11 March 2010
Unified Communications is generally taken to mean the combination of a variety of communication applications that include, but are not limited to: Voice (fixed, VoIP and cellular telephony), CTI (the integration of the telephone with computer applications), email, fax, voicemail, video conferencing, Wi-Fi and mobile. Wikipedia defines Unified Communications as follows:
Unified communications can include a variety of elements, such as instant messaging, telephony, video, email, voicemail, and short message services and white boarding all of which could be brought into real time and coordinated. The concept of presence is also a factor - knowing where one's intended recipients are and if they are available, in real time - and is itself a key component of unified communications. To put it simply, unified communications integrates all the systems that a user might already be using and helps those systems work together in real time. For example, unified communications technology could allow a user to seamlessly collaborate with another person on a project, even if the two users are in separate locations. The user could quickly locate the necessary person by accessing an interactive directory, engage in a text messaging session, and then escalate the session to a voice call, or even a video call - all within minutes. In another example, an employee receives a call from a customer who wants answers. Unified communications could enable that worker to access a real-time list of available expert colleagues, then make a call that would reach the necessary person, enabling the employee to answer the customer faster, and eliminating rounds of back-and-forth emails and phone-tag
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Unified Communication platforms are communication systems that are ideal for facilitating home and remote working. Softphone applications enable mobile workers to have 'anytime, anywhere' access to comprehensive and powerful business telephony on their Windows Mobile devices , Laptop or PC any where in the world where there is access to an Internet connection.
Telecom Solutions and Services Ltd offer Unified Communication solutions from both Panasonic and NEC, namely the Panasonic NCP 500 and NCP 1000 and the NEC Univerge 360.
