Online business collaborations have succeeded in ways that were unimaginable only a few short years ago. Thanks to a range of technological advances and user-focused tools — such as social media, unified communications, mobility, and video — open communication from anywhere at any time is now a reality for a majority of business users.  When it comes to online collaborations, for example video conferencing, there are a few points to keep in mind:  It’s no secret that the faster employees locate, gather and share information, the more productive they become. When you can choose from a range of communication devices, it’s easier than ever to maximize response times and gain greater awareness of broader business initiatives, increasing the competitiveness of the entire organization.  A School District Gets Savvy To that end, Unified Communications (UC) represents a set of programs and protocols that allows users to contact each other through a range of different media platforms at any given time. UC brings together different technologies—speech recognition, video conferencing, email, IM, text and call control services—to function as a unified whole and to increase communication across business units.  That was the need Pembina Trails School Division was looking to fulfill when it underwent a comprehensive communications upgrade. Its outmoded telephony system was only part of the problem. The school system, made up of two distinct divisions now combined into one, needed a UC solution that was both cost-effective and flexible.  It also had to meet the needs of a dynamic, media-savvy population of students, staff, and faculty. However, its infrastructure, a patchwork quilt of mismatched networks, servers, and outdated telephony, complicated the adoption process. Today, organizations from small- and medium-sized businesses to enterprises are dealing with similar issues. And they’re increasingly turning to UC as a critical strategy for increasing productivity by enabling end users to communicate anytime, anywhere.  In general, limited resources, strict budgets, and outmoded technology all stand in the way of new platform adoption. But once a UC system is in place, software upgrades are easier to perform as well as user activation and network maintenance. Calling costs are lower, which makes collaborations easier. In addition, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)-related controls and security are simpler to maintain.  In the case of Pembina, the division found a solution through a service provider who helped keep its infrastructure intact while providing a state-of-the- art UC upgrade. This consisted of 30 miles of dark fiber network connecting 34 buildings, Dell switches, Windows Server 2003, and Active Directory. The vendor also helped create a system that could handle future add-ons.  Today, effective business communications are all about fast information retrieval and immediate interaction. UC represents a way to increase the level and quality of participation among team members. Such an improved collaborative potential ultimately leads to a stronger competitive advantage.  Channel Your Inner Hacker and Other Cyber Security Suggestions  How to Turn Truckloads of Paperwork Turn into Digital Files
Video conferencing – anywhere, any time -- is here. A look at how unified communications can bring it all together.