Financial Storage Decisions

Eighty-six percent of enterprise organizations understand the business case for UC, according to a recent report from Forrester Research. UC can provide business benefits and a competitive advantage that is crucial in today's tough economy. However, when SearchUnifiedCommunications.com surveyed our readership, we learned that when it comes to devising a deployment strategy, most companies are uncertain where and how to begin.

With UC providers spanning the market from switch/telephony vendors, desktop application vendors, mobility vendors, unified messaging vendors and conferencing/collaboration vendors, it’s little wonder companies are confused. In this interactive virtual seminar, you'll hear from the most respected experts in Unified Communications about the most effective and practical ways to move ahead with UC to realize the best results.

Session 1: Making smart investments in unified communications

In this Videocast, UC expert Don Van Doren will explain exactly what UC is, its tangible benefits and how to best translate business needs into communications applications that make sense. He will provide advice about the best approach to roll out UC in a cost-effective manner, identifying which applications can give businesses the most bang for their buck, and how to best measure the success of unified communications implementations.

Topics covered:

UC: beyond instant messaging
Communications-enabled business processes
Finding your UC "hot spots" and communication bottlenecks
Endpoint security
Implementation strategies
UC ROI

Session 2: Successful UC integration: Picking the path to adoption

Embarking on Unified Communications may be confusing, but the good news is that enterprises can realize the benefits of UC without committing to a full-scale rip-and-replace. Whether companies choose to start small by deploying a few UC applications or opt for all of the different UC components, success can be achieved in the absence of a network and application revamp. By identifying business and technical requirements and clearly defining the needs and goals an organization hopes to meet, enterprises can quite easily circumvent expensive delays, enhance service quality, and deploy a solution that meets current business needs as well as future needs.

There are several ways to approach UC depending on the challenges or issues a company hopes to resolve, their existing infrastructure, business processes and so on. In this webcast, expert Blair Pleasant will discuss four UC deployment models that will help companies realize UC's value proposition -- whether they're looking to do small pilot program or deeply integrate UC into business processes across the board.

Topics covered:

IP telephony-based UC
Desktop application-based UC
Business application-based UC
Voice messaging-based UC
Interoperability/integration
Choosing vendors

Session 3: Video conferencing and collaboration: Capitalizing on the opportunity

Advances in video delivery technology, combined with increasingly dispersed workforce and declining desire to travel, are making video conferencing and related collaboration applications a viable option for many businesses. In this Videocast, expert Melanie Turek explains further why video conferencing is enjoying a surge of popularity, how telepresence is affecting the market, and what other communications applications can be integrated into a video conferencing system. She also offers best practices for businesses on selecting the most appropriate system, overcoming deployment challenges, and measuring the success of their implementations.

Topics covered:

Advances in videoconferencing technology
Adoption of virtual workplace
Telepresence/immersive conferencing
Bandwidth and load balancing challenges
Interoperability with other companies and applications
Videoconferencing and UC integration
Cost/benefit matrix

Session 4: Enterprise telephony: IP PBX vs. UC software

The progress of Unified Communications is challenging the current role of the IP-PBX, and many enterprises are re-evaluating their long-term telephony strategies. In this video interview, Burton Group Senior Consultant Ken Agress will examine how UC software is challenging the traditional IP-PBX and how telephony fits in the market evolution of Unified Communications.

Topics covered:

How UC and telephony integrate
Hardware-based/appliance telephony advantages
Software-based telephony advantages
UC software adoption
Software telephony support challenges
Telephony future developments

Click here to register.

Win an 8 GB iPod Touch or a GPS Navigation System

Along with receiving independent expert advice about the most effective and practical ways to move ahead with UC, you'll also have the chance to win a free 8 GB iPod Touch or a TomTom GPS navigation system when you attend!