Video Telephony: Completing the Picture of Unified Communications Effectiveness

Author: Nora Freedman and Abner Germanow

July 2008

As noted by IDC in the White Paper titled “Video Telephony: Completing the Picture of Unified Communications Effectiveness”, dated June, 2008, Unified Communications (UC) is a term that has been heralded in the telephony and network markets as the IT architecture that will streamline business processes and break down the distinct silos of communications within the enterprise. IDC defines UC as a solution platform that adds advanced IP telephony calling and management; Web, audio-, and videoconferencing; instant messaging; and pervasive presence management and awareness – all accessible through desktop and mobile devices.

As IT buyers become more savvy and are faced with increasing pressure to decrease IT costs, they’re looking for solutions with returns on investment that can apply to more than just a select group of employees.

Therefore, prospective enterprises will need to democratize the use of what IDC believes is the next step in UC – the convergence of video and phone devices to a simple, single comprehensive replacement system for core communications and collaboration.

The key benefits of a video telephony conferencing solution center around the following themes:

• Extension of UC platform. Video telephony conferencing can be added to the list of practical communication modes and can further enrich the user experience at the desktop via a unified software client.
• More robust communications medium. With videophone-based communications, all participants are aware of the nonverbal cues (kinesics) given by the speaker and the listener, which can enhance the dialogue between participants and increase the chance of understanding.
• Increased team collaboration. Team members not only can hold more meetings throughout the day via videoconference by eliminating travel times between locations but also can have more effective meetings since they access their business-critical applications and information from their desks during these sessions.
• Access for remote workers and teleworkers. Users who aren’t located at headquarters or spend a lot of time out of the office feel more connected. These remote workers will also be less likely to multitask during conversations held via a video telephony conference.
• Reduction of travel expenses and carbon footprint. Videophone conferencing can have the dual benefit of travel savings and green IT compliance for organizations.

IDC suggests that end users who are investigating new UC solutions (especially those with video components) consider the following factors:

• Device price points. Customers should evaluate not only the one-to-one replacement value of next-generation communication solutions but also if a consolidated device is a more appropriate tool for the user role (even if it’s more expensive than the device or solution being replaced).
• Native integration and compatibility features available with existing communications infrastructure. All of the major IP telephony vendors and UC providers have a specific group of certified partners. These certifications have been completed not only to ease the deployment and installation of these solutions but also to help minimize the cost of additional and/or unforeseen middleware and professional services in order to make a heterogeneous UC environment work.
• Endpoint standards compliance. Enterprises should also consider what industry standards they need to adhere to and which solutions are compliant. In the majority of next-generation communication solutions today, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is the predominant communications standard in UC solutions.
• Desktop footprint consolidation. Not only has travel become more expensive for business travelers, but so too has the cost of real estate. Customers can explore the opportunities of having consolidated devices that free up desk space for enterprise users while also minimizing the number of devices with which they will have to interact.

As more and more companies become aware of the promise of unified communications and the viability of integrated video telephony as a business communications medium, they will need to be more critical of the solutions that they investigate, as well as more strategic about the solutions they choose to adopt.

For more information please contact CDW Berbee, John Uchaker at 513-677-4119.  CDW Berbee, drawing on strategic partnerships with Cisco, IBM and Microsoft and the far-reaching experience of its hundreds of engineers, has assisted clients with a full range of technology solutions.  For other information, please visit www.berbee.com.

Article is sponsored by Tandberg (http://www.tandberg.com/vcb/white_papers.jsp) and adapted from Key Trends in Enterprise VoIP 2007: Customer Perspectives on Unified Communications  by Nora Freedman and Abner Germanow, IDC #208643