Desktop video has always been a tough sell, but now the value is easier to prove because the cost is lowering.
Skype proved the people do like to use personal video—if it’s free (or relatively “free”) and easy. The same will apply in the enterprise.
The time is fast approaching for IT managers to begin taking desktop video seriously. This isn’t due to the dramatic improvements in the types of devices and services that support personal video, nor does it have much to do with the incessant marketing initiatives driven by certain suppliers that seem convinced customers are wandering in darkness and just don’t know what they are missing. Continue reading “Desktop Video is Beginning to See the Light”→
Microsoft has yet to show that it knows how to make the most out of the opportunities from its acquisition of Skype.
Microsoft has the potential to take voice revenue and customers from service providers, but regulators will be watching.
Microsoft’s $8.5 billion dollar acquisition of Skype has added a threatening new dimension to the software giant’s role in the communications market. On the surface, the decision seems natural for a vendor that has strongly promoted software-based IP telephony as a better alternative to PBXs. Services such as FMC and UC are proving effective as hosted solutions and showing a natural affinity for cloud-based delivery, which suggests that Microsoft is on to a winner. The obvious model is for Microsoft to embed Skype into Lync/Office 365, and even potentially into future iterations of its desktop/laptop and mobile Windows operating systems. Other vendors (e.g., BT’s Onevoice Anywhere solution) have demonstrated the cost-saving potential of driving voice calls over the corporate VPN via WiFi either through a softphone or a SIP client on a smartphone. Microsoft could use Skype In/Skype Out to handle PSTN interconnection and keep all calls between Skype clients off the PSTN. Skype can assign phone numbers and simultaneous call volume; Microsoft software can distribute basic calling or complex IP PBX functions (via Office365) throughout the organisation. Office 365’s popularity among businesses as a solution attracts numerous carriers globally, including the majority of European incumbents and mobile operators such as Vodafone. Skype will also strengthen Microsoft’s capability to offer voice- and video-enabled messaging and collaboration applications to business customers.
A total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis of a hosted contact center solution versus an on-premise offering can show cost reductions of 40% or more over the first three years of its lifecycle.
Brian Riggs - Research Director, Enterprise Software and Communications
Summary Bullets:
Mobility to be the next big product trend for enterprise video conferencing technology
There are a number of ways to extend corporate video conferencing solutions to mobile devices
The increasing adoption of video conferencing systems in the enterprise combined with the increasing adoption of video-capable mobile devices is set to both challenge and annoy IT departments. One of the problems is that the software and systems that deliver business-class video conferencing (from Cisco, IBMLifeSize, Magor, Microsoft, Polycom, Vidyo etc.) are completely different from the software that runs on the mobile devices wheedling their way into the enterprise as part of the BYOD phenomenon (from Apple, Google, Fuze, Skype, Tango, etc.). It’s unlikely that the two will learn to coexist peacefully anytime soon. Enterprise IT departments will continue to deploy on-premise or cloud-based video conferencing solutions that meet security and compliance requirements. And end users will separately use separate consumer-friendly video conferencing technology on their mobile devices with or without IT’s formal blessing. Continue reading “Extending Corporate Video Conferencing to Mobile Devices”→
Because of its potential to cut costs quickly and boost customer satisfaction, first contact resolution (FCR) is gaining recognition as the major key performance indicator (KPI) of success in customer care settings.
More enlightened customer care executives realize that their happiest customers are those that never have to contact a customer care center at all.
Because of its potential for immediate, effective and powerful results, FCR is gaining recognition and acceptance as a major KPI across customer service operations. The ability of a high FCR level to affect revenues positively and boost customer satisfaction, while decreasing the cost of customer care by reducing redundant operations, makes its achievement a win-win situation for both the corporation and its customers alike. Continue reading “First Contact Resolution – The Second Best Key Performance Indicator of Customer Care”→
The chasm between IT and network management is clear when looking at the issue of mobility solutions
Network service providers are investing heavily in mobility solutions, however, which may change perceptions going forward
Two weeks ago in this blog I wrote about the chasm that still exists between IT and networking considerations in business environments, and a recent study just published by Current Analysis on mobile device management and consumerization provides yet further evidence of this fact. Mobility is now a way of life for IT managers, not an overlay solution. Due to clear business drivers, mobility is being horizontally deployed and supported in organizations – no longer simply on a department-by-department basis. And we all know that the sheer number and types of devices used to support mobility in business have risen exponentially in the past two or three years, thanks to consumerization. But when we asked approximately 600 technology managers in the U.S and Europe what suppliers they will look to for help with the inherent management challenges presented by this mobility phenomenon, very few indicated faith in their network suppliers. They ranked technology suppliers, integrators and even the device manufacturers themselves over their network and connectivity partners. Continue reading “Mobile Device Complexity Driving New Thinking”→
Bandwidth is important, but CoS/QoS and network monitoring services are also important.
UC, contact centre solutions, and the cloud are natural bedfellows.
The ongoing Eurozone crisis and the growing realisation that the downturn is for life (or at least the next few years), and not just for Christmas, is affecting the way enterprises spend. Companies that were holding back on investment and waiting for the storm to blow over have now realised that investment is necessary both to stay competitive and to increase business efficiency. The cloud is logical choice for these customers as it reduces the need for capital outlay and is usually available and paid for on a flexible, on-demand basis. However, the cost saving potential of cloud based solutions can be damaged when providers are also offering higher bandwidth services (EFM or fibre) with a marketing wrap that suggests this extra bandwidth is necessary to support cloud based services. Continue reading “Azzurri is Right – Bandwidth isn’t Everything When it Comes to the Cloud”→
Don’t worry about how UC or collaboration is defined
Focus on what problems communications solutions can solve at your company
UC, collaboration, telepresence: Those are three of the big buzzwords in the markets I track as an analyst looking at business communications solutions. People – analysts in particular, but also executives and marketing managers – love to discuss endlessly exactly what they mean, precisely how they’re defined. But here is a secret: It doesn’t matter. Continue reading “Defining Buzzwords: An Exercise in Futility”→
Deployment of a UC&C solution does not automatically increase employee productivity, training is key to a successful implementation.
Changing communications practices and processes will be more challenging for some employees than others. Enterprises and their service provider partners need to identify these groups and work together to ensure that users and the enterprise are getting the most from their UC implementation.
Two of the main value propositions driving the unified communications bandwagon are the cost savings and increased productivity promised by purveyors of these solutions. Carriers are promising enterprises cost savings through reduced communications equipment needs and reduced operational expenses through on-demand applications and features. Employee productivity is increased by enhanced collaboration tools such as document sharing, video and Web conferencing, enterprise-wide instant messaging and presence, integrated wireless and wireline voice services. Sounds simple, right? Deploy a UC solution and you’ll save money and your employees will be more effective. Continue reading “Successful UC&C Implementation is More Than Just Service Deployment”→
The OpenSocial standard is being woven into enterprise collaboration applications, promoting both interoperability and extensibility.
OpenSocial is not yet complete or reliably employed, requiring careful screening by would-be consumers.
For decades, enterprise IT departments have sought out and experimented with component development models that would both allow for application interoperability and speed development. Throughout that time, ORBs, Beans, and portlets have all had their turn and played influential roles in shaping how applications are built and interoperate. However, a small standard created by Google in 2007 may put all of those efforts in its rear view mirror, at least within the collaboration platform marketplace.
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