2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary 3
Introduction 4
Unified Communications 5
• Real-Time Technologies
• Presence
What’s Trending? 6
• Workforce Mobility
• Desktop Virtualisation
• Globalisation
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
• Cloud Computing
• Video
• Big Data
IP – the platform for
Unified Communications 8
• VoIP
• Converged Voice and Data
• On-Premise, Managed, Hosted
or Cloud?
Benefits of
Unified Communications 9
• Collaboration
• Employee Satisfaction
• Productivity
• Decision Making
• Customer Service
• Cost Savings
• Business Continuity
• Scalability
• Vendor Consolidation
• Simplified Infrastructure
• A Greener Approach
Who should be
considering UC? 10
About IP Solutions? 11
3. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Effective communication is the key to
success. Not only in terms of delivering
your core value propositions to the
market but enabling every aspect of
your business operations.
Unifying business communications technology is
the logical evolution of our fascination with convergence.
Convenience aside, organisations need to keep
abreast of the latest trends in mobility, virtualisation
and globalisation in order to compete effectively in
markets that are “always on” and where customers
expect their needs and preferences to be at the heart
of business communications.
As the internet continues to revolutionise the way in
which businesses communicate, the sheer variety of
media available means organisations need to maintain
a range of synchronous and asynchronous channels
of communication.
Although challenging, the rewards for successfully
managing a unified communications strategy
can be significant. Improved productivity, lower operating
costs and better customer service are just some of the
benefits delivered by UC. If you haven’t adopted a UC
strategy yet, or think it’s only suitable for big business, it’s
time to reassess. UC is the future of communications and
the future is now.
“A SURVEY OF GLOBAL
SERVICE PROVIDERS AND
INDUSTRY EXPERTS
PREDICTS A MAJOR SHIFT
TOWARDS CLOUD-BASED
UC BY 2020, WITH MARKET
PENETRATION HITTING 41%
„
BILL GATES
| 3
4. INTRODUCTION
Technology has always influenced the way organisations
operate. Now, more than ever, the way in which we
communicate influences not just how successful we are, but
how people and businesses work.
As the pace of business grows and our workforce
becomes more mobile and more responsive, business
communications needs to not just keep up, but set the pace
for future development.
Developments in high speed connectivity, the pervasive
nature of wireless LAN technology and the rapid adoption
of business applications for instant messaging, WebEx
and VoIP have driven a need for a joined-up approach to
business communications.
Employees, customers and suppliers are all looking for
instant access to business critical applications, systems and
each other. Unified Communications provides the platform
to address a wide variety of stakeholder requirements and
leverages the benefits of a range of real-time and any-
time technologies to deliver improvements in workforce
productivity whilst reducing costs.
Unified Communications has been talked about in somewhat
exulted tones for the better part of ten years. However, the
technology hasn’t really been able to deliver on its promises
– until now. Improvements in bandwidth, connectivity and
performance, across both networks and devices, mean we
are now in a position to start reaping the benefits of UC.
“UC OFFERS THE ABILITY TO
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE
HOW INDIVIDUALS,
GROUPS AND COMPANIES
INTERACT AND PERFORM”
GARTNER
4 |
5. PRESENCE
Presence is a key component of Unified Communications and is essential if organisations are to make the most of the technology.
It enables users to identify contacts, locate them, view their status and choose the best method of communicating with them.
Presence incorporates information from a variety of sources to determine the status of individuals. For example, are they on the
phone? Are they at their keyboard? Are they in a meeting? It can also be used to determine how they can best be contacted and
what types of data can be sent by leveraging device profiles.
Whilst presence offers a number of benefits in terms of internal communication and collaboration, perhaps it has most to offer
in the sphere of customer service. By leveraging multiple points of presence (MPOP) a UC system can determine if a contact is
available or not, if they at their desk, in a meeting or “roaming” and connect them appropriately.
UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
REAL-TIME TECHNOLOGIES
Cloud-based Unified Communications allow businesses to effortlessly provision a range of real-time and any-time technologies.
Real-time (synchronous) technologies include telephony, conferencing and instant messaging where users interactive in a
‘live‘ environment. Any-time (asynchronous) technologies include voice mail, SMS and e-mail, where responses typically feature
a time delay.
| 5
6. WORKFORCE MOBILITY
Technological advances and changing social trends have
been working to stimulate the growth of mobility. In 2015,
61% of UK employees said they spent at least some time
working remotely or while on the move.
The ability to work from home, the car, the office, or
even the beach, not only improves productivity but has
a positive effect on job satisfaction and is a vital part of a
robust business continuity plan.
High-speed networks and the latest 4G mobile
services have eradicated the performance issues
historically associated with remote working, so workers
can be just as productive working remotely as they
could in the office.
In fact, most studies suggest remote workers are more
productive than their office-bound colleagues as
they stay connected for longer and experience fewer
distractions during the working day.
DESKTOP VIRTUALISATION
The virtualisation of the desktop environment provides
workers with access to business-critical systems and
applications anywhere, anytime. Delivering a virtual
desktop to any mobile or remote device provides users
with a secure, consistent work environment.
For IT, adoption of a virtualised infrastructure generates
significant savings in terms of management resource and
operational expense and dramatically simplifies software
provisioning.
GLOBALISATION
The web has revolutionised the way in which we
consume products and services.
The ease with which options can be researched and
purchased has resulted in a global marketplace; where
customers expect 24 / 7 service and support. Advances
in communications technologies have broken down
international boundaries and resulted in a greater degree
of interdependency between businesses and consumers
across the globe.
The “always-on” nature of the global marketplace is
influencing how businesses provision services
and support; which in turn is influencing their choice of
communications technology.
BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD)
For mobile and remote workers, the option to choose
their own device is proving increasingly popular. The
shift to users’ own devices is inexorable and is forcing
organisations to formalise their approach to device
management.
As business and consumer technology becomes
increasingly converged, it is no surprise that employees
are opting for a single device for their business and social
computing. A 2013 study by Gartner “Bring your own
device: The Facts and the Future”, predicts more than
50% of all businesses will be mandating a BYOD strategy
by 2017.
Whilst there are obvious benefits in terms of flexibility
and productivity, BYOD doesn’t come without its
challenges. Costs become difficult to manage and
security is a major consideration. Managing a disparate
portfolio of smartphones, tablets and laptops can be a
real headache for IT.
WHAT’S TRENDING?
6 |
7. CLOUD COMPUTING
From infrastructure to platform and software-as-a-
service, the Cloud is a genuine revolution in terms of
information and communications technology. The Cloud
offers significant benefits to business in terms of cost
savings and process efficiencies, as well as increased
flexibility and resilience.
As consumers become increasingly Cloud-savvy,
businesses will continue to make more IT services and
applications available. Instant access to business critical
applications is made easy and the cost of provisioning
and upgrading software licenses is significantly reduced.
VIDEO
Video is becoming more and more prevalent in business
communications as a broader range of devices comes
equipped with AV capability. The increase in quality of
audio and video has been accompanied by significant
increases in connectivity and bandwidth, enabling high
definition video across a range of devices.
As organisations come under pressure to reduce
costs and carbon emissions and to encourage greater
collaboration across geographical divides, immersive
teleconferencing facilities have become increasingly
popular.
BIG DATA
We live in an increasingly connected world. One where
everything and everyone has access to the internet.
One of the by-products of a digital workplace is an
overwhelming volume of data. More data has been
created in the past two years than in the entire history of
mankind.
By 2020, it is predicted that 1.7MB of data will be created
every second, for every single person on the planet -
that‘s over 1,500 terabytes per second.
The challenge comes in turning all this information into
actionable intelligence.
| 7
8. VoIP
Voice over IP (VoIP) has been with us since the turn of the millennium and has become the de facto standard for modern business
communications. VoIP delivers a number of advantages over traditional PBX and copper wiring solutions, including:
The adoption of IP has been gathering pace since it first became available to the mass market in 2004. Whilst there is still a large
installed base of PBX systems in use, most organisations have a migration plan in place and intend to move to IP when their current
PBX reaches end-of-life.
CONVERGED VOICE AND DATA
The introduction of VoIP systems has allowed for the convergence of voice and data networks, allowing businesses to deliver
multiple services across a single IP network.
The rapid adoption of converged systems infrastructure is a result of the inherent benefits of reduced costs and complexity and
increased functionality and performance; which appeals to organisation of all types and sizes.
By moving to a converged IP network businesses are able to deliver against the age-old measure of “doing more for less” and
benefit from improved call management, reduced call costs and a simplified ICT infrastructure.
ON-PREMISE, MANAGED, HOSTED OR CLOUD?
As with all business technologies, organisations have a choice between investing in an on-premise solution and leveraging one of a
range of service providers.
If your business is based out of a single office and doesn’t need to contact remote or mobile workers frequently then an on-premise
solution is the safe option.
However, this is a model that applies to very few businesses nowadays. If you are a business that runs multiple offices, employs
home-workers, maintains a field sales force, operates a contact centre or a help-desk then a hosted or cloud solution is likely to
offer a better fit.
IP– THE PLATFORM
FOR UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
8 |
9. BENEFITS OF CLOUD-BASED
UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
Implementing UC in the cloud can
deliver wide-ranging benefits to any
business; including user experience,
customer satisfaction, IT administration
and cost efficiency.
1. COLLABORATION
One of the major benefits of cloud hosted UC is the ability for
remote and mobile workers to work collaboratively with their
office-based colleagues. As collaborative working becomes
more prevalent, audio and video conferencing provides
remote users with a more immersive experience.
2. EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION
Reducing travelling time, improving collaboration and
enabling remote or flexible working can aid staff motivation
and retention. 69% of senior managers believe the ability to
communicate effectively with customers and colleagues
helps attract and retain key personnel.
3. PRODUCTIVITY
Having immediate access to all of their communications
tools via a single interface saves users time and
allows them to remain productive; whether they are at home,
in the office or on the move. 70% of senior managers agree
that the ability to deliver projects faster will help increase
sales.
4. DECISION MAKING
Projects are often subject to delay if the right decision
maker cannot be contacted at the right time. Leveraging the
real-time elements of UC can help speed up the approvals
process.
5. CUSTOMER SERVICE
Improvements in productivity and accessibility
have a positive impact on customer service levels
as enquiries can be routed to the right contact and
responded to quickly.
6. COST SAVINGS
UC provides cost and time savings on a number of levels.
A hosted solution is more cost-effective to implement
than an on-premise solution, reducing capital expenditure.
Operating costs are also driven down with lower call costs
and software licensing fees.
7. BUSINESS CONTINUITY
A cloud hosted UC solution provides much greater
resilience as automatic failover and call routing can carry
on seamlessly, regardless of user location. By taking
communication to the cloud you effectively eliminate the
“single point of failure”.
8. SCALABILITY
Cloud hosted UC services, provided on a per-user, per
function basis are incredibly flexible. Provision can be scaled
up or down effortlessly to meet your changing business
needs, without the need for complex roll-outs.
9. VENDOR CONSOLIDATION
Converged voice and data services mean a single
vendor and a single invoice for local, national and
international calls as well as conferencing, Exchange
and Internet access.
10. SIMPLIFIED INFRASTRUCTURE
Converged voice and data infrastructure results in
a significant reduction in infrastructure costs and
management time; freeing IT resource to focus on other
business-critical activity.
11. A GREENER APPROACH
UC can facilitate a reduction in the number of devices and
systems required for day-to-day operations, reducing both
power consumption and physical office space. Collaborative
remote working also cuts down on user travel, helping
reduce your carbon footprint.
| 9
10. Unified Communications is not just a solution for large
enterprises. In fact, many small and medium sized
businesses can realise greater benefits from adopting
a unified approach.
If you are a start-up business, deploying a unified
infrastructure from the outset makes a great deal of
sense. It will reduce your capital expenditure on ICT and
provide a solution that will scale seamlessly as
your business grows.
If you are a small business that runs out of multiple offices,
UC can deliver significant cost savings and improve
productivity. Making your users more easily accessible to
your customers and suppliers also helps improve customer
service and time management.
If you are planning a merger or acquisition, now is a good
time to move to a UC platform; rather than being stuck with
disparate legacy systems and vendors.
If you are outgrowing your current telephony system or your
PBX is going end-of-life, it is an ideal opportunity to migrate
to a UC platform. Taking your communications to the cloud
provides a more flexible, future proof solution.
If you are a larger business that is establishing a contact
centre, UC can help improve customer satisfaction and agent
performance as calls are routed quickly and intelligently. If
you are implementing remote working or BYOD strategies,
UC can deliver improvements in user
productivity, collaboration, cost management and IT
provisioning.
If you are looking to implement greener working practices,
UC offers support in terms of reducing the overall IT estate
and helping to reduce the power and cooling requirements
for your data centre. Greater collaboration and a more
immersive remote working experience also reduce the need
for user travel.
WHO SHOULD BE
CONSIDERING UC?
Multiple
Offices
Legacy
PBX
Contact
Centres
Mobile
Workers
Start-ups Mergers
Acquisitions
10 |
11. WHY
IP SOLUTIONS
IP Solutions help improve business
performance and efficiency through the
intelligent application of cloud-based
telecommunications solutions.
Our strategy is based on three core principles:
TALENTED PEOPLE,
BEST in CLASS TECHNOLOGY
PROVEN METHODOLOGY.
We start by understanding how your business works,
what your objectives are and the integral role that
technology plays in delivering value to both your users
and customers.
Secondly, we utilise cloud communications technologies
from the world’s leading vendors to design
and deliver cost-effective solutions that are flexible, scalable
and reliable.
Finally, we leverage best-practice to implement and support
transformative solutions that are tailored to address your
specific business needs and deliver long-term value.
Our essential unified communications and contact centre
solutions are enhanced by a portfolio of complementary
cloud services; including infrastructure, storage and call
management. All of our solutions are underpinned by
high-performance, high-quality voice and data connectivity.
| 11
12. IP SOLUTIONS. BORN IN THE CLOUD.
T: 0800 988 2020 | E: INFO@IPSOLUTIONS.CO.UK
IP SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED. BURY HOUSE,31 BURY STREET, LONDON EC3A 5AR
