Many enterprises are transitioning from asset-heavy platforms to environments in which minimal gear is located on the premises. The challenge is moving to these lighter cloud-based environments seamlessly, efficiently and cost-effectively. Unified communications-as-a-service platforms (UCaaS) offer hybrid options that service provider CSC says may be the answer.
It is easy to over-simplify and make no distinction between UC activities in Europe and the United States. That would be a mistake, despite the deep similarities between businesses in the two areas -- and the fact that many companies are active in both.
IntelePeer and WorkSpace Communications used Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference 2010 to announce a unified communications and SIP trunking arrangement that the companies say will make it easier for service providers to offer Office Communications Server-based services. 
Companies in the news this week also include National Unified Procurement Company, Mitel, Librestream, Cisco, ADTRAN, Hello Direct, Jabra, RADVISION, Apple, LG, LifeSize, Polycom, Zoltes and Officescape. 
The increasing acceptance of unified communications as a repository of corporate communications tools suggests that the next big battle -- the creation of standards enabling interoperability between products from different vendors -- has arrived. 
Unified communications' fortunes are to a great extent dependent on the ability of systems from different vendors to communicate. An impressive array of important companies -- so far minus Cisco, IBM and Avaya -- have formed the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum. In this podcast, UCIF Vice President Mark Gorzynski describes the group's mission and timing and discusses the big players who haven't yet joined.
Elegant technology is important. But it is vital to make sure the organization's end users are on board. There are two levels to this: One is to continually reinforce the fact that UC is coming -- and that its benefits will far outstrip any initial hesitation. The other task is to study end users, foibles and all, to ensure that the tool chest being created is as useful as possible. 
UC is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. Creating a platform involves great initial and ongoing expenditures. The platform also will touch every facet of an organization's communications assets. Here are some important things to think about.Carl Weinschenk
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