Thanks in part to unified communications solutions like Microsoft Lync being used more by companies, there are more employees are now telecommuting than ever before. Despite Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's recent ban on working from home (or from coffee shops or anywhere else really), employees can still telecommute productively – when it is done correctly, according to PC World's Christopher Null. The first thing people and companies both need to do is make sure telecommuting can work as well as possible.
"You may not think twice about the Internet connection at your office – but when you're outfitting your home, bandwidth is a crucial consideration," he wrote. "Check with your internet service provider about upgrades, particularly faster data service. Comcast, for example, offers 50 mbps and even 100 mbps business-level service plans, both of them considerably faster than the sub-10-mbps speeds that most consumers receive with their plans. Otherwise, investigate different ISPs."
For businesses looking to bring in a great unified communications solution, Microsoft Lync can be a great way to go. Kevin Kieller, a professional in the industry, said on NoJitter.com that businesses have to understand that Lync is a complete UC solution and more than simply something to replace a voice system.
"Yes, Lync can, does, and for many organizations should, replace their existing voice system," he wrote. "However, if you are only looking for a voice system, Lync may not be the best choice. Lync is a UC solution and unified communications is about much more than just voice. While Lync is not only a voice system, I think it is important to emphasize that if you choose, you can deploy IP phones with Lync, just like you can with any other 'voice only' solution."
Unified communications' impact on the enterprise is difficult to calculate precisely, but there's no question that the technology's influence is tremendous. Firms that deploy UC platforms immediately become more flexible, efficient, effective and employee-friendly. Whether the company sees a positive return on its investment within a month, three months or even a year, there's little doubt that the deployment will eventually pay off, in one way or another.
One factor that could potentially compromise UC ROI and effectiveness, though, is security. UC security is frequently underappreciated, yet this is an essential component of any successful UC strategy. Firms need to embrace both the policies and tools necessary to ensure their UC resources remain fully protected at all times.
By their nature, UC platforms unite disparate aspects of a company's IT infrastructure into a single, coherent system. While this has obvious benefits, it also means that there are more potential access points for cyberattackers to target.
Making matters worse is the simple fact that cybercriminals are becoming both more numerous and more sophisticated in their efforts. Companies in every industry now collect and generate a tremendous amount of information, all of which may hold value for opportunistic hackers, as they can then either sell this data or use it to commit identity theft or fraud. Read More...
Any way you slice it, VoIP solutions are on the rise. The lure of decreased costs and increased flexibility has led to a marked uptick in the number of businesses that are abandoning on-premise PBX systems for hosted PBX and UC (unified communications) systems. Cloud-based business solutions are the way of the future, spurred by innovations in technology and accessibility that make the switch from on-premises systems to UC easier and more affordable than ever.
A recent market report by Infonetics noted that hosted service seats grew globally by 20 percent in 2013, and are predicted to have gained another 13 percent by the end of 2014. In contrast, growth in traditional PBX systems has remained stagnant for the last several years, and is showing signs of gradual decline. The economic and technological drivers behind this trend deserve attention.
Sangoma webinar in Wed, Dec 10, 2014 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM IRST
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Introductory Technical Training: Sangoma SBCs - Configuration of SIP Profiles & Trunks - Session 2 - Dec 10 (English)Tie-in your knowledge of Sangoma Session Border Controllers with this FREE ($299 Value) Online Introductory Technical Training. The presentation will last approximately 90 minutes followed by a Q&A section.
Agenda:
• SIP Profiles, Trunks and Domains, Media Profiles
• What is a profile
• What is a trunk
• What is a domain, upper registration vs. local registration
• What is a media profile
• Call Routing
