understanding and applying unified communications
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Understanding & Applying Unified Communications
Confusion in the Market
Integrated VM
Chat applications
File sharing
IP communications
Webinar
Teleconferencing
Speech recognition
Business process integration
“UC” means different things
Many products with “Unified” in the name
“UC” is often sold as a “thing” you buy
Today’s Discussion
Define UC Identify major UC applications (“tools”) 3 primary ways UC can be purchased /
rolled out
Unified Communications
UC
“Unified Communications is the integration of communication functions into business processes”
Editor – CIO Magazine
“Technology that connects communication and collaboration applications on a common platform”
Forrester Research
“Communications integrated to optimize business processes”
www.ucstrategies.com
What is Unified “Communications?”
The UC Continuum
Three Stages of Unification
U-Infrastructure U-Applications U-Processes
IP Telephony Conferencing Mobility Presence/IM Third Party Call
Control
Attendance notification
Embedded Communications
The UC Continuum
At its lowest level, UC serves to join multiple types of communications to: Consolidate infrastructure
Separate Networks
Phone Network
Data NetworkData Network
Combined Networks
Data and Voice Data and Voice
Implications
Lowest levels of UC is an IT project focused on voice and data infrastructure
ConsolidateVoice/Data Cabling
Vendors
MergeVoice and data staff
CollapseVoice onto the LAN
Voice onto the data WAN
Better potential voice integration via IP and SIP
The UC Continuum
At a moderate level, UC serves to join communication applications to: Enhance Personal Productivity Enhance Workgroup Productivity
Jessica Young
Implications
Moderate levels of UC is typically focused on deploying user productivity tools: Presence IM/Chat Unified Messaging (voice/email/fax) Click to call / Click to conference Find Me / Follow me Conferencing (Meet Me audio bridge, video and web
conferencing)
The UC Continuum
At its highest level, UC incorporates functionality to: Build communication methods directly into
business processes Communications Enabled Business Processes
(CEBP)
Implications
High levels of UC are often concerned with integrating some form of communications input/output in response to a business process
This require deep knowledge of: The enterprise business Who is communicating with who How they are communicating What are the critical paths
Implications
At the highest levels, vendors are not in a good position to address this UC functionality They lack access to the customer organization They lack compensation for their time to figure this out
This is where internal expertise or outside assistance is required Customization may be required
The UC Continuum
Thus, all the confusion… Vendors/Media often over simplify UC as a
“thing you buy” rather than a set of tools to be figured out and applied to optimize business communications
Vendors/Media often present IP telephony, Unified Messaging, and Unified Communications as synonymous
Vendors/Media often imply that UC capabilities are contingent upon implementing IP telephony
The UC Continuum
Thus, all the confusion… Vendor’s naming conventions often build
“Unified” into their product names Multiple vendors / New vendors to buy from Many vendors are still learning and evolving
What is Driving UC?
Communication Overload
What is driving UC?
As telephone systems come up for replacement, UC capabilities are the newest feature sets to be considered
Needed FeaturesAvailable Features?
Presence
Click to Call
Search Directory
IM
Presence
Click to Call
Search Directory
IMWeb Conferencing
Click to Conference
Tag
Video Conferencing
Federation
Kitchen Sink
What is driving UC?
Organizations are trying to figure out How to solve communication problems Bottlenecks Difficulty reaching the right person quickly
How to optimize business processes Single Number Reach Speed up communication flows Better collaboration
UC Toolsets
Main Categories of UC Toolsets
Contact Management & Directory Services
Messaging
Conferencing & Collaboration
Mobility & Remote Office
UC Toolsets
Contact Management & Directory Services
Presence IM/Chat Click to Call Enterprise Phonebook Enterprise dialing Call routing/Screening rules Single User Identity
Email, phone, cell
UC Toolsets
Presence Real time status – who is on-line and available? The “dial tone” of the future Today: Presence focused within the enterprise and
ability to have an IM session Tomorrow: Presence servers gathering information
from various sources/platforms from in/out of the enterprise (requires federation)
Basic Presence: On-line, level of activity Rich Presence: Location, type of device being used,
its OS, local time, outside-of-enterprise
UC Toolsets
Instant Messaging Enterprise-grade/Enterprise-wide Instant
Messaging Security and Privacy Quick exchanges Multi-tasking / Ability to reach those that are “busy”
UC Toolsets
Third-Party Call Control Activation of telephone features by point/click Click to Call Click to Conference
The office telephone becomes a “handset”
UC Toolsets
Synchronized Directory Single user identity to tie together Email address Office telephone number Mobile telephone number
UC Toolsets
Conferencing & Collaboration
Integrated audio conferencing
Integrated web conferencing Integrated video
conferencing
UC Toolsets
Conferencing & Collaboration Tools Audio conferencing (including call in “bridge”
service) Video conferencing Web conferencing Collaborative capabilities Shared workspaces “White boarding” File / Document sharing Enterprise-wide Instant Messaging
UC Toolsets
Messaging
Unified Messaging Live reply/call return of
VM messages
UC Toolsets
Unified Messaging One in-box for email, voice mail – even fax Unified message notification for all message
types Ability to access any messages from any device Ability to forward voice mail messages as email
attachments Ability to work with voice mail messages from PC
UC Toolsets
Advanced Call & Message Management Desktop call screening (rules for screening
inbound calls) Find Me/Follow Me Live Reply/Call Return of a VM message
UC Toolsets
Mobility & Remote Office
Single number service Voice commands Seamlessly swap calls from
cell to desk phone (and vice versa)
Soft phone VPN to corporate network
UC Toolsets
Mobility Tools Single Number Service Office Number routes to “hidden” cell number Voice mail messages pulled back to enterprise VM
server Outbound calls from cell show Office Number CLID
Voice commands
UC Toolsets
Speech Access & Personal Assistant Voice Recognition / Natural Speech commands Speech commands to control “personal
assistants” Access inbox Access calendar Access directory / contacts Set up outbound dialing
UC Toolsets
Remote Telephony Access Soft Phone (Laptop/PC with headset/microphone) VPN over Broadband Internet Connection Remote workers can receive calls to their business
number Remote workers can place calls over the corporate
trunks
UC Toolsets
What appears to be readily adopted? Instant Messaging Presence Click to Call Search Directory
UC Toolsets
0% 100%20% 80%40% 60%
Presence
Click to Call
Web Conferencing
Search Directory
Click to Conference
IM
Tag
Video Conferencing
Federation
Blair Pleasant and Nancy Jamison – June 2008
UC in Action
Communication Grid
TimeImmediate Delayed
Intrusion
High
Low
Phone
IM Email
Process Optimizations
Speed up the process of reaching someone Speed up and simplify the process of joining
multiple parties Simplify and enhance the process of collaborating
with disparate parties Enhance the ability of mobile users to be reached
and function with the tools available within their office
Set up triggers to automatically provide notification at a critical point
Contact Management
Presence shows who is available IM allows for instant access even if they are
engaged in another task One-Number / Find Me-Follow Me allows the
system to manage multiple venues – relieving the caller from trying different numbers
Directory Dialing and Click to Call simplifies the process of identifying and contacting someone
Mobility
One-Number / Find Me-Follow Me allows the system to work through multiple venues – not the caller
Unified Messaging allows voice mail, email, and fax to available through a single interface (Smartphone user)
Text-to-Speech allows access to email from standard cell phones
Natural Speech allows for easier interaction
Collaboration
Audio conferencing (“Meet Me”) Video Conferencing (PC to PC up to telepresence) Web Conferencing Rapid virtual meetings Share documents and files Calendar and project timeline Presence
Communications-Enabled Portal
Integrate Presence/IM with operating system software
Software identifies an event where assistance is required
Software identified individuals that could assist IM/Chat window is opened to communicate with
selected individuals Click to Call can be selected
3 Ways to UC
3 Ways to UC
Telecom solutions Desktop solutions Application solutions
3 Ways to UC
UC via Telecom Provider solutions Avaya (Nortel) Cisco Siemens Mitel NEC
3 Ways to UC
UC via Desktop Provider solutions Microsoft IBM Webex Google
3 Ways to UC
UC via Application Provider solutions SAP Salesforce
Ted MalliresPlante & [email protected]