Today's employees have a variety of methods for interacting with coworkers, business partners and customers, including voice, IM, e-mail and video. They can also use a variety of devices, including VoIP phones, laptops with Webcams, and smartphones and tablets. Unified communications aims to integrate all these tools into a comprehensive platform for seamless interactivity. Unified communications are also becoming tied in to collaboration and enterprise social networking systems. Our Unified Communications Tech Center delivers best practices, examines new products, and shares strategies to help you make the most of UC.
News and Analysis
The Case For More Granular Network QoS
Vendor-supplied settings for network quality of service won't cut it when prioritizing critical apps, VoIP and video traffic. Invest in developing a network QoS strategy.
Ospcode's Private Chef Gets Cooking with Facebook
News roundup: Opscode updates Private Chef automation software; AirWatch and ForeScout team up for mobile security; WatchGuard unveils seven XTM appliances; HP gets agile.
More Stories
Blogs
Open Compute's Trickle-Down Tech
February 06, 2013 09:14 AM
Posted by Howard Marks
Open Compute's goal of open source hardware sounds democratic, but the initiative targets big-budget service providers and Web brands whose needs are different from everyday enterprises. The greatest impact of Open Compute will be felt by the leading server manufacturers--and it won't be good.
See all blogs by Howard Marks
Facebook, Google Encroach On Enterprise UC
January 24, 2013 03:28 PM
Posted by Michael Finneran
Facebook and Google are rolling out services that rival enterprise unified communications platforms. Vendors should beware.
See all blogs by Michael Finneran
Are Big UC Vendors Missing SMB Opportunities?
January 11, 2013 04:58 PM
Posted by Michael Finneran
Unified communications vendors typically target enterprise customers, but more than half of private-sector jobs are in small and midsize businesses. Are UC vendors ignoring a potential customer pool?
See all blogs by Michael Finneran
Unified Communications in 2013
December 28, 2012 10:51 PM
Posted by Michael Finneran
Where will UC take us in 2013? Here are insights from several analysts who forecast deeper integration of UC and applications, the end of voice as a separate market, and more.
See all blogs by Michael Finneran
802.11ac: Cisco, Aerohive Offer Forecasts
December 27, 2012 11:00 AM
Posted by Lee H. Badman
802.11ac promises significant improvements for WLANs. I interviewed representatives from Cisco Systems and Aerohive Networks to get their input on 11ac, how it will affect corporate networks, and if and when IT should upgrade.
See all blogs by Lee H. Badman
Weighing Cloud UC Options and Costs
December 19, 2012 12:10 PM
Posted by Michael Finneran
Unified communications can be provided as a cloud service, and customers have a huge number of options. But in the long term, cloud UC isn’t necessarily cheaper than premises deployments.
See all blogs by Michael Finneran
