Mapping a smoother path to unified Communications

Despite the complexity and integration challenges, many companies are embracing unified communications. When projects are guided by a thoughtful plan and strong business case, obstacles can be avoided.

Anyone who's ever worked with a team of colleagues on a time-sensitive project or process knows how a missed call or unanswered emails can derail deadlines. In an age where employees use more communication tools than ever before and often work remotely, pinning down the right person, at the right time, can be a real challenge.

Unified communications (UC) technologies solve this problem by providing users with a single interface to all the different tools provided to them, including email, messaging, telephony and conferencing services. All inbound and outbound communications can be viewed and managed from a single access point. When "presence" technologies are added to the mix, users can also see whether the person they want to contact is online and available and the best way to reach them.

It's an appealing prospect, so it's little wonder that so many organizations are embarking on the UC journey. When Orange Business Services surveyed 600 multinational companies in 12 European countries in June 2009, it found that one in four were already rolling out UC technologies. A further 41% said they were exploring UC, and another 15% had reached the evaluation and piloting stages of their UC projects.

Along the way, these companies expect to encounter a number of challenges, but it's still a trip they want to take, according to a survey by CIO magazine. 64% said they felt that UC could deliver increased productivity, while one-half cited faster response times and delivery of information among the major benefits.
 
Security: the biggest fear

So what do these companies believe could hold them back from delivering on their UC ambitions? In the Orange survey of CIOs, security tops the list of likely challenges identified by respondents. This is an understandable concern when you consider that in a unified environment, a previously isolated system like voicemail could easily pass on a virus to other critical communications systems. However, the alternative of using public services, like AOL, MSN or Yahoo, bring their own security risks, let alone sharing private company information in a public forum.
 
The second most frequently mentioned obstacle is the complexity of product integration. No single vendor makes all of the communications tools and applications needed for a complete UC implementation, points out Michael Burrell, Senior Manager for Solutions Marketing at Orange Business Services. That means that specialist skills are needed to integrate different vendor software and hardware products to deliver a seamless solution.
 
"In difficult economic times, no company wants to throw perfectly good equipment out the window."
 
Integration with legacy systems is also cited as a concern, he adds. "In difficult economic times, no company wants to throw perfectly good equipment out the window. They want to protect their investment by combining it with newer technologies - like when an existing PBX is upgraded to work with real-time communications servers, such as Microsoft OCS or IBM Sametime."

These concerns are valid, he says, but largely surmountable when they have been anticipated ahead
of time and where the UC implementation project is guided by a strong business case. For most companies,
that means targeting an area of the business where the ROI benefits are most clear from the offset. "That's because UC will improve ways of working and increase workflow for tangible gain, whether it's a product development group trying to bring new products to market faster, or sales teams looking to shorten sales cycles, or customer service departments that need to resolve customer issues more quickly," adds Burrell.
 
Match features to goals

The key is to identify "who and where" to focus based on end-user functions, profiles and locations. By determining what type of solution is required (for example, instant messaging, presence or conferencing), smart companies can then list and evaluate cost-saving opportunities from reduced travel, infrastructure and communications costs and increased employee productivity. For example, a 2008 study from analyst company Chadwick Martin Bailey reports that in the 49% of companies that have implemented a single UC interface incorporating presence for their employees, the average user saves 20 minutes daily because they reach colleagues on the first try.
 
When it comes to roll-out, analysts at Gartner recommend developing a two-phase approach to smooth the migration to UC. The first phase should include an inventory of current communications products, contracts and vendors on an enterprise-wide basis. From there, they can develop a vision for where their communications could be in five years, according to Gartner analyst Bern Elliot.

The second phase, meanwhile, should align the plans of strategic partners with each others' products and with the business's needs. The result of this phase should be a detailed roadmap, identified user groups, a specific plan for deployment and the selection of the specific strategic UC provider partners.
 
However, UC is not a single solution that is deployed once and can then be considered "complete," Elliot warns. Instead, it should be viewed "as a process of continuous improvements in capabilities and integrations," where "plans, products and vendors are viewed annually and adjusted according to need."
 
Unified communications will develop within an organization along two axes. The first involves progressively rolling out the service to end-user groups based on ability to positively improve workflow. The other axis involves greater integration of more communications tools over time, eventually working toward communications-enabled business processes. In that sense, the journey to UC may not have a final destination - but it's important that companies keep heading in the direction of the next major milepost.

For more information click one of the links below:
Unified Communications Survey