Each of UC's incarnations have been stepping stones towards the 'third phase of convergence', according to Six Degrees Group's (6DG) Strategy and Marketing Director Campbell Williams, who says it's high time we all went 'UCeamless'.
The traditional language of Unified Communications signifies an environment where users collaborate on any device, any where. But the shift away from this application-centric realm of communications towards a more platform-centric one indicates a trend towards greater levels of integration as the technology blends invisibly into the background of everyday corporate life, while collaborative outcomes move to the fore.
According to Williams, customer demand is driving this convergence of UC, a new incarnation of the category, where the channel delivers UC software on Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud platforms. "Frost & Sullivan noted that the need to support a growing mobile workforce alongside the ability to gain faster access to advanced features and capabilities are a strong driver for the market," stated Williams. "Customer demand and feedback are now at the forefront of UC&C development."
The UC discussion has shifted more towards people and the human factor rather than technology, device and location. This is a trend Williams has witnessed across ICT as a whole. "As customers insist on more from their technology, be that comms, compute, or cloud, IT has become more specialised and there has been an increase in demand for highly skilled people behind these systems," he stated. "ICT now needs people with specific and focused experience, especially in relation to cloud technologies.
"Businesses have experienced a shift in resources away from traditional IT teams, who as one IT leader put it, 'don't have the manpower to baby sit hardware any more'. This change means that IT teams need to understand both the scope for technology to deliver the infrastructure and services their business needs, and how to use it when it's in place. IT teams also need to translate business planning and strategic product and service objectives into real world delivery, and overcome long standing barriers between IT and business."
IT leaders also need to understand that UC is more about the technologies while collaboration signifies the outcomes. "UC can do justice to the ongoing evolution of technology and services in the marketplace today," commented Williams. "However, to enhance customer services and business processes, collaboration is more important than all of the technologies available in the marketplace.
"I don't necessarily disagree with the premise that the industry has entered a post-UC era. I think of it as a third phase of comms convergence. Over the years the comms industry has seen a huge number of changes. When VoIP emerged over 15 years ago, many industry players dismissed it as a fad. Now, we don't even know we are using integrated VoIP systems. This shows how far we have come.
"VoIP was followed by 'Voice over IT', which delivered PBXs using standard computer platforms. Despite the obvious appeal of this type of convergence many commentators were sceptical, arguing PBXs would always need turnkey hardware. Now, I believe we are entering a third phase where customer demand is at the forefront and organisations look to converge their communications and deliver cloud-based UC software on IaaS platforms."
Successful UC players, noted Williams, display flexibility and shy away from selling off-the-shelf solutions. They differentiate themselves by adding customisation and building APIs into customers' key business systems. Because of this, Williams believes that the term 'UCeamless' is perhaps more suitable than plain UC.
"Traditional fixed line and IPT sellers will need to have a converged mobile strategy, and quickly," he added. "In the mid-market there has been a large focus on SIP and hosted IPX migration, but the mobile costs have always been associated with an independent mobile operator or service provider. The BT/EE tie up should, in time, start making more customers look to consolidate their mobile and voice to one supplier. So there is a great opportunity for the channel to increase the wallet share of their existing customer base."
Following the recent launch of 6DG's UCaaS solution with Avaya, the company plans to bolster its proposition with the CCaaS (Contact Centre as a Service) and VaaS (Video as a Service) add-on applications. "These will increase the functionality of our UCaaS platform and enable customers to pick and choose from a wider range of features," commented Williams. "We also plan to invest in further expanding our international foot print, closely aligning the next phase of our UCaaS offering with the growth plans of our customer base."