What is Unified communications ?

Unified communications (UC) is “communications integrated to optimize business processes”.

Unified communications (UC) is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, telephony (including IP telephony), video conferencing, data sharing (including web connected electronic whiteboards aka IWB's or Interactive White Boards), call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax). UC is not necessarily a single product, but a set of products that provides a consistent unified user interface and user experience across multiple devices and media types. There have been attempts at creating a single product solution however the most popular solution is dependent on multiple products.

In its broadest sense UC can encompass all forms of communications that are exchanged via the medium of the TCP/IP network to include other forms of communications such as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and Digital Signage Communications as they become an integrated part of the network communications deployment and may be directed as one to one communications or broadcast communications from one to many.

UC allows an individual to send a message on one medium and receive the same communication on another medium. For example, one can receive a voicemail message and choose to access it through e-mail or a cell phone. If the sender is online according to the presence information and currently accepts calls, the response can be sent immediately through text chat or video call. Otherwise, it may be sent as a non-real-time message that can be accessed through a variety of media.

Uses of unified communications

· Emergencies – Perhaps one of the most appropriate and socially justifiable uses for unified communications is that embodied by an emergency communication system. In an emergency, the ability to communicate life-saving and damage-mitigating notifications and instructions is arguably very important; and the integrated and wide-ranging scope of unified communications would bear great benefit for emergency oriented communications.

· Every day and Non-Emergency – Unified communications ability could also be very useful for non-emergency communications. The ability to easily communicate seamlessly via a wide range of integrated components would arguably better facilitate all types of communication.

Components of unified communications

With unified communications, multiple modes of business communications are seamlessly integrated. Unified communications is not a single product but a collection of elements that includes:

· Call control and multimodal communications
· Presence
· Instant messaging
· Unified messaging
· Speech
· Conferencing
· Collaboration tools
· Business process integration (BPI)