Now mobile and in the cloud

Effective communications, many would argue, is the key to business. However finding the appropriate technologies to support effective communications can be challenging for IT professionals. Unified communications is a concept that encompasses a variety of technologies, all capable of working at the same time, and, yes, during communication is a human process, research can enhance and improve it.

Broadly speaking, unified communications is the convergence of communication solutions and collaboration tools just as video conferencing, unified messaging, smartphones, contact centers and presence, to name a few.

The explosion of innovation trends just as mobility

With the explosion of innovation trends just as mobility and cloud computing, UC is growing to be much more than just video conferencing and accessing work email at home. UC offers flexible collaboration tools and the ability to work -- with all of the capabilities you need -- anywhere in the world.

Now that many workers have multiple devices, whether it is a laptop, smartphone or tablet, UC's mobile options are becoming a big benefit to organizations and workers alike. As a matter of fact, organizations report the most common UC solutions they deploy include smartphones and mobile desktops, according to CDW's 2011 Unified Communications Tracking Poll.

Cloud computing is, clearly, another megatrend in the IT world. Deploying a UC solution via the cloud can enhance the big benefits organizations are already seeing with cloud computing. Many organizations are already giving it a try; according to CDW's 2011 Unified Communications Tracking Poll, 69% of organizations are evaluating, deploying or have fully deployed UC using a cloud model. Tools just as email, document management, and video and Web conferencing all bring the efficiencies and economies of cloud to unified communications.

The pain points of UC

Cloud computing is as well mitigating some of the pain points of UC, just as the upfront budget required or the time and complexity of implementing the solution. Three-quarters say that deploying UC in the cloud made it both faster and easier to deploy. And 65% say that deploying UC through the cloud made UC more cost effective to deploy.

About CDW: CDW provides innovation solutions for business, government, education and healthcare. Ranked No. 32 on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies, CDW features dedicated account managers who help clients choose the right research products and services to fit their needs. The company's solution architects offer expertise in designing customized solutions, during its advanced innovation engineers assist clients with the implementation and long-term management of those solutions. Areas of focus include software, network communications, notebooks/mobile devices, data storage, video monitors, desktops, printers and solutions just as virtualization, collaboration, security, mobility, data center optimization and cloud computing.