Unified Communication: gradually integrate into business processes

Cisco has 90 Unified Communication products. Microsoft launched the Office communication server software two years ago and launched the Unified Communication Campaign.

However, the process of combining voice and data started a long time ago. This technology mainly relies on Unified Communication and VoIP. Unified Messaging also promotes the development of this emerging technology. However, it was not until the supplier began to eliminate the differences between fixed and wireless communication, and launched services such as online status display software, instant messaging, and desktop video conferencing.

Jirina Yates, marketing manager of Avaya's Enterprise Solutions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, admitted that Microsoft's entry helped unify communication to take off. Microsoft's competitors also acknowledge this. However, Microsoft released a product. We released 50 products. In addition to business needs, we have not implemented unified desktop communication.

Avaya's main product is call processing software based on the Communication Manager server. Avaya launched Intelligent Presence this year. This software collects online status information from third-party phones or desktop applications, including Microsoft and IBM. The company will also launch a Unified Communication solution to reduce the price of software packages for different types of enterprises, including stores and banks.

At the same time, Microsoft has established its own product portfolio around three core software products: Exchange, Office communication server, and Live Meeting. Microsoft Exchange processes emails, faxes, and voice mails. Mark Deakin, product manager of Microsoft Unified Communication, said that currently 1/5 of Microsoft Exchange Applications contain the central communication factor.

The Office Communication Server transmits instant messages, online status services, and audio, video, and web conferencing. In many aspects, it is Microsoft's PBX. Live Meeting is a web display tool that allows users to exchange information during meetings.

According to market research firm PMP, despite a lot of publicity, Unified Communication is still in the early stage of application. Last year, only 5% of British enterprises used this technology. Only 18% of enterprises have plans to launch this technology.

Cost, complexity, and system incompatibility are obstacles to IT managers adopting unified communication technology. The corresponding measures of the communication industry are the criteria for establishing partnerships, joint research and development openness.

Suppliers like to emphasize that they are targeting small and medium-sized enterprises. It is undisputed that SMEs will benefit more from such a more flexible communication.

Vswitch manufacturer beidian Network signed a four-year R & D partnership with Microsoft two years ago. This cooperation shows that it takes a lot of effort to combine traditional telephone and data communication. This Protocol includes combining the IP telephone service of beidian network with Microsoft's Office communication server and Exchange.

Paul Rowe, marketing director of the Unified Communication product for Beijing Telecom in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said that since January this year, we have been the first and only vendor with products that have reached Microsoft standards. Our communication server 1000 product meets the ip pbx quality standard of Microsoft Office Communication Server.

Nortel and Microsoft have established a collaboration center in the UK's Maidenhead. Microsoft has 500 employees there to provide unified communication services for all UK customers.

Not all major manufacturers are willing to cooperate. For example, Cisco maintains the proprietary nature of its product portfolio in the form of hardware. Cisco's main product is the Unified Communication Manager designed to provide voice, video, mobile, and online status services to devices that contain IP phones, VoIP gateways, mobile devices, and multimedia applications.

Another key factor in Cisco's strategy is WebEx. This is a subscription service that Cisco acquired last year for Web-based conference and data sharing.

Although Cisco insists that it is not invented here, Cisco also supports Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Like all major vendors ). This is a standard for Unified Communication for telephone calls.

However, Mark Forster, Cisco UK communications Sales Manager, stressed the importance of business processes. He said that in the future, Unified Communication will be related to collaboration, and it will exist in SAP and Oracle Applications. When a person who works on an SAP account encounters a problem, he can find a colleague who can help and find out if they are online and how to call them.

Cisco is not the only vendor that needs to embed online status functions into business processes. As providers strive to increase productivity and improve customer service, this may be the next major event in Unified Communication.

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