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Author
Nigel Raiss
Subject Matter Specialist
IP/UC
Macquarie Telecom
The simplified approach to Unified Communications integration
 Decision-makers
in the corporate world realise the business benefits of Unified Communications
(UC) but may assume or be otherwise convinced that a forklift upgrade of the
company’s legacy PBX Phone System – and the associated expenditure and resources
to manage – is an inherent requirement. A new software-based approach eliminates
this problem by utilising existing technology investments and integrating with
the legacy PBX hardware to provide a scalable & manageable UC platform.
There is no doubting the vision of Unified Communications (UC). In today’s
competitive business world enhancing business efficiencies, increasing
productivity and providing a simple and consistent user experience across all
types of communications can be valuable enablers of profitability & success.
However there has never been more access to different (& disparate) business
communications methods. Fixed and Mobile telephony, E-mail & SMS, IM & Social
Networking – these are all powerful tools when used intelligently and within a
business context but herein lies the challenge of UC – to transform business
process and take advantage of streamlined, intelligent and integrated paths of
communication.
So where to begin?
Approaches to Unified Communications Explored
A typical approach involves complex multi-vendor environments. Designing,
evaluating, piloting and commissioning such a solution would be acceptable to
the Industry Strategists’ vision. Sourcing Telephony experts, Software gurus &
relying on skill-set ‘mashups’ would all be assumed to make this approach work.
Does your IT Team or Solution Provider have the right resources experience in
managing complex projects with multiple vendors & technologies?
Perhaps you would prefer to subscribe to the Telephony Vendor’s vision, and
look for an end-to-end solution that can be introduced to your Desktop
applications & systems. Choosing to utilise all of the Vendor’s building-blocks
may provide the advantages of a comprehensive platform and a clear roadmap,
however will this approach provide the benefits your business needs or all those
that the Vendor evangelises? Choosing to follow the Telephony Vendors’ solution
today may mean you are not as flexible to develop in the future.
"Removing the requirement for a Forklift Upgrade & deploying the
services within an existing framework would achieve instant advantages."
Removing the requirement for a Forklift Upgrade & deploying the services
within an existing framework would achieve instant advantages. Minimising costs,
increasing the value of existing IT assets and utilising current management
skills are all are obvious benefits that will help to minimise Total Cost of
Ownership (TCO). The gains experienced by providing staff with a familiar &
consistent user experience and minimising the time taken to retrain will
significantly improve Return on Investment (ROI). This paper will explore
the advantages of the software-based approach to implementing Unified
Communications.
A new model for integrated voice and data communication
 One
of the fundamental requirements of a business is to communicate – whether that
is within the office, the business, across the country or across the globe. For
a long time the telephone has been the principal tool to facilitate
communication. The basic features and functions of the telephone have not
changed in general until relatively recently. At the same time the emergence of
E-mail, the Internet & mobile telephony has burst upon the scene and the
challenge of integrating Voice & Data has now well & truly arrived.
Supporting the move towards IP Telephony (IPTel) & Voice over IP (VoIP) the Dell’Oro Group forecasts that by 2011, traditional PBXs are projected to make up
less than 5 percent of the total market revenues - a steep decline from 2002
when the traditional PBX segments accounted for more than 85 percent of market
revenues. This prediction is further supported by another recent study conducted
by Omniboss, which found that more than half (54 percent) of SMBs (<500 seats)
did not have VoIP solutions, but 95 percent of those would like to have them.
"IDC reports that the number one ITC Organisational Challenge
facing C-Level Executives is cost reduction."
IDC reports that the number one ITC Organisational Challenge facing C-Level
Executives is cost reduction . The current economic climate increases the
requirement for successful businesses to drive further efficiency and
productivity within their organisations, as well as cutting costs. Whether this
means taking a defensive approach and cutting resources or re-evaluating tactics
and driving success by offering superior value, the overriding requirement to
address inefficiencies remains the same.
Finding and exercising key Business Advantages in an increasingly competitive
environment has never been more important. Generally this can be addressed by
acquiring new technology platforms, however maximising the value of existing ITC
assets and resources is a different approach that can provide the same results.
A likely area to create Business Advantages revolves around a business’ ability
to provide high levels of customer satisfaction.
Typically, being responsive to
a customer request and having the right tools to empower customer facing staff
to do so will place a business ahead of the competition that can’t.
Controlling Unified Communication costs and examining ROI
When investigating the potential business benefits that Unified
Communications could fulfil for your organisation, you’ve probably read or been
lead to believe that one of the key value propositions of an IP Telephony
platform (or at least an IP-ready PBX) is the foundation it will provide for
your future Unified Communications plans. However for organisations that still
utilise TDM-based or legacy PBX systems this immediately raised the hurdle of a
complete Telephony refresh – a Forklift upgrade.
This requirement to completely
replace the Telephony system is a serious roadblock for many organisations. It
is a delaying factor for improving overall communications, especially
considering the current economic climate as if the existing asset is not yet
fully depreciated, then organisations will typically look to extend maintenance
on the system.
"When the decision is made to refresh, the spectre of a large
and complex project is immediately raised. New projects result in new threats –
the risk of cost blowouts is raised especially as the company is investing in
new technology and therefore new management and support requirements."
When the decision is made to refresh, the spectre of a large and complex
project is immediately raised. New projects result in new threats – the risk of
cost blowouts is raised especially as the company is investing in new technology
and therefore new management and support requirements. Other factors need to be
considered such as implications of project timeline slippage, and of
complexities of integration with existing infrastructure. This all needs to be
taken into account, especially as the project will be utilising budget and
resources in priority of other projects or business needs.
Costs involved with deploying a platform of IP Telephony will of course be
significant. Capital expenditure will need to be committed, requiring a strong
Return of Investment (ROI) business case however this ROI will be delayed or
questionable due to nature of the project. The benefits organisations seek to
reap are dependant on the Unified Communications Project, not necessarily the IP
Telephony Project. Consider a multi-vendor solution for a moment. What are the
cost implications to provide support for the new systems? What will the
implications be on the organisations’ current support resources?
This type of
project won’t be releasing resources, but will be raising support requirements.
New staff or up-skilling of existing resources requires time and money. These
considerations also flow on after the deployment. How easy will it be to
troubleshoot a problem in a multi vendor solution? What about the inherent
finger pointing when trying to get support form different vendors and the
resultant increase in time to resolution of a problem?
The software approach to Unified Communications
 Software,
not hardware, is the future of communications. Planning an IP Telephony platform
based on Software makes sense. It avoids expensive forklift replacements of
existing systems and works with legacy PBX - using software that's compatible
with existing infrastructure. VoIP can integrate with an organisations’ PBX
infrastructure using SIP/PSTN gateways, and if the requirement includes
interoperability with branch office PBX’s that are IP enabled this can be
achieved directly with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).
This means businesses
can extend the useful life of existing infrastructure and provide the foundation
for new innovation in communication. It maximizes current PBX investment value
and provides the Corporate IP Telephony solution the organisation needs without
creating a lot of unnecessary work. It's big change, without changing
everything.
The Software approach to Unified Communications offer a wide range of
possibilities. By enabling communications over an IP network and integrating
these capabilities with the applications used most, voice communications can be
integrated with e-mail, calendaring, voice mail/unified messaging, instant
messaging, and Web conferencing to provide a streamlined experience rather than
the disconnected experience provided by legacy systems today. The
software-powered VoIP capabilities extend beyond legacy phone system
capabilities, with features targeted at collaborating in a UC environment. Cost
savings are realised immediately by avoiding capital outlay and maximising the
value of existing resources, however the savings go beyond the initial outlay.
By minimising the hardware installations required, the effort required to
integrate the UC solution is reduced.
The software approach also provides much more flexibility in how the UC
solution is implemented. The cost-effective and simple approach to deploying IP
Telephony allows the organisation to choose what features best suit its
communications requirements, and to roll these out at its own pace. Foundation
communications can be deployed in layers, with capabilities realised to provide
direct business benefits instead of features from a Vendors’ roadmap.
Organisations do not have to pay for everything the Vendor offers, but only what
they require.
Benefits
- Decrease costs while maximising the value of IT assets and resources
- Decrease TCO and maximise ROI
- Deploy incrementally to meet business needs
- Simplify integration and management
- Maximise support staff skills and minimise training requirements
Microsoft Unified Communications
The simplicity of Microsoft’s UC vision masks a complex technology challenge.
The solution is to leave existing hardware in place and use software to bridge
the gap. This unique approach is built around a quartet of software programs:
Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory service, Microsoft Exchange Server
2007, Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Live
Meeting 2007.
These four layers of software can be used in a variety of
combinations an organisations needs but each solution shares a common aim: to
maximise the use of existing IT infrastructure and make the Unified
Communications solution cheaper, faster and simpler to deploy. In many cases, an
organisation already owns licensing for some or most of these products.
Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory
A central component of the Windows platform, Active Directory service
provides the means to manage the identities and relationships that make up
network environments, and users and groups. All contact information is stored
here – E-mail address, phone extensions and mobile numbers etc – providing a
single repository to manage.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Business E-mail and messaging platform of choice, Exchange provides
E-Mail and Calendaring services.
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 manages all real-time
(synchronous) communications including instant messaging, VoIP, audio and video
conferencing. It also powers presence, a key benefit of Microsoft unified
communications that unites all the contact information stored in Active
Directory with the ways people communicate.
Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007
Microsoft Office Live Meeting is a hosted Web conferencing service that
connects and engages audiences in online meetings, training, and events through
a reliable, enterprise-class hosted service. With meeting attendees
participating from their PCs, you can deliver a presentation, kick off a
project, brainstorm ideas, edit files, collaborate on whiteboards, and negotiate
deals at a fraction of the cost and without the hassle of travel.
Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007
Office Communicator 2007 is the client application for real-time (synchronous)
communications. It is the user's primary tool for presence and directory
information, instant messaging, plus telephone calls, and audio- and
videoconferencing. Intuitive design makes it easy for users to communicate with
features like click-to-call and the ability to shift conversations from instant
messages to phone or videoconferences on the fly.
Office Communicator 2007 also integrates the entire communications experience
into the Microsoft Office system and beyond. Presence information appears
wherever a contact's name appears: in a document workspace, on a Microsoft
Office SharePoint Server site, or in an e-mail string. Additionally, users can
have tools like presence and click-to-call on their Windows Mobile-powered
devices.
References
A Guide to Microsoft® Unified Communications
(www.microsoft.com.au/uc)
Microsoft® Unified Communications Datasheet
(UC Fact Pack,
www.microsoft.com.au/uc)
Unified Communications Flyer
(Ensyst)
Unified Communications Discussion Guide For Partners
(Microsoft®)
Unified Communications: Top 10 Architecture
Considerations
(Adomo, Inc.)
7 Key Considerations for Deploying Unified
Communications
(Dimension Data)
Now how can we help you?
Got a question for Nigel Raiss on Unified Comms? Email your question
here.
Contact Macquarie Telecom
about how we can help you manage your communication integration.
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