Communications is About to Get Simple, Again.

(One Click Does it All)

 

The PC proves again and again, it is the small company’s best friend.  It’s reduced your costs, extended, your capabilities and is now about to level the playing field of communications.   

 

Unified Communications (UC) from Microsoft and others is real-time communications that’s integrated into virtually everything on your hard drive and cell phone. The payoff to companies large and small is significant increases in productivity and, once again, an opportunity to improve the bottom line. .

 

Example #1: Unified Communications helps you leverage the extraordinary value and increasing popularity of Instant Communications (IM).  IM gives you the wonderful ability to determine whether someone is “present” or available to “talk”.  UC also brings your email directly to your cell phone.  But, that’s just the beginning.

 

You will soon have at your fingertips a unified message “store” that contains electronic mail, voice mail, and faxes. It will also allow you to “call your mailbox” from any phone. It will read email to you, play voice mail for you, and allow you to manipulate your calendar with voice commands. And with the integration of scheduling and presence, you’ll not only be able to tell Exchange 2007 to move that important meeting back 30 minutes when you’re running late, but show anyone who can see your presence information where you are when they need to contact you.

 

Microsoft is currently introducing a wave of several next-generation Unified Communications products, which will be released throughout the next 12 months.

 

Expect out of the box integration with Microsoft Office applications that can also form the basis of integration with other applications.  Users can see the status of other users in those applications, and immediately initiate communications, without themselves having to launch separate communication applications.

 

UC gives you all your communication options by simply pointing at a person’s name, email address or contact info.  It will reveal show you a menu of options: IM, call, conference, e-mail, schedule, etc. One more click and you are communicating in the most appropriate mode. These communications functions can happen in Office Communicator (Microsoft’s IM Client), in any Microsoft Office Program and in any supplier’s Windows-based client or application using the available Microsoft Application Programming Interface.    

 

Live Communications Server 2007 will add an on-premise audio/video and Web conferencing solution in addition to software-based IP call management. For some small to midsize companies, this can replace you current PBX systems. Larger companies will continue to integrate Live Communications Server with their current PBX or VOIP infrastructure in 2007, but it’s not that difficult to imagine new future functionality that will allow enterprise customers to replace their proprietary VOIP systems with future versions of Live Communications Server.

 

Microsoft will deliver a SIP-based communication server that lets people communicate across modalities in a seamless way, with new and innovative desktop phones that connect to the server. Office Communications Server 2007 adds VoIP call management capabilities, and can route calls via the magic of SIP. It will offer soft phone features, on-premise server-based web, audio, and video conferencing (as opposed to their hosted solution).

 

Is it right for you?  You don’t have to think too long or hard to see the benefits.  But, with products rolling out incrementally and. for some of you, a mammoth migration project, you need to prepare and think out a strategy that is best for your company.  

 

For now, you can consider taking your first steps toward understanding your options.  If you need help, don’t hesitate to call us. 

 

The Baby Steps

  1. Don’t fight it. Microsoft UC will be a factor in the market, so at least look for ways to take advantage of it, especially if your company now uses Outlook and Office.

  2. Study the new Microsoft Suite in the broader context of Unified Communications. Compare it to the current and new UC offerings to similar offerings from IBM (e.g. SameTime, Workplace), enterprise application companies (e.g. comm-enabled clients from SAP, Siebel/Oracle, et al.) and portal providers (e.g. BEA Systems, et al.)

  3. Show the new UC applications to all your employees. See if they get excited about the new capabilities. Some may already be using IM and presence and will see the added value. Others may not yet see the need in their jobs.

Reprinted with permission from DLP Technologies