Unified communications

Unified communications is a general definition for a variety of interaction tools combined within a single platform. Such tools may include audio and video conferencing, messaging, address book and presence statuses, screen sharing and slideshow, etc. The main goal of any UC platform is to make remote communications easier and create a consistent experience for teams connected from anywhere, on any device, without the need to use multiple tools for each separate purpose.

Unified communications solutions can often integrate with third-party tools (e.g. enterprise-grade platforms, marketing or team management software) for customers to be able to centralize their workflow and eliminate traction between different solutions for meeting and chatting.

Modern offerings usually combine both synchronous (real-time), such as IM or VC and asynchronous communications which allow users to exchange ideas when they feel fit. The latter has become possible with the rise of persistent messaging - personal and group chats or channels available both inside and outside of video meetings. With channels, users are not bound to a specific schedule: they can send and answer messages when they have time or resources without the need to distract from their work timetable. With general availability of advanced collaboration tools, such as content sharing or recording, UC systems are gradually turning into UCC (Unified Communications and Collaboration).

UC systems may have different deployment scenarios: on-premises, cloud or hybrid. Although cloud-based systems also called Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) are gaining popularity thanks to multiple integrations with other cloud services and ease of use, security-conscious organizations and businesses still prefer hybrid or on-premises UC systems to comply with privacy policies and ensure safety of the information and data exchanged.

To add video conferencing to their systems, a number of UC vendors are using WebRTC technologies to provide meetings in browsers. However, browser-based meetings do not provide some important UC features such as presence statuses and team messaging, which help immediately check on a user's availability and exchange messages. This is why video-enabled client apps with built-in presence and persistent chats are preferable when looking for a UC system.

UC platforms are best known for integrating the tools a business needs in an all-in-one solution. However, sometimes customers also need additional integrations (e.g. calendars, marketing tools, other video conferencing services, etc). Some vendors are working on providing multiple integrations with third-party services, others deliver APIs and SDKs which help customers create their own integrations.

One of main spheres that are directly connected with UC include omnichannel communications and contact center technologies that integrate special tools such as automatic call queues, automated voicemails, auto attendants, live chats etc. The use of UC systems in customer care has proven to improve customer engagement and satisfaction, automate sales processes and reduce costs for hiring dedicated call agents or company representatives.

Another technology that goes in line with UC is Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS), a set of technologies that let you add communication capabilities into your existing offerings and applications via APIs. Voice, video and chats can be embedded to your business applications to enrich customer communication channels.

•  Messaging - Exchange messages in personal and group chats, communicate in persistent group channels to discuss ideas within your associates.

•  Video conferencing - Run face-to-face meetings or large-scale video conferences. organize webinars and product demos for partners or customers and reduce your travel costs.

•  Presence management - Visibility into availability and activity status of team members in real-time

•  Collaboration - Encompasses features that enable users to collaborate on projects, exchange information, co-edit documents.

•  Audio conferencing - Call mobile and landline numbers, PBX or PSTN subscribers. and invite them to conference calls.

•  APIs for custom integrations - Connect systems and data to unify communications, increase data exchanges, and improve business intelligence.

Modern world is quite impossible to imagine without telecommunications. Communication system is not only essential business applications for management or communication tools, but rather a critical factor reflecting the march of civilization. Today, it is not enough for us to simply hear each other over the phone. We are used to other means of communication: chats, messaging, video conferencing and social networks, while when it comes to business negotiation process, we turn to collaboration tools. Users would obviously want to have all those features conveniently stored and united in a single device, where they are free to use it anytime: at home, in the office, at a remote site, or during business trip. However, different types of communication evolved in their own way, thus the process of bringing them together was not a piece of cake. Efforts to collect video conferencing and all other communication tools in a single united solution system gave rise to Unified Communications (UC) phenomenon.

If properly used, unified communications can produce tangible economic benefits for management and companies. Thanks to unified communications, companies can significantly reduce costs for business trips, phone calls and legacy video conferencing systems, as well as enhance the efficiency of employees and decision-making processes. UC have been and remain an important business solution for management that keeps on evolving. More recently, it has been thought that unified communications are becoming a thing of the past. This is not quite true: the term is becoming obsolete, but the idea is evolving, and it can barely fit to a former, rather out-of-date, name. As a result, Meeting Solutions are replacing Unified Communications.

In the U.S. IT sector, Meeting Solutions are already being treated with close attention. For instance, Gartner puts Meeting Solutions in a separate quadrant that includes such solutions as Microsoft Teams (formerly Skype for Business), Cisco Webex, BlueJeans, TrueConf, Zoom, Huawei, ZTE, Enghouse (formerly Vidyo), etc.

Evolution moves on and, of course, there will come a time when Meeting Solutions will have to be replaced with a new and more advanced concept that meets the demands of modern management and business environment.