Features

Features

• Comparing the top UC cloud products and providers

  Before you buy UC cloud-based products, consider these four key criteria: your business size, provider tech support, third-party app integration and contact center capabilities.  Continue Reading

• NEC Univerge Blue: UC as a service product overview

  Univerge Blue's cloud-based communications include extensive mobility features and call-center capabilities. The UCaaS product also offers robust security settings.  Continue Reading

• UC tech-buying power shifting from IT to lines of business

  Empowered by cloud-based services and consumer-oriented expectations, lines of business are wresting technology-buying power from IT departments and purchasing collaboration apps.  Continue Reading

• Video conferencing in the cloud aids Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

  The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians deployed Lifesize's Skype for Business integration to migrate to the cloud and improve communications within the community.  Continue Reading

• Ringing endorsement: Which VoIP telephones fit your needs?

  With hundreds of models and countless features to choose from, picking the right IP phone can be a challenge. Here's what IT managers need to know before they make the call.  Continue Reading

• Unify Circuit: UC as a service product overview

  The Unify Circuit platform provides a single cloud-based service that addresses organizations' cross-platform team collaboration and communication needs.  Continue Reading

• After Atos acquisition, Unify collaboration roadmap emerges

  The dust is settling after Atos acquired Unify. Now, Unify CEO Jon Pritchard details how the acquisition has affected the company's collaboration products.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate cloud vs. on-premises video conferencing tools before you buy

  Before you buy video conferencing services, evaluate the components of cloud vs. on-premises video to determine which deployment model is the right fit for your organization.  Continue Reading

• Land and expand: Collaboration apps gain ground, with or without IT's OK

  Workers unhappy with available collaboration platforms increasingly bypass IT and download apps such as Slack and Unify Circuit, then convert their colleagues into users too.  Continue Reading

• The business case for video conference technology just got easier

  Use cases for video conference technology have transformed recently, as the software-as-a-service model provides greater flexibility, lower cost of ownership and easier deployments.  Continue Reading

• VIPedge: Toshiba cloud UC service product overview

  VIPedge, the Toshiba cloud UC system, implements unified communications as a service with strong support help and integration with existing Toshiba IP PBX units.  Continue Reading

• Cisco HCS: UC as a service product overview

  Cisco HCS cloud unified communications system integrates with existing collaboration and presence technology, like Cisco Presence and Instant Messaging Server.  Continue Reading

• Medical center deploys video integration in virtual doctor visits

  The Medical University of South Carolina expands its telehealth program with a video integration that allows doctors to connect with patients directly from health records.  Continue Reading

• Employee consultation needed before deploying new UC tools

  Organizations that don't seek an employee consultation before deploying communications tools may struggle with adoption. Learn how to deploy tools that employees want to use.  Continue Reading

• Benefits of video conferencing unlock with flexible setups

  There's a dizzying number of products for enterprise video conferencing, and it's unlikely that a single type of endpoint will fulfill all your needs.  Continue Reading

• Video conferencing systems help NATO keep the peace

  An extensive video conferencing deployment helps employees and partners at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) collaborate responding to world conflicts.  Continue Reading

• How to buy business VoIP services

  Business VoIP services are increasingly essential to modern companies. This guide concisely explains VoIP technology and what to look for when determining what VoIP services to buy.  Continue Reading

• Cisco vs. Microsoft: Cloud becomes latest battlefront for UC

  As these industry giants wrestle for dominance in UC, their fight moves to the cloud. But as their offerings increasingly overlap, how do you decide which best fits your business?  Continue Reading

• Preparing your organization to deploy Skype for Business

  To ensure a successful Skype for Business deployment, organizations must consider their end-user needs, infrastructure demands and the proper deployment model.  Continue Reading

• How to evaluate cloud unified communications services

  This guide will help you choose cloud unified communication services that best equip employees to work from wherever they are, and on whatever device they have.  Continue Reading

• Can video conferencing technology keep kids in school?

  How can video conferencing technology make a difference outside the boardroom? One engineer explains her plan to use it to help at-risk students in rural Tunisia.  Continue Reading

• Unify OpenScape Voice: Product overview

  With support for mobility, video and scalability for up to 500,000 users, OpenScape Voice -- and the rest of the Unify UC portfolio -- is well-suited for large enterprises.  Continue Reading

• ShoreTel Connect ONSITE: Product overview

  With a simple deployment model, the recently revamped ShoreTel UC platform is well-suited for multisite organizations and looks to contend with other major vendors.  Continue Reading

• NEC UNIVERGE 3C: Product overview

  Unlike solutions that are licensed by service, the NEC UNIVERGE 3C offers a unique licensing model, providing users with complete UC services without additional costs.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Skype for Business Server: Product overview

  With its Skype for Business services, Microsoft has shaken up the unified communications market by launching an unconventional platform that's generating significant growth.  Continue Reading

• Alcatel-Lucent OpenTouch suite: Product overview

  The Alcatel-Lucent UC portfolio, including the OpenTouch Business Edition and OmniPCX platforms, offers a wide range of features for both small and large organizations.  Continue Reading

• How to select video conference equipment

  Video conferencing is nothing new, but that doesn't make selecting video conference equipment any easier. This guide will help you assess the latest technology and select what fits your enterprise's specific requirements and budget.  Continue Reading

• The 10 stories that dominated UC news in 2015

  Take a look at the UC news stories that shaped unified communications in 2015, from the rise of team collaboration apps to the changing video conferencing service market.  Continue Reading

• Avaya UC product overview: Aura Communication Manager

  The Avaya Aura Platform, perhaps best suited for larger enterprises, supports messaging, voice, video, presence and mobility features, as well as virtualization.  Continue Reading

• Mitel's MiVoice MX-ONE: Product overview

  Mitel communications products include the MiVoice MX-ONE suite, which can support up to 500,000 users. Many of Mitel's products can be managed from a Web browser interface.  Continue Reading

• Cisco UCM: Unified communications product overview

  The Cisco UC Manager supports instant messaging, video conferencing, mobility and presence technology. The platform can support up to 100,000 users in a cluster configuration.  Continue Reading

• Video conferencing technology evolution empowers new users

  The video conferencing market, once dominated by large room-based systems for internal company communications, now offers more flexible cloud-based options.  Continue Reading

• End-user training, internal marketing key to UC adoption

  You put the future in front of them, yet users still embrace 1-800 conferencing lines. The disconnect often stems from insufficient end-user training and internal marketing.  Continue Reading

• UC as a service emerging as a viable deployment model

  Telephony expert Jon Arnold examines the emergence of UC in the cloud and discusses how its evolution is part of a growing shift toward cloud-based services for the enterprise.  Continue Reading

• Adtran VoIP offerings: NetVanta 7100/7060 product overview

  The Adtran VoIP lineup, consisting of the NetVanta 7100 and 7060 IP PBX products, supports a wide range of features, including routing, switching and stateful firewall.  Continue Reading

• Mitel VoIP 3300 series controllers: Product overview

  The Mitel VoIP platform consists of the 3300 series controllers. With support for up to 2,000 SIP trunks, the 3300 series can replace legacy telephony in small or large businesses.  Continue Reading

• ShoreTel phone system: Product overview

  The ShoreTel VoIP system boasts several voice switches, simplified administration and automated backup. The premises platform is ShoreTel's replacement for PBX telephony.  Continue Reading

• Three buying principles for unified communications products

  After exploring possible use cases for unified communications systems, examine the value proposition, deployment models and vendor-partner relationship.  Continue Reading

• Univerge series NEC VoIP: Product overview

  The NEC VoIP offerings include the extensive Univerge series and a wide range of compatible IP telephones to accommodate organizations of varying sizes.  Continue Reading

• KX-TDE Series Panasonic VoIP system: Product overview

  Panasonic VoIP offerings include the KX-TDE series, with support for more than 1,000 extensions and up to 64 SIP trunks, providing customers with several configuration options.  Continue Reading

• Cisco UCM voice over IP system: Product overview

  Designed for small and medium businesses, as well as large enterprises, Cisco UCM provides voice over IP technology that can replace a legacy telephone system.  Continue Reading

• Game of Phones: Desk handsets still rule office phones

  The demise of desk phones has been predicted for years, but they stubbornly stick around. Why haven't alternatives to traditional office phones caught on?  Continue Reading

• As iPads multiply, enterprises look to take UC mobile

  In UC, mobile features have always been one step behind -- and when BlackBerrys dominated, that was OK. But times, and requirements, have changed.  Continue Reading

• Comparing the leading VoIP vendors and their products

  Before purchasing a VoIP system, enterprises need to carry out careful research as VoIP vendors offer intricate products with varying capabilities.  Continue Reading

• Users praise, critique Microsoft Surface Hub

  As early adopters evaluate the Microsoft Surface Hub, shipping of the large-screen collaboration device has been pushed back by four months.  Continue Reading

• What you need to consider before you buy VoIP

  When assessing VoIP systems, first consider VoIP features and functions, then gauge the scope of the service, network needs and plans for expansion.  Continue Reading

• Toshiba IPedge VoIP System Product Overview

  The Toshiba IPedge is a secure software-based VoIP system intended to replace legacy telephony.  Continue Reading

• Simplicity of Web-based collaboration tools gains appeal

  For so long, UC apps have been in a separate silo. Web-based collaboration tools like Cisco Spark and Unify Circuit bring UC to where users actually work.  Continue Reading

• Three use cases that highlight the benefits of VoIP

  Migrating from standard telephony to VoIP can be beneficial. In this article, telephony expert Jon Arnold examines three common VoIP use cases.  Continue Reading

• Analyzing VoIP basics reveals telephony's evolution

  Telephony expert Jon Arnold dissects enterprise VoIP basics -- including the technology's evolution and how it works -- and compares it with legacy telephony.  Continue Reading

• UC services, projects rank modestly in networking survey

  UC services, projects and planned investments rank in the middle of the pack among IT pros' networking goals in a recent TechTarget survey.  Continue Reading

• Video-conferencing hardware fine-tunes music academy's virtual classrooms

  Video-conferencing hardware has helped the Iconic Music Academy connect virtual classrooms worldwide with affordable technology.  Continue Reading

• Cisco Spark vs. Unify Circuit: Comparing collaboration apps

  Collaboration apps that target mobile workgroups are making their way into the enterprise. Our chart compares two high-profile apps: Cisco Spark and Unify Circuit.  Continue Reading

• Cloud UC benefits extend to disaster recovery

  If a disaster knocks out on-premises UC systems, business grinds to a halt. But that's also when cloud UC's benefits around disaster recovery shine.  Continue Reading

• Collaboration applications faceoff: Microsoft vs. Cisco

  Microsoft's Skype for Business and Cisco's Jabber and WebEx have similar features. Here, we compare these collaboration applications to find the similarities and differences.  Continue Reading

• New analytics tools help track video conferencing usage

  You’ve invested heavily in video conferencing. Was it worth it? New analytics tools try to answer that question by reporting on video conferencing usage.  Continue Reading

• What do you need to know before adopting video as a service?

  What should you know about video as a service before you deploy? Video expert Stephen Campbell explains how it integrates with existing endpoints and how to choose a provider.  Continue Reading

• Is your Web conferencing service as secure as you think?

  In general, Web conferencing service security is tight, but experts warn some gaps could be exposed. Find out what safeguards to put in place to keep your data secure.  Continue Reading

• Comparing video conferencing services

  With so many video conferencing services available, it can be difficult to determine which is right for your enterprise. Use this chart to help decide which service meets your needs.  Continue Reading

• Striving for secure unified communications

  With security threats on the rise, IT must pay special attention to secure unified communications components, reports Jim Romeo.  Continue Reading

• Benefits of video conferencing include less travel, but it's not No. 1

  Reduced travel has long been the top reason to deploy video, but enterprises find the soft benefits of video conferencing reap greater rewards.  Continue Reading

• UC transition from PBX systems surges as vendors end PBX support

  After years of predictions, the enterprise transition from PBX systems to UC platforms is finally gaining speed as vendors phase out PBX support.  Continue Reading

• VoIP and unified communications define the future

  Chapter 6 of the book "VoIP and Unified Communications: Internet Telephony and the Future Voice Network" offers a history of VoIP and UC technologies.  Continue Reading

• Business video conferencing: Will users ever prefer visual calls?

  Enterprises weigh in on their use of business video conferencing, and whether or not it could one day become the preferred method for communications.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Lync vs. Cisco UC: What the decision really comes down to

  Choosing between Microsoft Lync and Cisco UC requires a more strategic evaluation process beyond just comparing feature sets.  Continue Reading

• Five unified communications trends that change the collaboration game

  From WebRTC to consumer video in the enterprise, UC technology innovation is changing the future of collaboration ... again.  Continue Reading

• What WebRTC applications will and won't do for enterprises

  What can the enterprise really expect from WebRTC applications? UC analysts and vendors discuss misconceptions around the pre-standardized protocol.  Continue Reading

• Unified communications data analytics can improve social collaboration

  In this Q&A, Esna CEO Mohammad Nezarati explains how unified communications data can improve social collaboration.  Continue Reading

• Business social collaboration: Where the industry stands

  Industry analyst Irwin Lazar discusses the trends around business social collaboration and what's being done in today's organizations, in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• Google Hangouts vs. Skype: A comparative look

  Google's challenging Microsoft in the video conferencing market. This chart offers a feature-by-feature comparative look at Google Hangouts vs. Skype.  Continue Reading

• Mobile collaboration: Users need features, but not the whole tool set

  Sophisticated mobile collaboration features are needed as users rely more on mobile devices. UC feature sets differ across tablets and smartphones.  Continue Reading

• E911 services primer: Wireless and VoIP phones in emergency situations

  E911 provides services for wireless and VoIP callers during emergency situations, but determining a caller's location can be challenging.  Continue Reading

• On-premises vs. hosted cloud UC: Comparison chart

  This tech comparison offers an in-depth look at cloud UC to help you decide whether to stick with on-premises or opt for hosted cloud.  Continue Reading

• The future of unified communications & collaboration looks bright

  A recent Ovum survey looks at the future of unified communications & collaboration and sees good uptake in the technology. Why the renewed interest?  Continue Reading

• How to keep your UC&C deployment from failing

  Ovum research firm statistics point to challenges that could keep a unified communication and collaboration (UC&C) deployment from succeeding.  Continue Reading

• Unified Communications as a Service primer: Moving UC to the cloud

  This UCaaS primer explores why you might consider Unified Communications as a Service, what kind of services are available, who's using it and how.  Continue Reading

• Socialize: Comparing enterprise social software vendors

  Enterprise social software vendors Cisco, Microsoft and Socialtext promise to connect employees better. But which package is best for your business?  Continue Reading

• Skype vs. Google Voice: Feature-by-feature showdown

  Two companies are competing to rule the free-VoIP market. This chart offers a feature-by-feature comparative look at Skype vs. Google Voice.  Continue Reading

• Secure video conferencing: Auto-answer can be risky

  Enterprises concerned about secure video conferencing need to assess the risk posed by the auto-answer feature, which could open the door for snooping by unwanted visitors.  Continue Reading

• Do enterprises want to dump the desk phone for a softphone?

  Plenty of vendors tell UC managers that it's time to replace wired desk phones with softphone applications on laptops or UC apps on mobile devices. But is anyone really doing it?  Continue Reading

• Video over Wi-Fi: Planning and support considerations for UC managers

  As more UC users go mobile, video over Wi-Fi will present support issues. UC managers must work with network engineers on wireless LAN design, configuration and troubleshooting.  Continue Reading

• SIP video conferencing systems: A standardized approach to integration

  Vendors are moving toward SIP video conferencing for system integration. Our Expert Lesson details how SIP-based video conferencing solutions lay key UC architecture groundwork.  Continue Reading

• Mobile unified communications client overview: Connecting users

  Mobile unified communications can be a boon to user productivity, but supporting a mix of users and mobile devices can be a nightmare. Learn about apps to link devices to the IP telephony infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• A closer look at video conferencing solutions, technology and vendors

  Understanding the physical pieces of video conferencing solutions is key to implementation success. Take a closer look at the individual elements of your video conferencing system.  Continue Reading

• Making sense of unified communications cloud services

  Unified communications cloud services have the opportunity to fundamentally change how an enterprise delivers unified communications. With broad definitions and plenty of marketing spin, it is difficult to separate the real from the hyped. ...  Continue Reading

• Best IP telephony tutorials and primers of 2010

  The best IP telephony tutorials and primers for 2010 covers IP telephony infrastructure migration and management strategies; the challenges of IP telephony interoperability; how to overcome interoperability and integration issues; and the pulse of ...  Continue Reading

• Video resolution standards primer

  Understanding the video resolution standards for both standard definition and HD formats helps make informed video conferencing decisions.  Continue Reading

• Video conferencing adoption: Tracking trends and deployment strategies

  Video conferencing adoption is increasing as enterprises turn to higher-quality, lower-cost video technology to improve workforce collaboration and reduce reliance on travel.  Continue Reading

• Top 10 books: Best-selling IP telephony and UC titles

  This top 10 list of best-selling IP telephony and unified communications (UC) books includes such hot topics as SIP and SIP trunking, cloud computing, PBXs and IP telephony and is based on sales from VoiceCon 2010.  Continue Reading

• How to configure SIP trunks for the enterprise

  Configuring SIP trunks requires careful planning and pre-deployment network assessment and analysis. Learn how to configure SIP trunks properly, reliably and securely in this excerpt of a chapter from SIP Trunking.  Continue Reading

• Protect your UC services against eavesdropping and security attacks

  With the right access, anyone can observe or adjust your unified communications services. Learn how to ward off unauthorized modification and eavesdropping attacks in this chapter from Seven Deadliest Unified Communications Attacks.  Continue Reading

• Mobile IP networks: An overview

  With more people in the workforce moving mobile, thanks to road warriors and telecommuters, the demand for mobile IP is growing. In this chapter excerpt from "Wireless Networking Complete," you'll learn about mobile IP networks, from protocols to ...  Continue Reading

• Eye on the unified communications market: IBM

  This month we're profiling IBM -- taking a look at the company's business model and how it may fit into your unified communications strategy.  Continue Reading

• Fixed mobile convergence technology fundamentals

  Fixed mobile convergence (FMC) systems based on VoIP service build on convergence technology fundamentals to enable fully converged IP communications. This chapter will review FMC systems technology and discuss real-life deployments.  Continue Reading

• Identifying issues in a multi-site Cisco UC deployment

  Deploying Cisco Unified Communications Manager between multiple sites requires an appropriate dial plan, appropriate bandwidth, a quality of service (QoS) implementation and a design that can survive IP WAN failures. This chapter will explain the ...  Continue Reading

• The role of VoWLAN solutions

  Learn about voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) deployment from specific case study applications. This chapter excerpt details specific instances of VoWLAN deployment success.  Continue Reading

• Cisco Voice over IP: Routing calls over analog voice ports

  This chapter introduces basic configuration of analog and digital voice ports and demonstrates how to fine-tune voice ports with port-specific configurations. Upon completing this chapter, you will be able to configure voice interfaces on Cisco ...  Continue Reading

• SIP network security measures

  Learn about specific security measures that can protect your oganization in the event of a SIP-based network attack. This chapter details the different types of SIP attacks and discusses various security measures and solutions to protect your ...  Continue Reading

• Security in a SIP network: Identifying network attacks

  Learn about security in a SIP network and find out how an organization can protect itself from SIP-based VoIP and network attacks. This chapter details the different types of SIP attacks and discusses various security measures and solutions to ...  Continue Reading

• What UC is and isn't

  Want to know what unified communications (UC) is and what UC isn't? Find out here and learn about key UC elements and components.  Continue Reading