Unified communications
??
Connecting the dots
Organisations are using a wider variety of devices and applications than ever before. Charloe
EHathway takes a look at how unified communications can seamlessly connect different mediums nsuring employees have the right connections to help them
do their job has never been more complex. There are so
many options – from radios and mobile phones through to
mobile working applications. The right device or application
can vary between job functions within a single workplace, so the
ability to bring those together can be fundamental to maintaining
business- or mission-critical communications.
Unified communications (UC) is the combination of dierent
types of communication mediums into a single unified system.
That might include radio, telephone, chat, video and other types of
communications. This enables workers to communicate instantly
and without boundaries.
Emerging capabilities are adding intelligence to that process,
from usage analytics through to predictions, but what is essential is
that employees are seamlessly connected through whatever device
they need to use. Exactly how a UC solution is implemented will
vary drastically across sectors, as the needs of a retail or oce
worker, for example, will be very dierent from those of someone
working in public safety.
Depending on the requirements of an organisation, the solution
will need to provide intensive and extensive links to cope with
security, customer service and eciency challenges. For business-
and mission-critical users, it might also be vital to have instant
communications via push-to-talk (PTT) over any device and
network – allowing for shared talk groups and immediate one-tomany
PTT over any connected device.
Ricardo Gonzalez, vice-president, strategy
for EMEA at Motorola Solutions, explains:
“Organisations needing business-critical
communications are interested in productivity,
infrastructure, and operational benefits. Whereas
those that need mission-critical are looking more at
safety and security.”
UC solutions can vary, but Graham Wilkinson,
head of network services at Nimans, explains the
fundamentals. He says: “UC is one of those phrases
that has been bandied around for probably 20 years,
but only in the last six to seven has it really started to
mean anything. The development of hosted platforms
has meant you can create one true UC and build
a user experience around that. I guess that’s the
key word – experience. True UC is not about one
product, it’s about a collection of products brought
into one seamless experience for the end-user.”
Wilkinson adds that early stage UC focused on
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“True UC is about a
collection of products
brought into one seamless
experience for the end-user”
/www.landmobile.co.uk