Unified Communications Benefits & Challenges

UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS Best of Breed V All in One There are two fundamental approaches to deploying unified communications - the network-centric approach and the software-centric approach. The networks' view is that UC requires a vendor-specific approach - from the network'up to deliver the full power of UČ. This creates a hurdle that many companies cannot surmount, and this approach has dramatically slowed adoption of UC. The software-centric view says that UC should run across any network or voice system regardless of who makes it. Best of Breed Ecosystem O Benefits Challenges Reduce the risk of vendor or technology lock-in Potentially limited interoperability and integration across multiple vendor platforms Choose platforms based on price, features or performance Multiple vendor roadmaps may pose challenges in the long run Often more open and flexible platforms - technologies Comparatively more complex management and maintenance Greater choices within broad partner ecosystems Leverage value of existing infrastructure Avoid rip and replace costs in mixed environments Make significant savings Benefit from greater 'forward flexibility' Single Vendor Upgrade Challenges Benefits Deeper interoperability and integrations among various UC components Lock-in with a certain vendor and technology stack May force price, functionality, performance or other compromises With integration and interoperability comes combined power for additional productivity benefits and management information More complex management and maintenance of heterogeneous solutions Streamlined management and maintenance of multiple applications Potentially limited ability to protect existing technology investments Fewer vendor relationships to maintain; greater vendor accountability Single-vendor roadmap/vision - innovation and choices may be limited Single-vendor roadmap/vision - smoother and more predictable evolution Off-the-peg UC solutions might be tempting, with a good price point and a bevy of features. But one size does not necessarily fit all when it comes to UC. www.c3.co.uk UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS Best of Breed V All in One There are two fundamental approaches to deploying unified communications - the network-centric approach and the software-centric approach. The networks' view is that UC requires a vendor-specific approach - from the network'up to deliver the full power of UČ. This creates a hurdle that many companies cannot surmount, and this approach has dramatically slowed adoption of UC. The software-centric view says that UC should run across any network or voice system regardless of who makes it. Best of Breed Ecosystem O Benefits Challenges Reduce the risk of vendor or technology lock-in Potentially limited interoperability and integration across multiple vendor platforms Choose platforms based on price, features or performance Multiple vendor roadmaps may pose challenges in the long run Often more open and flexible platforms - technologies Comparatively more complex management and maintenance Greater choices within broad partner ecosystems Leverage value of existing infrastructure Avoid rip and replace costs in mixed environments Make significant savings Benefit from greater 'forward flexibility' Single Vendor Upgrade Challenges Benefits Deeper interoperability and integrations among various UC components Lock-in with a certain vendor and technology stack May force price, functionality, performance or other compromises With integration and interoperability comes combined power for additional productivity benefits and management information More complex management and maintenance of heterogeneous solutions Streamlined management and maintenance of multiple applications Potentially limited ability to protect existing technology investments Fewer vendor relationships to maintain; greater vendor accountability Single-vendor roadmap/vision - innovation and choices may be limited Single-vendor roadmap/vision - smoother and more predictable evolution Off-the-peg UC solutions might be tempting, with a good price point and a bevy of features. But one size does not necessarily fit all when it comes to UC. www.c3.co.uk