ENTERPRISES ARE STANDING AT A CROSSROADS AND COMMUNICATION IS KEY TO SUCCESS.
In today’s highly competitive, global marketplace. Executives need to make decisions quickly, but information and employees are spread out in many different locations. To operate efficiently, businesses need fast, simple ways to exchange data.
As a result, many enterprises stand at an important crossroad. They have invested large sums in legacy Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) network voice infrastructures that do not easily support modern Unified Communications (UC) solutions, such as the increasingly popular Microsoft Lync.
“About 70% of businesses are now using Lync in some fashion,” states Irwin Lazar, Vice President and Service Director for The Nemertes Research Group, Inc. “Most of these companies use it for instant messaging, web conferencing, and voice/video chat. A small but growing percentage are using it to replace or augment their PBXs.”
In addition to delivering new communication options, Unified Commu- nications delivers other benefits. By leaving behind their legacy PBX and moving ahead to a new Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) network infrastructure, businesses reduce their capital expenditure (CapEx) and lower their ongoing maintenance requirements, which can decrease their operating expenditure (OpEx) by as much as 50%.
The transition from the old to the new works with the right network infrastructure. Enterprises need one that is rock solid. “Today, businesses simply cannot tolerate downtime,” says James Rodd, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Modality Systems, Unified Communications specialists. Businesses must also have a way to integrate their traditional systems with new, modern functions. Finally, they need a solution that offers robust security, so corporate data
is protected as it travels from location to location. To deliver such functionality, enterprises need a Session Border Controller (SBC) that works in conjunction with Lync to enable the delivery of sophisticated voice, data, and video services to enterprise users.
Cisco vs. Microsoft - Strategic Decisions for a Unified Communications Deploy...Brent Kelly
Many organizations have Cisco networking equipment as well as Cisco voice communications solutions. These same organizations also have Microsoft desktop software and MIcrosoft Lync, which is used by many enterprises for presence and instant messaging.
Both vendors are pushing very hard to have organizations adopt their entire unified communications offering. For Cisco, this means deploying the Jabber client along with WebEx for conferencing and Cisco video solutions. For Microsoft, this means deploying more capabilities in Microsoft Lync, including conferencing and collaboration as well as Enterprise Voice.
In many companies, there are articulate and impassioned people who are sincerely trying to do their best who argue for one vendor's unified communications offering over the other. This often ends up in a "Cisco versus Microsoft" discussion, which may become a heated argument.
What to do?
This presentation looks at many of the issues involved with a Cisco vs. Microsoft unified communications debate. It provides individuals and companies with strategies for eliminating one vendor as well as ways the two solutions may co-exist in the organization.
A company was incorporated a decade ago to develop niche telecom solutions with a focus on telephony product development and staying ahead in technology. It has made huge investments in R&D and personnel and has had several successes, such as launching commercial-grade middleware and voice mail systems. More recently, it has worked to build applications that integrate voice, video, and data across networks to streamline business processes.
This document outlines a strategy called "Transition and Transform" for consolidating legacy unified communication systems and enabling communication capabilities in cloud-based business applications. The strategy has two stages: 1) Transition legacy systems like voicemail onto a single next-generation platform called Officelinx to reduce costs. 2) Transform by using Officelinx to provide real-time communication tools embedded within cloud applications to improve productivity and collaboration. Officelinx allows legacy systems to be replaced cost-effectively and provides communication capabilities across devices and applications without infrastructure upgrades.
This document provides an overview of the unified communications and collaboration market, including definitions, market size and trends, solution areas, and Cisco's UC portfolio. It discusses how UC solutions integrate multiple communication methods to allow distributed groups and individuals to collaborate. The global UC market is estimated to be $20.8 billion in 2016, with major growth drivers being mobility, cloud/virtualization, and social business. Cisco is a leading provider of UC solutions and its strengths include an integrated suite, interoperability across devices, and large installed base. However, its solutions are also noted as complex to manage. Microsoft Lync offers a full UC suite that well connects with other Microsoft products like Office and Exchange.
This document discusses how enterprise video conferencing is now ready for mainstream adoption due to technological advances and the convergence of video and IP telephony. It provides an overview of customer requirements for video conferencing solutions, describes a joint video conferencing solution from Avaya and Polycom that addresses these requirements, and provides an example of how this solution helped a financial institution improve their video conferencing capabilities.
Whether you are thinking about deploying a cloud, premises or hybrid approach to communications, there are a number of factors you should consider. There are pros and cons of each approach, so we will start by evaluating the line items that make up the bulk of the expense. In a world driven by software and communications technology, it’s no surprise that the software expense.
Telephony and Unified Communications is greather than 40% of the solution’s total purchase price. Following software, in terms of the percentage of budget they consume, is telephones, and servers and gateways make up the smallest components of the IPT and UC budgets. While hardware is still an essential component, over time it is becoming increasingly commoditized. Visit http://necam.com/uc to learn more about our UC solutions.
Unified Communications & Collaboration: Connecting people and informationComputacenter UK LTD
Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) aims to connect people and information across disparate locations to improve productivity. UCC brings together technologies like IP telephony, video conferencing, instant messaging and collaboration tools on a single platform. Implementing UCC requires establishing an IP-based communications infrastructure and adopting visual collaboration tools to replace travel with virtual meetings and training sessions. Computacenter can help organizations implement and support UCC solutions to realize benefits like reduced costs, improved flexibility and collaboration, and faster decision making.
Cisco vs. Microsoft - Strategic Decisions for a Unified Communications Deploy...Brent Kelly
Many organizations have Cisco networking equipment as well as Cisco voice communications solutions. These same organizations also have Microsoft desktop software and MIcrosoft Lync, which is used by many enterprises for presence and instant messaging.
Both vendors are pushing very hard to have organizations adopt their entire unified communications offering. For Cisco, this means deploying the Jabber client along with WebEx for conferencing and Cisco video solutions. For Microsoft, this means deploying more capabilities in Microsoft Lync, including conferencing and collaboration as well as Enterprise Voice.
In many companies, there are articulate and impassioned people who are sincerely trying to do their best who argue for one vendor's unified communications offering over the other. This often ends up in a "Cisco versus Microsoft" discussion, which may become a heated argument.
What to do?
This presentation looks at many of the issues involved with a Cisco vs. Microsoft unified communications debate. It provides individuals and companies with strategies for eliminating one vendor as well as ways the two solutions may co-exist in the organization.
A company was incorporated a decade ago to develop niche telecom solutions with a focus on telephony product development and staying ahead in technology. It has made huge investments in R&D and personnel and has had several successes, such as launching commercial-grade middleware and voice mail systems. More recently, it has worked to build applications that integrate voice, video, and data across networks to streamline business processes.
This document outlines a strategy called "Transition and Transform" for consolidating legacy unified communication systems and enabling communication capabilities in cloud-based business applications. The strategy has two stages: 1) Transition legacy systems like voicemail onto a single next-generation platform called Officelinx to reduce costs. 2) Transform by using Officelinx to provide real-time communication tools embedded within cloud applications to improve productivity and collaboration. Officelinx allows legacy systems to be replaced cost-effectively and provides communication capabilities across devices and applications without infrastructure upgrades.
This document provides an overview of the unified communications and collaboration market, including definitions, market size and trends, solution areas, and Cisco's UC portfolio. It discusses how UC solutions integrate multiple communication methods to allow distributed groups and individuals to collaborate. The global UC market is estimated to be $20.8 billion in 2016, with major growth drivers being mobility, cloud/virtualization, and social business. Cisco is a leading provider of UC solutions and its strengths include an integrated suite, interoperability across devices, and large installed base. However, its solutions are also noted as complex to manage. Microsoft Lync offers a full UC suite that well connects with other Microsoft products like Office and Exchange.
This document discusses how enterprise video conferencing is now ready for mainstream adoption due to technological advances and the convergence of video and IP telephony. It provides an overview of customer requirements for video conferencing solutions, describes a joint video conferencing solution from Avaya and Polycom that addresses these requirements, and provides an example of how this solution helped a financial institution improve their video conferencing capabilities.
Whether you are thinking about deploying a cloud, premises or hybrid approach to communications, there are a number of factors you should consider. There are pros and cons of each approach, so we will start by evaluating the line items that make up the bulk of the expense. In a world driven by software and communications technology, it’s no surprise that the software expense.
Telephony and Unified Communications is greather than 40% of the solution’s total purchase price. Following software, in terms of the percentage of budget they consume, is telephones, and servers and gateways make up the smallest components of the IPT and UC budgets. While hardware is still an essential component, over time it is becoming increasingly commoditized. Visit http://necam.com/uc to learn more about our UC solutions.
Unified Communications & Collaboration: Connecting people and informationComputacenter UK LTD
Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) aims to connect people and information across disparate locations to improve productivity. UCC brings together technologies like IP telephony, video conferencing, instant messaging and collaboration tools on a single platform. Implementing UCC requires establishing an IP-based communications infrastructure and adopting visual collaboration tools to replace travel with virtual meetings and training sessions. Computacenter can help organizations implement and support UCC solutions to realize benefits like reduced costs, improved flexibility and collaboration, and faster decision making.
Understanding and Applying Unified CommunicationsPlante & Moran
Unified communications (UC) integrates communication functions into business processes. It can be purchased through telecom, desktop, or application providers. UC includes tools like presence, instant messaging, conferencing, mobility features, and integrating communications into business processes. While vendors often oversimplify UC, it is best viewed as a continuum from infrastructure integration to application integration. UC aims to optimize processes by speeding communication and collaboration.
eBook How to do More with Unified Communications_Lead NurtureMichael Kowalski
The document discusses how unified communications (UC) can integrate various communication tools like phone calling, video calling, screen sharing, instant messaging, and file sharing. It explains that while these tools provide value individually, there can be challenges with a lack of integration. The document promotes a UC solution from MegaPath that combines these tools with features like mobility, conferencing, transcription, and management tools. It argues that UC can improve productivity and reduce costs compared to maintaining separate communication applications and services.
The document provides an overview of Cisco's CCNA Voice certification and Cisco's Unified Communications solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. It describes the key components of the Unified Communications architecture including the infrastructure layer, call processing layer, applications layer, and endpoint layer. It then summarizes some of Cisco's call processing and call management solutions tailored for different business sizes, including the Cisco Smart Business Communications System, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, and Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
A simple presentation on UC irrespective of brands or companies. The references and views are taken from different market leaders, vendors & internet search. All Copyrights with their respective vendors.
O N N -- D D E E M M A A N N D D C C O O N N F F E E R R E E ...Videoguy
On-demand video conferencing allows for ad-hoc collaboration that is easy to use and cost effective. It allows employees to meet without scheduling in advance, enabling collaboration exactly when needed with whoever is needed. This helps organizations lower costs while increasing productivity by supporting remote workers, speeding up decision making, and enabling new business opportunities through faster customer interactions. On-demand conferencing eliminates the need to reserve technology in advance and can be either ad-hoc or scheduled in calendars.
The presentation envelopes unified communication services, beginning with what
it means, its importance and benefits. The slide sheds light on what's popularly known as 'Human
Assisted E-commerce' and how Happiest Minds' Lifecycle Services help enhance unified
communications.
Happiest Minds Unified Communication Services:
http://www.happiestminds.com/technology-focus/unified-communications-services/
Introduction to Unified Communications: Concepts and Opportunitiesdigitallibrary
You've probably heard "Unified Communications" as a technology buzzword, but what does UC actually mean? What technology elements are included in the UC definition, and more importantly, which elements are likely to become part of your enterprise network in the next 12 to 24 months? Separate the UC hype from the reality, and get a better understanding how UC will be used by your enterprise.
Delivering a UC Experience - Migration vs. IntegrationWainhouse Research
A well-implemented and fully-adopted UC solution delivers benefits to end users, IT teams, and the enterprise alike. Of course, the terms “well-implemented” and “full-adopted” are more often found in UC roadmaps and strategy presentations, and less often in live production environments. This SlideShare provides a comparison between two common approaches to UC deployment: Migration vs Integration. Our goal is to challenge the traditional approach, and investigate a potentially faster path to a fully unified user experience – without risk to the end user, the IT team, or the business.
Uunified Communications For General BusinessLarryDougan
This document discusses how Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and unified communications solutions can help organizations overcome common challenges by improving communication and collaboration. It provides examples of how unified communications allows businesses to better manage globalization, staff effectiveness, diversity, meetings, messaging and more. Specific benefits highlighted include increased productivity, reduced costs, improved customer service and compliance.
Unified Communications provides a portfolio of services to deliver complete communications across applications and devices at any time and anywhere. It enhances business productivity and facilitates agility by creating a unified workspace with any combination of applications, devices, networks, and operating systems. Unified Communications helps integrate communications more closely with business processes to ensure information reaches recipients through the most appropriate medium regardless of their working environment. A software-based approach allows businesses to stay flexible and embrace innovations without needing to upgrade hardware.
Microsoft Unified Communications - Network Considerations for Microsoft ODS D...Microsoft Private Cloud
Enterprises that are adopting unified communications (UC) platforms such as Microsoft Office Communication Server (OCS) must carefully consider and plan how UC will affect their LAN and WAN infrastructures, as well as how their networks may either hinder or improve the
performance of a UC solution. Everything from bandwidth considerations, to firewall topology, to end-user habits and experiences must be taken into consideration. If done correctly, enterprises can realize great productivity gains with new levels of collaboration, both internally and with external parties. Reduction of WAN and LAN infrastructure, built to maximum capacity in support of past IP telephony or voice/data convergence efforts, can also reduce costs and lessen management complexity in the long run.
A presentation shown at the Communication by Mr. Elias Aad for the Smart SMB event held at Murooj Rotana Dubai last May 21, 2008 organized by Emirates Computers and sponsored by Cisco & 3M.
UNIVERGE BLUE™ CONNECT is an easy-to-use cloud-based communications platform that helps employees to be more productive and collaborative. It includes a full-featured phone system combined with chat, web/video conferencing, and files sync, share and backup capabilities.
Six Scenarios Requiring Communications UpgradesFonality
This document discusses six common scenarios that prompt companies to upgrade their communications systems: 1) moving to a new location, 2) expanding rapidly, 3) standardizing systems across multiple sites, 4) addressing failures in aging legacy systems, 5) converting to VoIP, and 6) adding web-based applications. It provides considerations for each scenario and emphasizes that Fonality offers hybrid VoIP solutions, easy installation, and feature-rich user interfaces to help companies effectively upgrade their systems.
Microsoft Unified Communications - Improving User Productivity and Saving Com...Microsoft Private Cloud
This document summarizes research by IDC on the benefits of using presence and enterprise instant messaging (EIM). Key findings include:
- Customers saved $12,404 per 100 users annually in long distance and teleconference costs and improved user productivity, saving over 1.7 hours per month per user.
- IT support staff were more efficient, allowing companies to shift 2.1 support staff to other projects, saving $2,860 per 100 users annually.
- The overall return on investment for using presence and EIM was 258% with a payback period of 10.7 months.
This document discusses unified communications and the Unison product. It begins with an overview of unified communications, describing how it integrates various communication modes like telephony, email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. It then discusses Unison specifically, explaining that it is a server and client that provide all communications in a single desktop application. The document concludes by comparing Unison to Microsoft's offerings, noting that Unison is easier to set up, has lower licensing fees, and provides higher margins for partners.
The document discusses HP Networking solutions for implementing Microsoft Lync unified communications. It begins with an overview of the UC&C opportunity and how Lync simplifies communications. It then covers considerations for integrating Lync with existing infrastructure, how HP networking products provide investment protection. The document concludes with an overview of HP's complete portfolio of solutions to support Lync deployment and management.
Unified Communication Partners Supplying, Installing and Servicing fixed telephone systems for business PAX Systems and offices in NSW since 2011. Call us now 1300 729 293, fax 02 9635 4215
UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT BRIDGE – Your BRIDGE to the Cloud!InteractiveNEC
This infographic explains how existing NEC customers are bridging the gap between their NEC phone system and the cloud, so teams can work from anywhere. To learn more visit www.univergeblue.com/bridge.
Unified communications can consolidate multiple communication tools into a single solution to improve productivity and reduce costs. InTechnology's "Voice Plus" proposition provides best-of-breed UC applications like Microsoft OCS delivered as a cloud-based service on a pay-as-you-go model. It features presence, instant messaging, video/audio conferencing, desktop sharing and call recording. UC deployments can save over £3 million per year for every 1000 employees through reduced travel, improved output and streamlined systems. InTechnology offers a free 30-day OCS trial to demonstrate the benefits of UC.
Unified communications can consolidate multiple communication tools into a single solution to improve productivity and reduce costs. InTechnology's "Voice Plus" proposition provides best-of-breed UC applications like Microsoft OCS delivered as a cloud-based service on a pay-as-you-go model. It features presence, instant messaging, video/audio conferencing, desktop sharing and call recording. UC deployments can save over £3 million per year for every 1000 employees through reduced travel, improved output and streamlined systems. InTechnology offers a free 30-day OCS trial to demonstrate the benefits of UC.
Understanding and Applying Unified CommunicationsPlante & Moran
Unified communications (UC) integrates communication functions into business processes. It can be purchased through telecom, desktop, or application providers. UC includes tools like presence, instant messaging, conferencing, mobility features, and integrating communications into business processes. While vendors often oversimplify UC, it is best viewed as a continuum from infrastructure integration to application integration. UC aims to optimize processes by speeding communication and collaboration.
eBook How to do More with Unified Communications_Lead NurtureMichael Kowalski
The document discusses how unified communications (UC) can integrate various communication tools like phone calling, video calling, screen sharing, instant messaging, and file sharing. It explains that while these tools provide value individually, there can be challenges with a lack of integration. The document promotes a UC solution from MegaPath that combines these tools with features like mobility, conferencing, transcription, and management tools. It argues that UC can improve productivity and reduce costs compared to maintaining separate communication applications and services.
The document provides an overview of Cisco's CCNA Voice certification and Cisco's Unified Communications solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. It describes the key components of the Unified Communications architecture including the infrastructure layer, call processing layer, applications layer, and endpoint layer. It then summarizes some of Cisco's call processing and call management solutions tailored for different business sizes, including the Cisco Smart Business Communications System, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, and Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
A simple presentation on UC irrespective of brands or companies. The references and views are taken from different market leaders, vendors & internet search. All Copyrights with their respective vendors.
O N N -- D D E E M M A A N N D D C C O O N N F F E E R R E E ...Videoguy
On-demand video conferencing allows for ad-hoc collaboration that is easy to use and cost effective. It allows employees to meet without scheduling in advance, enabling collaboration exactly when needed with whoever is needed. This helps organizations lower costs while increasing productivity by supporting remote workers, speeding up decision making, and enabling new business opportunities through faster customer interactions. On-demand conferencing eliminates the need to reserve technology in advance and can be either ad-hoc or scheduled in calendars.
The presentation envelopes unified communication services, beginning with what
it means, its importance and benefits. The slide sheds light on what's popularly known as 'Human
Assisted E-commerce' and how Happiest Minds' Lifecycle Services help enhance unified
communications.
Happiest Minds Unified Communication Services:
http://www.happiestminds.com/technology-focus/unified-communications-services/
Introduction to Unified Communications: Concepts and Opportunitiesdigitallibrary
You've probably heard "Unified Communications" as a technology buzzword, but what does UC actually mean? What technology elements are included in the UC definition, and more importantly, which elements are likely to become part of your enterprise network in the next 12 to 24 months? Separate the UC hype from the reality, and get a better understanding how UC will be used by your enterprise.
Delivering a UC Experience - Migration vs. IntegrationWainhouse Research
A well-implemented and fully-adopted UC solution delivers benefits to end users, IT teams, and the enterprise alike. Of course, the terms “well-implemented” and “full-adopted” are more often found in UC roadmaps and strategy presentations, and less often in live production environments. This SlideShare provides a comparison between two common approaches to UC deployment: Migration vs Integration. Our goal is to challenge the traditional approach, and investigate a potentially faster path to a fully unified user experience – without risk to the end user, the IT team, or the business.
Uunified Communications For General BusinessLarryDougan
This document discusses how Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and unified communications solutions can help organizations overcome common challenges by improving communication and collaboration. It provides examples of how unified communications allows businesses to better manage globalization, staff effectiveness, diversity, meetings, messaging and more. Specific benefits highlighted include increased productivity, reduced costs, improved customer service and compliance.
Unified Communications provides a portfolio of services to deliver complete communications across applications and devices at any time and anywhere. It enhances business productivity and facilitates agility by creating a unified workspace with any combination of applications, devices, networks, and operating systems. Unified Communications helps integrate communications more closely with business processes to ensure information reaches recipients through the most appropriate medium regardless of their working environment. A software-based approach allows businesses to stay flexible and embrace innovations without needing to upgrade hardware.
Microsoft Unified Communications - Network Considerations for Microsoft ODS D...Microsoft Private Cloud
Enterprises that are adopting unified communications (UC) platforms such as Microsoft Office Communication Server (OCS) must carefully consider and plan how UC will affect their LAN and WAN infrastructures, as well as how their networks may either hinder or improve the
performance of a UC solution. Everything from bandwidth considerations, to firewall topology, to end-user habits and experiences must be taken into consideration. If done correctly, enterprises can realize great productivity gains with new levels of collaboration, both internally and with external parties. Reduction of WAN and LAN infrastructure, built to maximum capacity in support of past IP telephony or voice/data convergence efforts, can also reduce costs and lessen management complexity in the long run.
A presentation shown at the Communication by Mr. Elias Aad for the Smart SMB event held at Murooj Rotana Dubai last May 21, 2008 organized by Emirates Computers and sponsored by Cisco & 3M.
UNIVERGE BLUE™ CONNECT is an easy-to-use cloud-based communications platform that helps employees to be more productive and collaborative. It includes a full-featured phone system combined with chat, web/video conferencing, and files sync, share and backup capabilities.
Six Scenarios Requiring Communications UpgradesFonality
This document discusses six common scenarios that prompt companies to upgrade their communications systems: 1) moving to a new location, 2) expanding rapidly, 3) standardizing systems across multiple sites, 4) addressing failures in aging legacy systems, 5) converting to VoIP, and 6) adding web-based applications. It provides considerations for each scenario and emphasizes that Fonality offers hybrid VoIP solutions, easy installation, and feature-rich user interfaces to help companies effectively upgrade their systems.
Microsoft Unified Communications - Improving User Productivity and Saving Com...Microsoft Private Cloud
This document summarizes research by IDC on the benefits of using presence and enterprise instant messaging (EIM). Key findings include:
- Customers saved $12,404 per 100 users annually in long distance and teleconference costs and improved user productivity, saving over 1.7 hours per month per user.
- IT support staff were more efficient, allowing companies to shift 2.1 support staff to other projects, saving $2,860 per 100 users annually.
- The overall return on investment for using presence and EIM was 258% with a payback period of 10.7 months.
This document discusses unified communications and the Unison product. It begins with an overview of unified communications, describing how it integrates various communication modes like telephony, email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. It then discusses Unison specifically, explaining that it is a server and client that provide all communications in a single desktop application. The document concludes by comparing Unison to Microsoft's offerings, noting that Unison is easier to set up, has lower licensing fees, and provides higher margins for partners.
The document discusses HP Networking solutions for implementing Microsoft Lync unified communications. It begins with an overview of the UC&C opportunity and how Lync simplifies communications. It then covers considerations for integrating Lync with existing infrastructure, how HP networking products provide investment protection. The document concludes with an overview of HP's complete portfolio of solutions to support Lync deployment and management.
Unified Communication Partners Supplying, Installing and Servicing fixed telephone systems for business PAX Systems and offices in NSW since 2011. Call us now 1300 729 293, fax 02 9635 4215
UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT BRIDGE – Your BRIDGE to the Cloud!InteractiveNEC
This infographic explains how existing NEC customers are bridging the gap between their NEC phone system and the cloud, so teams can work from anywhere. To learn more visit www.univergeblue.com/bridge.
Unified communications can consolidate multiple communication tools into a single solution to improve productivity and reduce costs. InTechnology's "Voice Plus" proposition provides best-of-breed UC applications like Microsoft OCS delivered as a cloud-based service on a pay-as-you-go model. It features presence, instant messaging, video/audio conferencing, desktop sharing and call recording. UC deployments can save over £3 million per year for every 1000 employees through reduced travel, improved output and streamlined systems. InTechnology offers a free 30-day OCS trial to demonstrate the benefits of UC.
Unified communications can consolidate multiple communication tools into a single solution to improve productivity and reduce costs. InTechnology's "Voice Plus" proposition provides best-of-breed UC applications like Microsoft OCS delivered as a cloud-based service on a pay-as-you-go model. It features presence, instant messaging, video/audio conferencing, desktop sharing and call recording. UC deployments can save over £3 million per year for every 1000 employees through reduced travel, improved output and streamlined systems. InTechnology offers a free 30-day OCS trial to demonstrate the benefits of UC.
Optimizing Your Communications In A Recession Wp090993Erik Ginalick
Optimizing communications during an economic recession can help businesses reduce costs and improve productivity. Focusing on voice over IP telephony, mobility solutions, conferencing technologies, and new applications allows businesses to improve collaboration, shorten product development cycles, and reduce costs. Conducting communications audits, exploring alternative provider options, deploying cost-saving technologies like teleworking, and developing an online presence are tactics that can help drive operational efficiencies using communications solutions.
This document discusses how Unify2 provides solutions for integrating Microsoft Lync with contact centers and response groups. It describes Unify2's Response Group Service which allows basic hunt groups and IVRs with Lync presence integration. The document also discusses Unify2's capabilities for building larger customized contact center solutions on the Lync platform with enhanced features like reporting and management.
Business Communication systems are the processes, both informal and formal, by which information is passed between the employers and employees within a business, or between the business itself and the outsiders.
The document promotes InTechnology's unified communications solution called "Voice Plus". It offers presence, instant messaging, video calling, desktop sharing, and conferencing to improve productivity and save costs compared to traditional communications. Voice Plus provides a converged IP telephony environment, best-of-breed communication apps like Microsoft OCS, and cloud-based delivery through InTechnology's data centers. Businesses can try it for free for 30 days and potentially save over £3 million per year for every 1000 employees through reduced travel, improved output, and streamlined systems.
The document promotes InTechnology's unified communications solution called "Voice Plus". It offers presence, instant messaging, video calling, desktop sharing, and conferencing capabilities delivered through the cloud at an affordable monthly fee. Unified communications can save organizations over £3 million per year by reducing travel costs, improving productivity, and streamlining communications. A free 30-day trial is available to try the solution.
An upgrade package for our hosted Voice solution which adds a suite of UC apps for a straightforward monthly per user fee.
UC apps include commercial grade video calling, instant messaging, desktop sharing, click to dial and presence.
Savings of typically 10-20% on travel and subsistence budgets and productivity gains of up to 25% from better collaboration.
InTechnology offers a unified communications solution called "Voice Plus" that integrates multiple communication tools such as instant messaging, video calling, and desktop sharing. It can be delivered as a cloud-based service on a pay-as-you-go model to help businesses save up to £3 million per year through reduced travel costs and improved productivity. A free 30-day trial is available to demonstrate how Voice Plus can revolutionize how organizations communicate internally and with customers.
The document promotes InTechnology's unified communications solution called "Voice Plus". It offers presence, instant messaging, video calling, desktop sharing, and conferencing to improve productivity and save costs compared to separate communications tools. Voice Plus can be deployed quickly and is offered as a pay-as-you-go cloud service, with potential savings of up to £3 million per year for every 1000 employees through reduced travel and more efficient collaboration. It concludes by offering a free 30-day trial and spend and strategy review.
The document discusses unified communications and the challenges of implementing a unified communications solution for an enterprise. It notes that while unified communications have been advancing, many enterprises remain resistant to adopting these solutions. It also discusses the various options for an enterprise's unified communications infrastructure, including keeping it internal, outsourcing, using a hosting solution, cloud computing, or a hybrid approach. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of choosing a solution that meets the specific needs and realities of an organization and its users.
The document discusses Microsoft Office 365 and how it can enhance productivity in teaching and eLearning environments. It provides an overview of Office 365 capabilities including Exchange Online for email, SharePoint Online for collaboration, Lync Online for communications, and Office Professional Plus. It highlights benefits such as enabling the best productivity experience across devices, offering flexibility through cloud or on-premises deployment, and providing industry-leading integrated solutions from Microsoft. Additionally, it discusses how Exchange Online Protection provides reliable, comprehensive email security and management capabilities.
A Unified Communication Solution refers to a phone system that unifies several communication methods within a business. It combines all the ways of communication, including video conferencing, phone calls, SMS, email, instant messaging, and fax. UcaaS Solution provides a single communication platform for enterprises to improve collaboration and communication between the internal staff and clients.
The advantages of UC for businesses, employees, customers and busuiness partners are well-known. UC empoweer them to communicate anytime, anywhere, using any device. However, many companies beleive that implementing a unified communications solution will prove too expensive for their limited budget and require replacing their whole infrastructure.
Microsoft Lync 2010 is a unified communications platform from Microsoft that provides presence information, instant messaging, conferencing, and enterprise voice capabilities through a single interface across devices. It allows businesses to streamline communication and information delivery for improved collaboration and productivity. Ergo Group is an IT infrastructure company that provides consulting and solutions for Microsoft Lync 2010 implementations to help businesses reduce costs while improving mobility and responsiveness.
The document discusses unified communications and collaboration solutions. It describes challenges around communication delays, complex infrastructure, and high communication costs. It then summarizes Nortel's unified communications portfolio including the Agile Communication Environment which exposes communication features as web services to integrate with business applications and improve processes.
Vendor hype has devalued the promise of unified communications and threatens to cause confusion with the move to cloud computing. In the absence of clear and unambiguous explanations of the benefits of embarking on such projects, end users could be forgiven for thinking that these are technologies without a purpose. However, a revolution is underway, bringing with it real benefits to enterprises and to workers.
Similar to CIO | 3 STEPS to Maximizing ROI for Microsoft Lync Enterprise Voice (20)
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Salesforce Integration for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions A...Jeffrey Haguewood
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We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on integration of Salesforce with Bonterra Impact Management.
Interested in deploying an integration with Salesforce for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
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During the hour, we’ll take you through:
Guest Speaker Segment with Hannah Barrington: Dive into the world of dynamic real estate marketing with Hannah, the Marketing Manager at Workspace Group. Hear firsthand how their team generates engaging descriptions for thousands of office units by integrating diverse data sources—from PDF floorplans to web pages—using FME transformers, like OpenAIVisionConnector and AnthropicVisionConnector. This use case will show you how GenAI can streamline content creation for marketing across the board.
Ollama Use Case: Learn how Scenario Specialist Dmitri Bagh has utilized Ollama within FME to input data, create custom models, and enhance security protocols. This segment will include demos to illustrate the full capabilities of FME in AI-driven processes.
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This webinar is ideal for professionals seeking to harness the power of AI within their data management systems while ensuring high levels of customization and security. Whether you're a novice or an expert, gain actionable insights and strategies to elevate your data processes. Join us to see how FME and AI can revolutionize how you work with data!
Taking AI to the Next Level in Manufacturing.pdfssuserfac0301
Read Taking AI to the Next Level in Manufacturing to gain insights on AI adoption in the manufacturing industry, such as:
1. How quickly AI is being implemented in manufacturing.
2. Which barriers stand in the way of AI adoption.
3. How data quality and governance form the backbone of AI.
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For the full video of this presentation, please visit: https://www.edge-ai-vision.com/2024/06/temporal-event-neural-networks-a-more-efficient-alternative-to-the-transformer-a-presentation-from-brainchip/
Chris Jones, Director of Product Management at BrainChip , presents the “Temporal Event Neural Networks: A More Efficient Alternative to the Transformer” tutorial at the May 2024 Embedded Vision Summit.
The expansion of AI services necessitates enhanced computational capabilities on edge devices. Temporal Event Neural Networks (TENNs), developed by BrainChip, represent a novel and highly efficient state-space network. TENNs demonstrate exceptional proficiency in handling multi-dimensional streaming data, facilitating advancements in object detection, action recognition, speech enhancement and language model/sequence generation. Through the utilization of polynomial-based continuous convolutions, TENNs streamline models, expedite training processes and significantly diminish memory requirements, achieving notable reductions of up to 50x in parameters and 5,000x in energy consumption compared to prevailing methodologies like transformers.
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Dandelion Hashtable: beyond billion requests per second on a commodity serverAntonios Katsarakis
This slide deck presents DLHT, a concurrent in-memory hashtable. Despite efforts to optimize hashtables, that go as far as sacrificing core functionality, state-of-the-art designs still incur multiple memory accesses per request and block request processing in three cases. First, most hashtables block while waiting for data to be retrieved from memory. Second, open-addressing designs, which represent the current state-of-the-art, either cannot free index slots on deletes or must block all requests to do so. Third, index resizes block every request until all objects are copied to the new index. Defying folklore wisdom, DLHT forgoes open-addressing and adopts a fully-featured and memory-aware closed-addressing design based on bounded cache-line-chaining. This design offers lock-free index operations and deletes that free slots instantly, (2) completes most requests with a single memory access, (3) utilizes software prefetching to hide memory latencies, and (4) employs a novel non-blocking and parallel resizing. In a commodity server and a memory-resident workload, DLHT surpasses 1.6B requests per second and provides 3.5x (12x) the throughput of the state-of-the-art closed-addressing (open-addressing) resizable hashtable on Gets (Deletes).
TrustArc Webinar - 2024 Global Privacy SurveyTrustArc
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A Comprehensive Guide to DeFi Development Services in 2024Intelisync
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Prompting language models is hard, while programming language models is easy. In this talk, I will discuss the state-of-the-art framework DSPy for programming foundation models with its powerful optimizers and runtime constraint system.
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Presentation of the OECD Artificial Intelligence Review of Germany
CIO | 3 STEPS to Maximizing ROI for Microsoft Lync Enterprise Voice
1. Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
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sonus.net
to Maximizing ROI
for Microsoft Lync
Enterprise Voice
3 STEPS
The combination of a strong
Session Border Controller and
Lync enables corporations to
reduce CapEx and OpEx, improve
network availability, take advantage
of modern applications, boost
employee productivity, and
enhance enterprise security.
2. COMMUNICATION IS KEY TO SUCCESS in
today’s highly competitive, global marketplace.
Executives need to make decisions quickly, but
information and employees are spread out in many
different locations. To operate efficiently, businesses
need fast, simple ways to exchange data.
As a result, many enterprises stand at an impor-
tant crossroad. They have invested large sums in
legacy Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) network
voice infrastructures that do not easily support
modern Unified Communications (UC) solutions,
such as the increasingly popular Microsoft Lync.
Unified Communications (UC) is the next stage in the evolution of enter-
prise communications and collaboration technologies, bringing all varied
connections under a single architecture. This process makes communi-
cation seamless, no matter where you are or what device you use. These
communications can be delivered over an Internet protocol (IP) network
through voice, video and data. One of the most compelling benefits of UC
is its ability to empower mobility. Unified Communications doesn’t limit
enterprises to the desktop; UC platforms can support mobile devices as
fully integrated clients. To make this work, enterprises need a working
data connection on a mobile device and a UC app installed on the device
by the IT department or through an app store. It’s that simple.
Microsoft Lync is an enterprise-ready Unified Communications
platform. Lync connects people everywhere, on desktop and mobile
devices, as part of their everyday productivity experience.
“About 70% of businesses are now using Lync in some fashion,” states
Irwin Lazar, Vice President and Service Director for The Nemertes
Research Group, Inc. “Most of these companies use it for instant
messaging, web conferencing, and voice/video chat. A small but
growing percentage are using it to replace or augment their PBXs.”
In addition to delivering new communication options, Unified Commu-
nications delivers other benefits. By leaving behind their legacy PBX
and moving ahead to a new Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) network
infrastructure, businesses reduce their capital expenditure (CapEx)
and lower their ongoing maintenance requirements, which can
decrease their operating expenditure (OpEx) by as much as 50%.
The transition from the old to the new works with the right network
infrastructure. Enterprises need one that is rock solid. “Today,
businesses simply cannot tolerate downtime,” says James Rodd,
Co-Founder and Managing Director at Modality Systems, Unified
Communications specialists. Businesses must also have a way to
integrate their traditional systems with new, modern functions. Finally,
they need a solution that offers robust security, so corporate data
is protected as it travels from location to location. To deliver such
functionality, enterprises need a Session Border Controller (SBC) that
works in conjunction with Lync to enable the delivery of sophisticated
voice, data, and video services to enterprise users.
How Lync Enterprise Voice Benefits Corporations
In many cases, business communication is being stymied because
the design of traditional PBX voice systems has become anti-
Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
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ENTERPRISES ARE STANDING
AT A CROSSROADS
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quated. These solutions were designed with a single purpose: to
carry voice communications, and thus they offer limited integration
with new communication options. Consequently, they do not work
well with multimedia communications or new collaboration tools.
Another problem is these systems often tie users to their desks:
these solutions were not built for wireless communications and
thus do not readily integrate with cellular and Wi-Fi networks or
mobile devices.
Lync Enterprise Voice delivers businesses a better platform, one that
integrates scattered corporate communication pieces together. On
the voice side, Lync Enterprise Voice provides numerous enhanced
calling features:
CALL FLEXIBILITY: Click-to-call a contact, hold, forward, transfer,
divert, park, or retrieve
SIMPLICITY: Users click on a contact card displayed on their
computer screens and calls are placed over Public Switched
Telephone Networks (PSTNs) or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
networks
DEVICE SELECTION: Employees receive incoming communi-
cations simultaneously on all of their communications devices,
enabling them to answer with the most convenient one
Lync is highly cost-effective. “By moving to Lync, businesses can simplify
their UC architecture–eliminating separate PBXs and thus reducing
licensing and operational costs associated with running a separate
platform for telephony,” notes Nemertes Research’s Lazar. Users enact
moves, adds, and changes themselves, so the IT staff spends time on
more meaningful, revenue-producing tasks.
With a new enterprise voice system, businesses not only reduce
CapEx and OpEx expenses but they also improve employee produc-
tivity. Information flows more quickly throughout the organization.
With UC, communication modality can evolve immediately. Communi-
cation is streamlined, data transfers are enhanced, and video confer-
encing becomes more common. Instead of listening to an audio call,
retrieving a presentation from email, and having to reserve the video
conferencing room an employee can use UC to engage in a multiple
point video conference from their desk that includes the ability to
share content.
In fact, many businesses reduce airplane travel by 10% or more, so rather
than sitting on a plane and traveling to and from New York and San Jose,
employees spend those 10 hours in the office, collaborating with their
coworkers. “One of our customers wanted to use the conferencing capa-
bilities within Lync to reduce its travel expenses by 10%; but because Lync
was so simple to use, they reduced it by nearly 90%,” which amounted to
significant cost savings, adds Modality Systems’ Rodd.
Yet few companies are fully reaping the potential benefits. Right
now, Nemertes estimates that only 11% of businesses are replacing
or planning to replace their PBXs with Lync for telephony; most are
only using Lync for instant messaging, according to Lazar. To fully
take advantage of Lync Enterprise Voice functionality, a corporation
needs a robust SBC, which acts like a network “Swiss Army Knife”
ensuring that everything works together seamlessly. Key features
found in the best SBCs are reliability, integration with old and new
networking solutions, integrated dial plan and policy management,
and strong security.
Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
4. Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
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In early 2012, Sonus found itself in a predicament faced by many businesses.
A series of acquisitions and expansion by various departments had left it with
a network hodgepodge. The network equipment supplier had 1,100 employees
stationed in nine offices spread out on three continents. The employees used a
variety of communication and collaboration systems, but a more cohesive network
infrastructure was needed.
In the summer of 2012, Sonus CIO Bill Scudder and his team pushed a company-
wide migration to Microsoft’s Lync system to the top of the IT priority list. Time was
of the essence. The firm decided to move all employees to Lync messaging, video,
and voice functions in eight weeks.
An upgrade to the Sonus enterprise network took about six more months. As
part of that change, Sonus consolidated its network infrastructure: replacing
legacy PSTN and VoIP gateways at each office with a single Sonus Session Border
Controller branch appliance.
Sonus also integrated the Microsoft solution with key business applications, such as
Salesforce.com and Microsoft Exchange. The enhanced communication and collabo-
ration among colleagues provided employees with several benefits:
Click-to-call from their IM or email screen whenever they see a coworker
is available
Host interactive whiteboarding sessions with cohorts from around
the world
Set up an audio or video conference for up to 200 people in less than
60 seconds
Share their desktops with remote technical support specialists for faster
problem resolution
In April 2013, the upgrade was completed, and workers became more productive.
When impediments like snowstorms prevent employees from reaching the office,
more work rather than less is completed because individuals still collaborate with
their colleagues. In the first full month after the companywide rollout of Lync, the
number of internally hosted video conferences rose by nearly 50%. Perhaps most
important, Sonus has already seen a nearly 200% ROI from the following cost
reductions:
$40,000 savings per office by replacing multiple voice gateways with a single
SBC
$150,000 per year savings in operational expenses by simplifying/unifying
network administration on a single communications platform (Lync)
$200,000 per year savings by internally hosting telecom services on the Lync
Server and using the SIP-based wide area network to route long-distance calls
Many businesses find themselves in similar positions to Sonus: running their busi-
ness on a less than optimally designed network. Taking the time to upgrade to
a modern UC solution, SIP, and SBC based network offers them the potential to
dramatically reduce their operating costs as well as significantly boost employee
productivity.
Sonus Dramatically Cuts Cost with New Lync Enterprise Voice Solution
VIDEO: Learn
how Lync
Voice delivered
improved
productivity and
a 200% ROI
}
5. Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
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DEPLOY A RELIABLE
NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
TO PERFORM WELL AND ENABLE their businesses to succeed,
employees need to exchange information quickly and easily. As a
result, business performance has become closely tied to network
availability: indeed, wide area network (WAN) outages can cost busi-
nesses hundreds of thousands of dollars per incident.
Businesses cannot afford any network interruptions; they are simply
too disruptive and expensive. In the airline industry for instance,
carriers rely on their networks to book flights and convey information
to passengers. In late September 2010, the check-in and online booking
systems of Australian airline Virgin Blue (now Virgin Australia) began
suffering intermittent downtime. Then a hardware failure on September
26 brought down the airline’s Internet booking, reservations, check-in
and boarding systems. The outage severely disrupted Virgin Blue’s busi-
ness, affecting around 50,000 passengers and 400 flights, before order
was restored in early October. Virgin Blue had outsourced maintenance
of its reservation system to Navitaire, an airline reservation specialist;
Virgin Blue estimated the cost of the outage at $20 million.
However, there are limitations with existing enterprise voice system
designs. The most obvious is vulnerability: they feature two critical
points of failure. With TDM trunking, companies operate a single,
physical connection between themselves and their service providers.
If something happens to that connection, the service goes down, and
all users are left without network access. Even with an IP-PBX and
SIP trunking, a company still has a central point of failure. All of the
system intelligence is confined to the data center. If a problem arises
there or on a link from it to a remote branch, then all of the employees
are knocked offline and there is no way for anyone to communicate.
In markets like financial services, healthcare, and oil and gas, such
outages are catastrophic.
To date, adding needed redundancy has left companies with three
mainly untenable options:
1. First, companies could duplicate the systems configurations:
This approach is often impractical because of very high CapEx.
2.Companies could put fully redundant lines in place. With SIP,
calls are routed over any portion of a firm’s IP bandwidth. If a
link goes down in one location, data is sent via other IP connec-
tions. But this approach is OpEx intensive. Technicians need to
manually enter data and track network changes.
3.Put network appliances in each location: This melding of the
first two options is not a panacea because it can still be costly
and difficult to maintain if the correct appliance is not chosen.
The best option is Lync, SIP and the right SBC. With this design,
companies reduce network device complexity because minimal
hardware elements (true appliances rather than servers) are
stationed at remote locations. This approach offers flexibility: it
supports 3G or 4G wireless connections as well as local switching.
This alternative is reliable: the system automatically routes calls if
hardware or WAN problems arise. Lync, SIP and the right SBC add
the resiliency needed with today’s enterprise networks.
6. Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
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Microsoft Lync is clearly outperforming the competition, according to
market research firm Synergy Group. The company found that in 2012
worldwide revenues for enterprise IP telephony fell by more than 6%,
but Microsoft’s revenue in the segment grew by more than 40%.
So what is behind the seemingly antithetical numbers? First, the
design of the Microsoft solution fits well with emerging commu-
nication system design. These functions are shifting from a voice
only design to support for multimedia communications. Because it
supports a variety of communication options (voice, video, email,
instant messaging) Lync meshes well with the growing business need
to run sophisticated voice applications, such as contact centers and
unified communications. “With Lync, businesses are able to dramati-
cally change the corporate culture and how employees collaborate,”
MICROSOFT LYNC
GAINS SUPPORTERS
says James Rodd, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Modality
Systems, a Unified Communications specialist.
Second, Microsoft offers robust integration with existing enter-
prise business systems. Many companies run their business on
products like Windows, Exchange, SharePoint, and Microsoft
Office. “Lync offers strong connectivity to Microsoft business
solutions,” states Irwin Lazar, Vice President and Service Director
for Nemertes Research Group, Inc.
Microsoft has also done well extending its communications
options. Lync includes robust voice functions, but it also stacks up
well against leading instant message and presence solutions. The
Microsoft Lync voice system works well with social networking
products.
For Microsoft, the best is yet to come. “Microsoft is poised to gain
more momentum in enterprise voice communications market,”
concludes Nemertes’ Lazar.
“Microsoft is poised to gain more
momentum in enterprise voice
communications market.”
— Irwin Lazar, Vice President and Service Director,
Nemertes Research
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SOOTHE MIGRATION PAIN POINTS
ENTERPRISES TODAY ARE RESPONDING to new competitive
challenges and starting to deploy modern applications; however,
many can be hampered by outdated network infrastructures. They
need a networking solution that will enable them to migrate from an
out-of-date network to a modern SIP infrastructure.
Implement Enterprise Voice while retaining some or all of the IP-PBX
infrastructure. In some cases, this will be to leverage the TDM
telephony interfaces offered by the IP-PBX, while in other cases, the
IP-PBX will stay in service to provide specific services or to serve
some segments of the network while others are transitioned to Enter-
prise Voice.
The SBC plays a vital intermediation role and can provide SIP normal-
ization, transcoding, and transrating to allow a smooth integration
between Enterprise Voice and the IP-PBX. Most larger enterprises
have a disparate IP-PBX base—more than one vendor serving the
company with different IP-PBXs in different locations. In these cases,
an SBC is even more vital to a smooth integration because it’s likely
that each of these different IP-PBXs will have its own SIP variations
and transcoding requirements.
However, communications system upgrades must be carried out
without risking downtime. Rip and replace is out of the question.
What’s more, employees resist change. They prefer to continue
working with an old system rather than learn how to use a new one.
Consequently, businesses need to invest time, effort, and money into
educating employees about the benefits of a new system. Also, voice
systems are large and complex, so moving to a new one takes time.
As a result, enterprises need a new voice infrastructure that:
Works with existing as well as new handsets
Is compatible with legacy equipment: Fax numbers, call center
ACDs, and paging systems
Supports enhanced services, like E911
Works with Microsoft’s Active Directory for a smooth migration
In addition to the SIP normalization and transcoding/rating functions,
SBCs also serve to provide a centralized call routing intelligence —
located logically “above” both the IP-PBXs and the Lync Enterprise
Voice servers. So the SBC can be the brains of the deployment,
helping to ensure that calls are routed correctly, with the most effi-
cient use of network resources and the lowest costs.
In sum, movement to a new network infrastructure is a complex
process. In many enterprises, migrating to a new system takes two
to three years. Because of this, businesses demand enterprise voice
solutions that coexist with the old system as employees begin to take
advantage of the new one.
8. Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
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CLOSE NEW SECURITY HOLES
HISTORICALLY, IT MANAGERS have not lost sleep worrying about
TDM security: these lines were not open to intrusion. Instead, the
migration from legacy TDM to VoIP networks makes their nights much
more restless. With IP-based voice communications, they open them-
selves up to malware, worms, and man-in-the-middle attacks. In fact,
SIP-sniffing software is readily available to criminals on the Internet.
For enterprises, the security stakes are quite high. Lync Enterprise
Voice network operators—both enterprises and service providers—
face threats to the security of their network and business in addition
to the everyday issues such as how to make VoIP work seamlessly
and efficiently while also realizing the cost and bandwidth savings that
VoIP promises.
Some of the common attacks enterprise and service providers face are:
DENIAL OF SERVICE (DOS) ATTACKS: Outside attempts to over-
whelm the network with fake connections
SPOOFING ATTACKS: Nefarious users attempt to gain access to
the network deceptively
TOLL FRAUD: Hackers attempt to access the network in order to
route calls over it at the network owner’s expense
To address the problem, companies should no longer link IP trunks
directly to a PBX. Instead, they should terminate trunks at a SIP-
capable SBC, which acts as a firewall. Unlike a TDM line, a SIP system
prohibits persons from simply plugging in and making calls. Trunks
are provisioned only after users are authenticated. During a recent
webinar, Nemertes revealed the top three productivity trends in UC
and cited increased security as the number one reason why enter-
prises are deploying an SBC.
The SBC controls the admission of calls in and out of the enterprise
and protects the network against denial of service (DoS) attacks, toll
fraud, and other attacks against the Lync Enterprise Voice network.
Additionally, the SBC can “hide” the topology of the Lync network
within the enterprise, so external parties aren’t able to detect the
devices within.
The Path
Forward
The use of Lync
Enterprise Voice
is becoming more
common in busi-
nesses because
the technology
offers firms a way
to cut costs and
improve produc-
tivity. However,
enterprises need
to deploy this system in a way that offers them reliability, a sound
migration path, and security. To do this, they should combine the
Lync system with a state-of-the-art SBC.
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SESSION BORDER CONTROLLERS play a critical role in acceler-
ating Microsoft Lync deployments. Too often, enterprises get delayed
because of unforeseen or unplanned challenges. So, how do enter-
prises ensure a quick and successful Lync deployment?
A few simple steps–and considerations–can help move your Lync
deployment forward, easily and reliably.
#1 Plan Ahead
Most Lync deployments begin with instant messaging (IM) and pres-
ence, which is the logical first step.
Once the infrastructure necessary for IM and presence is deployed,
enterprises also have the ability to do peer-to-peer voice and video.
However, existing voice communication infrastructure (consisting of
IP and legacy PBXs as well as PSTN trunks) is often a separate “voice
island” that doesn’t interoperate well with Lync.
Unified Communications is about having single identity reach, regard-
less of the device or user application, whether a desk phone, a mobile
phone or even a smartphone application. Disparate “voice islands”
create just the opposite–separation, not unification. Most enterprises
also won’t retire existing infrastructure immediately at the onset of
3 TIPS FOR MOVING YOUR
LYNC DEPLOYMENT FORWARD
Lync deployment, which means a mix of old and new in the network.
Many enterprises will move from PSTN trunks to SIP trunking (if not
doing so already) to take advantage of new features like high-definition
(HD) voice and video and enable Cloud communications, but the move
will be at their own pace.
Without planning ahead, enterprises that start a Lync pilot with IM and
presence may get stuck in the pilot phase indefinitely when they come
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across these “new requirements” for voice deployment. They need a
way to migrate to Lync seamlessly with ease.
#2 Remember: It is always an interworking
and survivability story
Enterprises need to consider how to bridge voice islands because
more often than not, it will be a migration story from existing to new
technologies. Interworking is the key to make it work together. And
interworking is an even bigger requirement when enterprises are
planning to deploy (or will deploy) SIP trunks in an environment with
both Lync and legacy equipment. Many enterprises underestimate the
amount of analog devices in their network that need to interoperate
with the new technology. Fax machines, common area phones,
paging systems, etc., all need to be planned into an enterprise’s Lync
migration to ensure a seamless, successful deployment.
Enterprises also need a business continuity plan in the event of a
network outage. This is especially critical for enterprises with branch
offices. If the wide area network (WAN) goes down, enterprises need to
ensure communication and connectivity between the corporate head-
quarters and remote locations. They also need to ensure that enterprise
branches are able to make calls out to 911 during emergencies even
during WAN outage.
#3 Think Session Border Controller
How can enterprises ensure quick and successful Lync deploy-
ment amidst the challenges? The answer is simpler than you may
imagine; it’s a Session Border Controller (SBC).
The SBC is a device that sits at the border between the internal
Lync Enterprise Voice network and the SIP trunk service provided by
the Internet service provider (ISP) or a legacy Internet protocol (IP)
telephony infrastructure, providing a host of security, service enable-
ment, and control functions for any VoIP or UC network. The SBC—
which Microsoft recommends be included in a Lync Enterprise Voice
Deployment to ensure interoperability and functionality— provides
interworking across different protocols, dial plans and media types
to enable that migration story to be realized by enterprises while also
ensuring security, connectivity, interoperability and survivability.
The SBC provides interworking across different
protocols, dial plans and media types to enable
that migration story to be realized by enterprises
while also ensuring security, connectivity,
interoperability and survivability.
11. Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
1 1P L AY B O O K sonus.net
®
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A LYNC MASTER is a rare experience.
There are only about 100 of them on the planet and most of them work
for Microsoft. The Lync Master Certification process starts by winnowing
out all but the top Lync specialists, and then it gets serious. Should
candidates get past the grueling interview process, they will be invited
to Redmond for an intensive 3-week certification program, where the
world’s leading Lync experts will cram years of information into your
brain. Then comes the real work: a two-part written and lab exam that
only one in three students will pass to become a certified master.
Most systems integrators would love to have one Lync Master
on staff. ExtraTeam has four. That’s right. In a company with 50
employees, you can’t swing a Polycom phone at either of ExtraTeam’s
coastal offices without hitting someone who knows a boatload about
Lync. ExtraTeam’s Director of Engineering and longest-standing Lync
Master Mike Sneeringer has some words of advice that can connect
you to a higher consciousness of Lync.
Prepare. According to Lync Master Mike, communication is only as
strong as the network that supports it. “Have a network assessment
done to accurately identify potential problems and challenges before
you start to implement Lync. Businesses first need to make sure their
network has sufficient bandwidth, security and the right quality of
service (QoS) policies to support a unified communications solution.”
Partner. For UC to work, everything needs to work together: Lync
servers, gateways, phones, legacy applications. “You want to work with
5 WORDS OF WISDOM FROM
A ZEN LYNC MASTER
a systems integrator who can
not only get all of the pieces to
play together,” says Sneeringer,
“but also knows how to exploit
all of Lync’s features to give you the best possible experience.”
Equip. It’s one of the most common mistakes that Sneeringer and
his ExtraTeam mates see: companies that fail to realize the full potential
of Lync because they don’t invest in the right equipment. As Mike
explains it, “Companies won’t get optimal voice and video from Lync
unless they also invest in certified phones, headsets and cameras.”
Simplify. Unifying communications isn’t as simple as SIP
trunking. “Different vendors implement SIP in their products
differently,” Mike cautions, “so you need a Session Border Controller
to provide the interoperability between telephony services.
Otherwise, something like music on hold might not work with Lync.
That’s why we recommend Lync-certified SBCs. They’ll ultimately
speed up your deployment and you’ll spend less time on the phone
with tech support.”
Train. According to Master Mike, training is the first step to
success. “Companies need to make sure that employees have
access to training right from the beginning, whether in person or
over the Web. If you can deliver a positive experience to users right
in the beginning, they’ll embrace it and you’ll start to see those
productivity gains almost immediately.”
VIDEO: Learn how
Lync can improve
collaboration
capabilities from a
single portal.
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12. Introduction 1. Optimize Your Network 2. Simplify Migration 3. Peace of Mind
1 2P L AY B O O K sonus.net
®
The SBC plays a big role in a Lync Enterprise Voice deployment; it sits on
the edge of the network and provides all sorts of security and mediation
services to keep things running smoothly. It communicates between two
network end devices, such as a Lync SIP VoIP call between two phones.
These communications are called SIP sessions. Because of where the SBC
fits in the network, it can be usefully implemented by both businesses
themselves and also by the service providers who serve them. Take note
of these key criteria when considering an SBC for your UC deployment.
1. WIDE-RANGING MEDIA SUPPORT
Sonus SBCs provide a wide range of support for different media types
because they don’t rely on off-the-shelf solutions (with generic off-the-
shelf software) for media processing. Instead, Sonus creates its own
firmware, which allows Sonus to responsively add additional media types
as needed without waiting for a vendor to come along with a solution.
2. MULTIVENDOR INTEROPERABILITY
Sonus SBCs are deployed throughout the world in a variety of environ-
ments, supporting Lync Enterprise Voice and a wide range of IP-PBXs and
legacy TDM-PBX systems in different configurations.
3. RESILIENCY AND PROTECTION AGAINST ATTACKS
Sonus SBCs offer sophisticated real-time firewalling and the use of tech-
niques such as Virtual LAN (VLAN) tagging, which drops the malicious
packets and allows legitimate traffic to continue on to the network unim-
peded. So the enterprise stays online and productive!
4. ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATIONS
With a Sonus SBC and its support for AES encryption (128 bit), potential
eavesdroppers aren’t able to make head or tail of a conversation they
might be able to otherwise listen in on.
5. RAPID RECOVERY
Sonus SBCs are built to make the disruption of an outage a minor
Finding the Right SBC for Your Lync Deployment: Things to Look For
rather than a major event. If a failure occurs, the Sonus SBC automati-
cally attempts to find alternate routes to complete calls without the
end-user ever knowing that there’s a problem. In branch sites, the
Sonus SBC can automatically reroute calls to the PSTN when the
IP network goes down, giving the user the service needed without
disruption.
6. SURVIVABILITY FOR BRANCH SITES
Sonus SBCs include full support for Lync SBA. In fact, Sonus takes this
one step further and supports full Lync Enhanced SBA with 3G/4G
failover capability. So an enterprise’s branch sites get high-quality voice
services, ready-to-go survivability and require one less device in the
network—that makes the network simpler and cheaper to provision and
manage.
7. CENTRALIZED POLICY MANAGEMENT
Sonus SBCs can be centrally managed. Whether an enterprise (or service
provider) needs two SBCs or 20, a single set of policies and configurations
can be established one time and sent to all locations with one action,
which means lower expenses for IT and better/faster results for users.
This streamlining also eliminates the need to hire IT technologists to main-
tain and update policies.
8. EXCEPTIONAL TRANSCODING PERFORMANCE
Often voice calls aren’t in the same codec, such as when in languages
a translator or in UC a transcoder is needed to convert between the
two. The Sonus SBC platform has a separate processing architecture of
media transcoding and transrating, so the overall performance of the
SBC doesn’t take a “hit” when a lot of processor-intensive transcoding is
going on.
9. MICROSOFT COMPATIBILITY AND QUALIFICATION
Sonus is a qualified Microsoft Lync hardware partner and has several
models of SBCs qualified for use in a Lync Enterprise Voice environment.
Sonus is a global leader in
IP networking with proven
expertise in delivering se-
cure, reliable and scalable
next-generation infra-
structure and subscriber
solutions. Sonus has the
broadest portfolio of Micro-
soft Lync qualified Session
Border Controllers (SBCs),
providing the industry's
only end-to-end portfolio
to deliver SIP-enabled ap-
plications from the branch
office to the central office.
For more information, call
+1-855-GO-SONUS or visit
www.sonus.net