Unified Communications

Unified communications integrates real-time communication services such as instant messaging, presence information, IP telephony and video conferencing with non real-time services such as voicemail, SMS, email and fax into a single user interface.

Why hosted unified communications?

The services that comprise a unified communications solution were once only available as on-premise products requiring the purchase of the appropriate hardware and software. Today, these same services can be seamlessly delivered via the software-as-a-service model and professionally managed and maintained 24x7x365 – relieving the maintenance and management burden from resource-strapped IT departments.

Unified communications solutions offer a variety of services that can help workers better connect within and outside their organization. So while you are thinking about putting email – the ultimate collaboration tool – into the cloud, it may also make sense to evaluate your unified communications needs. Below are some resources that you may find useful during your evaluation and decision process.

Most unified communications solutions include some or all of the components listed below:

Presence: Provides real-time notification of users' current availability and ability to communicate.
Instant messaging: Enterprise IM systems offer security and privacy that public services cannot duplicate.
Unified messaging: The integration of voice, fax, email messages and message notification. Unified messaging enables users to access these messages from anywhere, anytime.
Speech access and personal assistant: Through speech commands, virtual assistants allow users to access their inbox, calendar, directory, etc.
Audio conferencing: Enables real-time collaboration via audio.
Web conferencing: Enables real-time collaboration via the Web.
Video conferencing: Enables real-time collaboration via video conferencing.
Collaboration tools: Provides users with shared workspaces, whiteboarding, file sharing and document sharing.
Mobility: Connects unified communications solutions to mobile wireless devices. Enables mobile users to participate in and access unified communications components when out-of-pocket.
Business process integration: Integration with business processes and workflow applications.

Helpful Articles/Resources:

Vendor Blogs:

Unified Communications Providers:

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