep For Success
- InterCall Partnership Boosts Blue Jeans' Videoconferencing
By The Numbers
Why We Do UC
Collaboration and efficiency improvements are key.
UC Collaboration Technology Reports
Beyond Dial Tone: 6 Steps to Wring ROI Out of UC
Unified communications and collaboration represents a significant investment in money and IT resources. It's critical to determine whether your company will benefit from unified communications. Not every organization will. The key is to tackle complexity head on and ensure all stakeholders are fully engaged from the beginning. Our report provides in-depth detail on building an ROI picture for a UC deployment.
Desktop Videoconferencing: Ready for Its Closeup
The advent of Scalable Video Coding (SVC), which enables the use of the Internet for high-quality desktop videoconferencing, means enterprises can deploy videoconferencing to a majority of workers. Companies that value face-to-face communications can make it happen without breaking the bank. The report also includes exclusive research on IT’s adoption plans for videoconferencing.
2012 State of Unified Communications
The good news: The percentage of users who've deployed and are using UC jumped six points, to 36%, since our 2010 survey, and the number of "fence sitters" is down, too. The not-so-good news: For 65%of those who have deployed or plan to do so, UC currently reaches 50% or less of the employee base. What's the holdup?
Best Practices: Reliable Unified Communications
If your UC infrastructure is erratic or the communications quality poor, you're sunk, because end users today don't have the patience to give IT three or four chances to get it right. And that just adds up to wasted money. In this InformationWeek Best Practices report, we describe strategies to ensure quality communications between end users, whether they're on the LAN, WAN or a mobile device.
Into the Fold: Mobile Unified Communications Within Reach
IT’s been pushing UC and mobility initiatives on separate tracks. But if either technology is to realize its full potential, CIOs must make integration a priority. In this Strategy Session report, we discuss ways to bring smartphones and tablets into your overall unified communications plan.