News
News
- May 24, 2016
24 May'16
Panasonic adds UC features to traditional telephones
Panasonic released a beefed-up desk phone that includes messaging and video conferencing, indicating the vendor is preparing for SMBs to adopt more UC features over the next few years.
- May 18, 2016
18 May'16
CPaaS, or communications-embedded apps, is next UC frontier
The CPaaS market is expected to boom over the next four years, with more businesses looking for communications capabilities inside the apps their customers use.
- May 13, 2016
13 May'16
Top 10 UCaaS providers ranked in industry report
IHS has released its 2016 scorecard for the top UCaaS providers in the North American market, while Cisco and Redbooth unveil an integration with Spark rooms for task management.
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- May 12, 2016
12 May'16
Microsoft Skype for Business voice demands IT due diligence
With Microsoft's Skype for Business voice posed as a serious option for the enterprise, businesses have to weigh the pros and cons of unplugging their traditional voice systems.
- May 10, 2016
10 May'16
Pros, cons of Cisco, Microsoft cloud communications
Microsoft wins on price, but enterprises that have complex telephone systems will find benefits in Cisco's options for cloud communications.
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Sponsored News
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It’s Time to Modernize Your SOC
Sponsored by Microsoft - With the shift to remote work caused by COVID-19, Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are under more pressure than ever, particularly with many SOC workers also working from home. Today’s reality is that SOCs have to embrace a new way of working in order to keep their analysts and admins effective and to ensure that morale doesn’t collapse under the weight of too much work and pressure. See More
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6 Factors to Consider in Building Resilience Now
Sponsored by Microsoft - COVID-19 has been, and continues to be, a stark reminder of the importance of business resilience. Organizations of all types and sizes have had to adjust to rapidly changing and unpredictable circumstances: A shift to remote work, supply chain disruptions, new digitally driven business models and an environment where uncertainty is the rule, not the exception. See More
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Why Zero Trust, Why Now
Sponsored by Microsoft - The concept of a Zero Trust cybersecurity architecture has been around for more than a decade, but adoption didn’t really begin to take hold until the past couple of years. As with many technology innovations, it hasn’t always been clear just what Zero Trust is all about and, more important, how to implement it easily and cost effectively. See More
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5 Best Practices To Secure Remote Workers
Sponsored by Microsoft - The impact of COVID-19 has changed the dynamics and landscape of remote work for at least the foreseeable future and, probably, forever. All of a sudden, organizations across all industries had to scale remote workers at unprecedented intensity and speed. See More
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- May 09, 2016
09 May'16
Microsoft unveils big SharePoint updates with mobile app
Microsoft announced several SharePoint updates, including a mobile app for iOS and Android, making the product more modern and compatible with the cloud-based Office 365.
- May 05, 2016
05 May'16
Skype for Business Mac preview is ready to test drive
Microsoft released its long-awaited Skype for Business Mac preview. The application, to be rolled out in three phases, will be available publicly later this year.
- May 02, 2016
02 May'16
Broader video conferencing options help meet user needs
With an ever-growing range of video conferencing options to meet a diverse range of needs, there's no reason to treat end users like a hive mind anymore.
- April 28, 2016
28 Apr'16
RingCentral announces new SaaS apps integration partnership
In UC news, RingCentral announces a partnership for SaaS apps integration, while the wearables market is expected to see a surge in shipments for enterprise and industrial use cases.
- April 28, 2016
28 Apr'16
Vonage recognized for high-quality voice, video service
Vonage has won this month's Network Innovation Award. The VoIP provider's SmartWAN delivers high bandwidth at a low price point, coupled with quality of service and scalability.
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- April 27, 2016
27 Apr'16
Apple's shift on WebRTC technology lacks details
Apple has said it is developing WebRTC technology, but enterprises won't see any benefits in online communication applications until the vendor installs the code in Safari.
- April 25, 2016
25 Apr'16
Polycom acquisition raises questions over vendor partnerships
Following Mitel's announcement that it was acquiring Polycom, analysts speculated on what will become of the vendors' endpoint and channel partnerships.
- April 18, 2016
18 Apr'16
Microsoft unveils tools to increase productivity at work
Microsoft has introduced Office 365 tools that monitor employee time and email activity to improve productivity at work.
- April 18, 2016
18 Apr'16
Mitel and Polycom announce $1.96 billion merger
Mitel and Polycom agree to a merger that strengthens each company's product portfolio and global market reach. The combined company will have $2.5 billion in annual revenue.
- April 15, 2016
15 Apr'16
Video banking accruing interest among financial firms
In UC news, Crestron has announced two services that aim to improve meeting productivity, and a report finds the banking industry has a growing interest in video services.
- April 11, 2016
11 Apr'16
Microsoft Connectors adds business content to Office Groups
The Microsoft Connectors feature in Office 365's Groups has been expanded, with more than 50 third-party partnerships, months after the feature's release last November.
- April 08, 2016
08 Apr'16
Zendesk launches Office 365 collaboration integration
In UC news, Zendesk integrates with Office 365 Groups for customer service collaboration. Also, a report on mobility trends reveals that security concerns are effecting adoption.
- April 06, 2016
06 Apr'16
Dimension Data buys Ceryx for Microsoft expertise
Dimension Data has acquired Ceryx to provide customers with the option of subscribing to hosted Microsoft products, such as Exchange, SharePoint and Office 365.
- April 04, 2016
04 Apr'16
ShoreTel offers customers plug-in for Skype for Business
ShoreTel has announced a plug-in for Skype for Business that is targeted at customers who use the video conferencing software without the premium telephony services.
- April 01, 2016
01 Apr'16
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.
- March 28, 2016
28 Mar'16
Examining the Avaya and Zang CPaaS relationship
Analysts dissect Avaya's relationship with its new CPaaS spin-off, the two trends pushing public cloud adoption and how to prepare for an SD-WAN implementation.
- March 25, 2016
25 Mar'16
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise offers managed UC service
French telecommunications equipment provider Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise jumps into the UCaaS race by offering its own version of a managed UC service, including file share and team chat.
- March 15, 2016
15 Mar'16
Enterprise UC managers rein in the cloud craze
Debunking the cloud craze, a panel of IT architects at Enterprise Connect said many of their UC applications are still on premises, or at least hosted in a hybrid structure.
- March 09, 2016
09 Mar'16
Avaya launches Zang for communication applications
Avaya announced it had created Zang, a cloud-based company for developers building customized communication applications, at the Enterprise Connect conference.
- March 09, 2016
09 Mar'16
SD-WAN technology promises enterprises control, cost savings
The latest UC innovations are testing the limits of enterprise networks. At Enterprise Connect, industry leaders discuss how SD-WAN technology can give networks the boost they need.
- March 09, 2016
09 Mar'16
Microsoft broadens Skype telephony services
Microsoft introduced at Enterprise Connect a version of the Skype telephony service that connects to a company’s existing phone lines and numbers.
- March 08, 2016
08 Mar'16
What's really driving the UC and collaboration market
The cloud, APIs and mobility are the major trends coming out of Enterprise Connect. Analysts break down how these trends are impacting the UC and collaboration market.
- March 08, 2016
08 Mar'16
Cisco Spark creates developer fund for custom apps
At Enterprise Connect, Cisco announced a $150 million fund to invest in developers who build custom apps using the Cisco Spark collaboration service.
- March 08, 2016
08 Mar'16
Cisco, Microsoft want video conferencing systems interoperability
Microsoft and Cisco pledged video conferencing systems interoperability at the Enterprise Connect conference, but cross-vendor technology remains elusive.
- March 07, 2016
07 Mar'16
Cloud-based technology is hot at Enterprise Connect
Vendors meet in Orlando, Fla., for the annual unified communications-focused Enterprise Connect conference, where cloud-based technology is one of the most discussed topics.
- March 07, 2016
07 Mar'16
Best of Enterprise Connect 2016 award finalists
The Best of Enterprise Connect award finalists reflect the changing nature of unified communications, as cloud-based services become more prominent in the industry.
- March 04, 2016
04 Mar'16
New UC products and services on display at industry expo
Vendors will exhibit their latest UC tools at Enterprise Connect 2016, from team chat apps to virtual collaboration. Check out some of the announcements coming out of the conference.
- March 01, 2016
01 Mar'16
Numonix integrates cloud recording service in Office 365
Numonix has announced a Microsoft Office 365 integration that records voice, video, chat and desktop screen communications via a hybrid cloud environment.
- March 01, 2016
01 Mar'16
ShoreTel offers customers new hybrid cloud application
Business telecom provider ShoreTel has introduced a hybrid cloud application that lets companies mix and match on-premises and cloud services to run across multiple sites.
- February 25, 2016
25 Feb'16
WebRTC conference to gauge the technology's progress
A WebRTC conference at Enterprise Connect will check the health of the browser-based communications technology, as many enterprises are using WebRTC without knowing it.
- February 25, 2016
25 Feb'16
Vidyo rolls out upgrades to its video conferencing system
Vidyo, a software-based video conferencing system, rolled out infrastructure upgrades, including hardened security, and network performance and management optimization.
- February 24, 2016
24 Feb'16
Cloud, team chat apps top trends at UC conference
UC analyst Irwin Lazar previews Enterprise Connect 2016. He highlights the latest cloud advancements, team chat collaboration applications and vendor strategies.
- February 22, 2016
22 Feb'16
Avaya offers bridge for on-prem contact center technologies
Avaya announced its bridge service for middle-market customers who want to transition from on-premises hardware contact center technologies to cloud-based software.
- February 18, 2016
18 Feb'16
Enterprise Connect 2016: Special conference coverage
TechTarget's editorial team reports from Enterprise Connect 2016 on the latest unified communication news, trends and technology.
- February 17, 2016
17 Feb'16
Largest paint producer in U.S. eliminates work voicemail
The largest paint producer in the U.S. eliminated work voicemail for roughly 800 employees at its corporate office because of declining popularity among workers.
- February 11, 2016
11 Feb'16
InFocus unveils new video collaboration platform
This week in UC news, InFocus has announced a new platform that focuses on scalable video collaboration, while Kollective has launched its Konnector video broadcasting service.
- February 10, 2016
10 Feb'16
Small businesses get Microsoft FastTrack for Office 365
Businesses with at least 50 seats will now get access to Microsoft FastTrack for Office 365. The service was previously available to businesses with at least 150 seats.
- February 08, 2016
08 Feb'16
Logitech video conferencing hardware looks to fill a niche
Logitech has announced its newest line of conferencing hardware that aims to replace the laptop at the conference table and support video collaboration in meeting rooms.
- February 04, 2016
04 Feb'16
Cloud-based telephony provider RingCentral expands services
RingCentral, a cloud-based telephony provider, targets multinational businesses by expanding services to include Global Office cloud PBX packages in foreign markets.
- January 29, 2016
29 Jan'16
IBM buys Ustream, launches cloud video service
This week in UC news, IBM has acquired Ustream and added cloud-based video to its cloud service portfolio, while a survey found the hosted PBX market is steadily growing.
- January 26, 2016
26 Jan'16
Polycom introduces bundle for audio and video conferencing
Polycom introduces a new pricing structure for audio and video conferencing services, in hopes of grabbing market share from increasingly popular cloud-based vendors.
- January 20, 2016
20 Jan'16
Microsoft buys Event Zero's analytics and reporting tools
Experts believe Microsoft's acquisition of UC Commander, a collection of Event Zero's analytics and reporting tools, will improve Skype for Business for administrators and end users.
- January 15, 2016
15 Jan'16
Sonus WebRTC technology updated
Sonus WebRTC technology gets updated to WebRTC Services Solution 1.1 to include better security and mobile features for enterprise users, as well as support public cloud deployment.
- January 14, 2016
14 Jan'16
UCaaS market soaring as cloud-based technology evolves
This week in UC news, the UCaaS market continues its strong growth, while a Web conferencing services report sheds light on some of the market's trends.
- January 07, 2016
07 Jan'16
ShoreTel beefs up cloud-based contact center with Corvisa
ShoreTel announced plans to acquire Corvisa, solidifying its cloud-based contact center offering in a market expected to top $10 billion in 2018.
- January 07, 2016
07 Jan'16
The workplace trends shaping UC and collaboration in 2016
Evolving workplace trends are affecting how employees collaborate. Learn how UC and collaboration technology must adapt to support new ways of working.
- December 29, 2015
29 Dec'15
Taking a hybrid approach to the Microsoft E5 suite
Microsoft's new Office 365 E5 suite includes cloud telephony services, but the software faces some challenges with deployment and business adoption.
- December 28, 2015
28 Dec'15
Slack courts developers in team collaboration tools race
In an effort to be more competitive in the team collaboration tools space, Slack is offering $80 million to developers who build integrated applications.
- December 23, 2015
23 Dec'15
Talko acquisition caps year of UC services consolidation
This past year saw a surge of mergers and acquisitions among UC services, most recently with Microsoft buying startup Talko. Experts think this trend will continue in 2016.
- December 21, 2015
21 Dec'15
Keen UC insight the hallmark of 2015
In 2015, intriguing developments shaped the unified communications industry, highlighted in part by the emergence of Skype for Business, and the impact of WebRTC and VoIP technology.
- December 17, 2015
17 Dec'15
RingCentral launches new Apple Watch application
In UC news, RingCentral launches its mobile app for the Apple Watch, while a report finds that employee video skills are increasingly important in the workplace.
- December 11, 2015
11 Dec'15
Polycom phone portfolio supports Microsoft Cloud PBX
Polycom's line-of-business phones now offer support for Microsoft's telephony service, while the conferencing services market is seeing a shift toward video.
- December 10, 2015
10 Dec'15
Cisco, Microsoft UC battle to benefit tech buyers
Tech buyers can take advantage of the fight between Cisco and Microsoft for UC customers -- a battle that intensified this week with Cisco's overhaul of Spark.
- December 10, 2015
10 Dec'15
Mitel, Vidyo bolster partnership, video collaboration tools
Mitel has strengthened its partnership with Vidyo in order to boost video collaboration tools within its unified communications services.
- December 08, 2015
08 Dec'15
Cisco reinforces Spark as cloud-based PBX, UC service
About a week after a similar announcement from Microsoft, Cisco has reinvented Spark as a UCaaS offering, targeting small and medium-sized businesses and featuring cloud-based telephony.
- December 03, 2015
03 Dec'15
Microsoft's new Office 365 Enterprise E5 heats up SMB market
Microsoft's new Office 365 Enterprise E5 is expected to heat up the competition with Cisco and other telephony vendors in the SMB market.
- November 30, 2015
30 Nov'15
UC briefs: Unify updates team collaboration app pricing for SMBs
Unify has updated the pricing of its Circuit team collaboration app to appeal to SMBs, while Genband and SAP partnered to provide real-time collaboration for customer engagement.
- November 24, 2015
24 Nov'15
Cisco to connect video conferencing technology with Acano
Cisco acquisition of video conferencing technology specialist Acano would provide a bridge between Cisco UC software and Microsoft Skype for Business.
- November 24, 2015
24 Nov'15
UC is dead, long live UC?
Unified communications will soon reach its "use by" date, and the next evolution of enterprise communications is around the corner, analysts say. But what exactly is coming next? UC has reached ...
- November 24, 2015
24 Nov'15
ThinkingPhones acquires Fuze to bolster video conferencing service
UCaaS provider ThinkingPhones is taking a mobile-first approach to enhancing its video and Web collaboration capabilities by acquiring cloud video provider Fuze.
- November 19, 2015
19 Nov'15
Growing demand for video conferencing in huddle rooms
The popularity of office huddle rooms is behind a growing demand for low-cost video conferencing in the small meeting spaces.
- November 17, 2015
17 Nov'15
Atos-Unify deal leaves customer questions open for now
With Atos set to acquire Unify, UC customers are in limbo about the future of their Unify services and platforms until deal closes in early 2016.
- November 13, 2015
13 Nov'15
Blue Jeans revamps user interface for video meetings
Video collaboration services provider Blue Jeans has launched a new interface, video integrations and analytics capabilities. The new look, considered overdue, should boost usability.
- November 12, 2015
12 Nov'15
Microsoft updates Lync video conferencing technology
Microsoft updates Lync Room System, giving the video conferencing technology the same user interface as Skype for Business.
- November 10, 2015
10 Nov'15
UC briefs: RingCentral debuts Glip team collaboration app
RingCentral's Glip collaboration app is now available for RingCentral Office customers, while Masergy launches a virtual meeting room conferencing service.
- November 09, 2015
09 Nov'15
Embedded apps a hot UC trend
More businesses want UC software with third-party embedded apps that range from social media updates to notifications when networks go down.
- November 03, 2015
03 Nov'15
UC briefs: Microsoft tops social software in the workplace
Gartner's Magic Quadrant report for enterprise social software named Microsoft a market leader, while Polycom's third-quarter revenue is seeing short- and long-term declines.
- November 02, 2015
02 Nov'15
BroadSoft UC-One Hub bolsters cloud-based communications
Enterprise applications are central in BroadSoft's new UC-One Hub cloud-based communications tool.
- November 02, 2015
02 Nov'15
Facebook at Work taps into social networking for businesses
Despite brand recognition, familiarity and big customer wins, Facebook's business offering faces hurdles in the enterprise social networking market.
- October 29, 2015
29 Oct'15
Tely extends cloud video conferencing to small rooms
Tely's newest endpoint aims to help enterprises expand their cloud video services beyond the desktop and into small meeting rooms for greater collaboration across the workforce.
- October 28, 2015
28 Oct'15
Mobile-first development for enterprises growing
With a growing number of remote workers, businesses want vendors to focus on mobile-first applications for unified communications.
- October 23, 2015
23 Oct'15
How the Xbox spawned the Microsoft Surface Hub
Microsoft executive Michael Angiulo had a thought: If a couple teenagers in separate parts of the country, or world, can connect in a minute or two and talk, look at and play a video game together, ...
- October 21, 2015
21 Oct'15
UC briefs: Global UCaaS market poised for significant growth
Telephony services and enterprise mobility drive substantial growth in the UCaaS market, while Yorktel announces the launch of its Univago video suite.
- October 16, 2015
16 Oct'15
Understanding the small business VoIP transition
Small and midsize businesses are looking to make the VoIP transition to solve the problems caused by legacy phone services and meet the needs of a changing workforce.
- October 13, 2015
13 Oct'15
UC briefs: Video conferencing room deployments vary widely
A Wainhouse Research study shows how enterprise size impacts the approach to video conferencing deployments, while Polycom unveils new collaboration products.
- October 05, 2015
05 Oct'15
Jive-n collaboration tool gets more social on mobile devices
Jive rolls out a social intranet to add community to employee collaboration on mobile devices.
- September 29, 2015
29 Sep'15
UC briefs: Mobility, APIs driving UCaaS market
A recent Gartner Magic Quadrant report shows how the UCaaS market is evolving for enterprise mobility, while an IDG study shows the impact of UC tools on productivity.
- September 24, 2015
24 Sep'15
New Microsoft Office 2016 touts collaboration
The new Microsoft Office 2016 includes a Groups collaboration tool for building convenient team workspaces.
- September 23, 2015
23 Sep'15
Communication integration drives business app productivity
Mobility and the cloud have become the primary drivers for organizations to integrate communication capabilities like voice and video with business applications. Moving unified communications (UC) ...
- September 18, 2015
18 Sep'15
Verizon, CenturyLink top SIP trunking provider ranking
Verizon and CenturyLink take the top two spots in an IHS Infonetics SIP trunking provider ranking of the top 10 providers in North America.
- September 16, 2015
16 Sep'15
Companies look for email alternatives
More companies are seeking email alternatives to curb an overabundance of information.
- September 15, 2015
15 Sep'15
UC briefs: StrongLoop acquisition buoys IBM app development
In UC news this week, IBM acquires StrongLoop to support IBM app development in the enterprise, while NetFortris announces four new UC services.
- September 14, 2015
14 Sep'15
WebEx integration with Spark advances Cisco UC
Cisco combines mobile and Web collaboration with Spark and WebEx integration.
- September 10, 2015
10 Sep'15
Microsoft acquires VoloMetrix to improve Office 365 data analytics
Microsoft acquired VoloMetrix to mine Office 365 data for better intelligence on employee productivity.
- September 09, 2015
09 Sep'15
UC blogs: Industry leaders collaborate on open WebRTC video codec
In this week's blogs, UC analysts discuss the Alliance for Open Media's plan for an open WebRTC video codec, and BlackBerry's EMM market position.
- September 04, 2015
04 Sep'15
Polycom video conferencing gets tighter integration with Skype for Business
Polycom video conferencing system RealPresence provides better content sharing in Microsoft Skype for Business.
- September 03, 2015
03 Sep'15
Apple, Cisco to improve iOS for business, UC&C
Apple and Cisco are partnering to improve iOS for business. Analysts say UC&C performance could get better on devices running the mobile OS.
- September 01, 2015
01 Sep'15
UC briefs: Global spending on SaaS apps on the rise
Global spending on enterprise SaaS apps is expected to reach $201 billion in 2019; IR debuts service to help organizations migrate to Office 365.
- August 31, 2015
31 Aug'15
A new chapter for mobile UC and collaboration apps
Have mobile unified communications and collaboration apps finally outgrown their awkward adolescence?
- August 27, 2015
27 Aug'15
Businesses get behind mobile-first development for UC
With enterprises increasingly dependent on mobile devices, UC vendors that tackle mobile-first development can differentiate themselves.
- August 26, 2015
26 Aug'15
Which WebRTC video codec will prevail?
Cisco recently announced a new WebRTC video codec named Thor, which joins the fray of other video codecs competing for compatibility dominance.
- August 26, 2015
26 Aug'15
Hosted IP telephony market reaching mass adoption
More organizations are deploying hosted IP telephony and UCC services to reap the benefits of the cloud, according to a report from Frost & Sullivan.
- August 25, 2015
25 Aug'15
UC blogs: Kollective, Panopto form video platform partnership
In this week's UC blogs, analysts discuss Panopto and Kollective's potential enterprise streaming video platform partnership, as well as the innovative features of Enghouse's contact center platforms.
- August 20, 2015
20 Aug'15
ShoreTel offers single UC client trend for cloud, on-premises software
ShoreTel launched a single UC client for cloud and on-premises software designed to ease use of both.
- August 19, 2015
19 Aug'15
Gartner debuts Magic Quadrant for group video
A market evolution has led Gartner to create a Magic Quadrant for group video systems, as enterprises focus not only on endpoints, but infrastructure and interoperability with their room system deployments.