Click Here for the complete set of notes from the unified-comms-2008 conference
Unified communications is about “finding the right communications for the right device using presence based on a single authentication solution”.
Presence applications need to be more intuitive, automated and based on skill sets as opposed to names, with rule engines to route communications under certain conditions that integrate with directories and applications.
IBM’s UC2 platform enables organizations to publish and subscribe services to external parties (customers, suppliers) with AIM, Googletalk, Yahoo etc with links to multi-point video conferencing. They acknowledge it will be multi-vendor based driven at the end user level but advise that proprietary system extensions impair interoperability and add more costs when one of more application or software version is upgraded.
Innovation has become a more important driver than cost to offer greater functional and pricing options. Deployment solutions need to support different generations of users and their work styles
Many speakers emphasized the importance of a unified communications strategy to avoid users bringing their own applications from the internet as these don’t scale, have interoperability issues and may be threatening the security of networks.
A view of the Australian unified communications market revealed that many were focused on ip telephony cost reductions and sweating that asset. Unified communications was being sold by large corporate who saw the world in their eyes to their equivalents “CBD knowledge workers” and was not being shaped to SMEs. Major competitors to unified communications were traditional telephony system (which seem to work for ever), and the rise of mobiles. Unified communications also comes with baggage from the days of CTI, CRM and is often misunderstood.
A
NSW university was mentioned, they had originally requesting a tender for VoIP and ended up with that being scrapped in favor of a strategy for communications to 2014 with a focus on a communications toolkit mapping back to the end user.
Advice was (a) don’t believe the vendor ROI, (b) analyse upfront costs, ongoing costs, see where existing systems can be utilized, (c) benchmark current processes to look at anticipated future opportunities, (d) ensure adequate allowance for soft benefits (not just $), (e) build a communications strategy and update it every 2 years.
Melbourne University are making changes from the bottom up with enterprise solutions under consideration to address their “walled gardens”. Applications such as hosted messaging, peer-to-peer video applications (such as Skype) are a challenge to a standards based open source recommendation (SIP, XDDI etc)
QUT are addressing the challenge is how to collaborate with uncertainty of having access to proper tools. A project was developed (ICE - Integrated Collaborative Environment) which engaged Gartner to propose technology solutions for better enable collaboration from a business/user perspective to support the IT Dept. Gartner concluded that collaboration was not possible without a unified communications strategy that integrated email, calendar, IM, IP Telephony, Video and information mgt. There were identified as discreet business systems backed up on top of an Oracle backend architecture. Most importantly, success was dependent on the people aspect and the impact on processes and in getting people to embrace the technology.
ICE has recommended additional projects. A unified messaging platform has been deployed; a group has been established to investigate data repositories and collaboration frameworks and to design a collaboration client. Identity and Access Mgt was confirmed as an important component. QUT has leveraged off a joint mobility project with Griffith University to reduce the requirements to attend campus on a day-to-day basis to improve carbon use. QUT are developing an electronic submissions solution to reduce students need to hand in assignments, this also requires a change in the mindset of lecturers.
QUT sees this project as a 3 year journey, they are part way there, noting that integration is hard with vendor support being necessary in the long term. Licensing is an inhibitor as it tends to be for each device even though one doesn't use all three, should be user base. Content management is complex and is being reviewed by a governance group to improve management. Work on Identity Access Management has started to easily access resources. Culture is a big issue, changing routines and interactions are challenged with new systems. There are lots of concerns on "big brother" on email, IM and presence. Change Management is very important. A diverse environment is challenging to manage. Policies and procedures are slower than technology developments with systems needing to be constantly upgraded. iPhone is an example of pressure on existing system to deliver information and service. Measuring productivity gains are important.
QUT's IT department has restructured from a silo focus to one that is more integrated with an infrastructure group. Vendors have to deliver a solution with knowledge transfer to QUT IT staff.
Edith Cowan University had a complicated Gen Y student base to support. Many students come to the university on their terms. The university is not good at retiring technologies such as paper memos, fax. Many staff have multiple phones for example. The university has deployed VoIP for classic cost saving reasons but now carriers are just as competitive. For improved competitiveness, the new driver points to unified communications and virtualisation. ECU has built their strategy around resilience and redundancy. A data centre has been created with environmental and power considerations with every element duplicated to be identical. All equipment has links to a local and remote switch, and analogue phones close to users in case the VoIP network fails.
Support is considered important in helping staff embrace the technology to use it. ECU has created an enquiry management system driven by people and process and not technology. It has consolidated call centres, CRM, electronic messaging, and Internet services. New technology has led to business rules to determine communication workflows including escalations. Data has not been able to keep up with VoIP enquiries though this is being improved.