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Clearing the Fog Around Unified Communications

Will there come a point when we can stop talking about how confusing / perplexing / foggy / murky / cloudy / or otherwise ‘complicated’ the concept of unified communications is? I mean, the very nature of unified communications is based around simplifying and streamlining- so why is it so difficult to grasp?

Granted, I agree that many organizations and IT admins are still trying to make sense of UC and what it means to them. I am just as guilty of writing repeatedly (this post notwithstanding) about the difficulties of understanding what UC involves.

But, the technologies and concepts that comprise unified communications have been around for awhile, and the buzzword concept of unified communications has also been around for awhile. It seems like we should be able to move past the fact that it is made up of a variety of components and that you can mix and match components and vendors to create the UC that works best for you, and focus on how to implement it more efficiently, or how to leverage it effectively to maximize the benefits.

Hopefully we’re getting there. Slowly, but surely. In the meantime, those who are still confused and perplexed will find value in this video whiteboard tutorial series from Information Week. This Information Week article provides some background on what you can expect from the webcasts.

Remember ROI?

Ah, the ‘Good Ole Days’. Remember when business decisions and investments could be made based on ROI (return on investment). If a business invests $1 million in new manufacturing equipment that helps them produce higher quality widgets faster, thereby increasing output and bringing in $200,000 a month more in revenue, then the investment pays for itself in 5 months and after that its all gravy. Simple enough.

The problem is that many of the business decisions and investments on the table these days do not fit into ROI calculations. Investing in network security does not generate revenue. It just (hopefully) protects you from losing money. Investing in process automation does not generate revenue. It (hopefully) makes processes more efficient resulting in cost savings per process execution which reflects back to the bottom line. Unified communications is sort of in the same boat.

In and of itself, UC won’t generally make money. What it will (hopefully) do if implemented properly is allow employees to work more efficiently and be more productive. It will allow employees to collaborate more effectively and help to generate team synergy where it wasn’t possible before. It will enable the business to respond to market pressures and customer needs more agilely. UC is a tremendous investment, but companies need to understand the big picture and both implement and use the tools effectively. Oh, and don’t try to justify the investment with a straight ROI measurement. Your CFO probably won’t cut a check based on that argument.