complexity of multiple disparate suppliers, speed up the decision- making process ... Choose your delivery model (from o
CIO Strategy Brief: Integrating Unified Communications into the Digital Workspace Arif Mohamed
Enterprises can benefit greatly from deploying unified communications (UC) – and particularly video conferencing – across their external supply chains, and using it with partners and suppliers, say Dimension Data and Polycom. The two companies, which are strategic leaders in the field, have found that organisations are increasingly viewing UC as strategically important to improve business productivity, time to market and business outcomes.
McGroarty says that psychological research has demonstrated the power of video communication, showing that it is far more impactful than just reading words that have been typed. He adds that the key with UC is to give people the mechanisms to access the type of communication they desire, from whatever device they wish to use: smartphones, tablets, desktops, the meeting room, a boardroom or an immersive telepresence room. The main thing is for the technology to be easy to use, and that it all works together, says McGroarty, because this will allow usage and adoption to flourish.
However, says Jim Barrett, Head of End User Computing at
Barrett adds that CIOs can help to improve usage and adoption in
Dimension Data, many organisations have struggled to gain mass adoption of UC, and specifically with video conferencing suffering
a number of ways. He says that UC shouldn’t be about a technology
from low utilisation rates. This is unacceptable to both businesses
outcome, but rather a business outcome, based on an end-user
and CIOs, he argues.
computing approach. This means supporting a range of devices and operating systems, as well as the spectrum of ways in which the
As companies now look to gain new benefits from the digital economy, they want to see UC being used outside of the network –
workforce wants to work. Dimension Data works closely with Polycom in the specific area of
with clients, partners and suppliers. One of the exciting challenges is to make UC a core part of the supply chain in order to manage the
video communications, and sees adoption as a strategic programme.
complexity of multiple disparate suppliers, speed up the decision-
This needs to involve both IT and business executives, and also
making process and reduce time-to-market for new products and
requires the right types of objectives to ensure UC is part of the
services. The integration of video communication into any business
supply chain. Barrett says that there are six steps for CIOs to help accelerate UC
process enables a new level of performance and that process becomes more inclusive, despite any geographic barriers. Being able
investments:
to see and hear ideas at the same time builds stronger corporate identification, teamwork and trust – whilst improved business
1. Create a defined UC strategy and have a budget to invest
processes increase team efficiency and improve business continuity.
2. Consult your users and let them influence your decisions 3. Approach enterprise mobility as part of your overall UC strategy
Ray McGroarty, Global Director for Enterprise UC Solutions
4. Think about standard UC, mobile UC clients and social
at Polycom, says that using video communication to engage with
collaboration
the supply chain can give businesses a significant time-to-market
5. Choose your delivery model (from on-premise through to cloud-
advantage. Polycom has found there is, on average, a 24% increase
based)
in time to market. For example, one Polycom client in the fashion
6. Incorporate a usage & adoption programme to ensure a
trade used video communication to collaborate with its garment
successful investment
provider in the Far East. The business found significant reductions in time to market, which is a huge benefit when a one-day delay could
He concludes that, ultimately, the reason for adopting UC should
make the difference between them having to offer huge discounts to their customers or charging full price. There is a significant margin
be about embracing the benefits of the digital workspace and
advantage in achieving time to market objectives, says McGroarty.
ensuring that UC is at the heart of the supply chain. in association with
