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
20 People Who Changed Tech: Irving KahnThe father of cable television was a visionary and a promoter extraordinaire, but never a candidate for sainthood. Celtics, Nets Score With Unified Communications
NBA 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.
News
Microsoft Unites Skype and Lync, Cisco ProtestsMicrosoft has started integrating Lync and Skype, as expected. Phase 1 doesn't include video support, but Cisco's claims of "monopoly" indicate... 6 Skype Alternatives Worth Considering
Skype might be the de facto choice for video and voice calls over the Internet. But here are other options you should explore. UC Shows Little Movement Year Over Year
Our InformationWeek 2013 Unified Communications Survey shows projects stalled. Here's how to get unstuck.
More Stories:
- BYOD May Put The Unified In Communications
- Lithium, Aspect Partner For Social Contact Center
- Cisco WebEx Now Works Sans Cloud
- Cisco Squeaks Past Microsoft In Gartner UC Ranking
- AT&T: No iPhone FaceTime Without Paying Extra
- Vidyo Free Cloud Service Bridges Videoconferencing Systems
- Avaya Bets On BYOD With Unified Communications Update
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.