Word of the Day: unified communications (UC)

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms | July 16, 2018 unified communications (UC) Unified communications (UC) is a framework for integrating various asynchronous and real-time communication tools, with the goal of enhancing business communication, collaboration and productivity. Unified communications does not represent a singular technology; rather, it describes an interconnected system of enterprise communication devices and applications that can be used in concert or successively. The goal of unified communications is to integrate the software that supports synchronous and asynchronous communication so the end user has easy access to all tools from whatever device is in use. A unified communications environment is typically supported by one or more back-end systems, often referred to as UC platforms, that facilitate integration among services as well as the front-end clients that provide access. UC also supports users moving from one mode of communication to another within the same session. For example, a user may start communicating with email but then decide to escalate the interaction to real-time communication, transitioning the session to a voice call with one click and then to a video conference with another click without any disruption. Unified communications systems and their components can be deployed on premises, in a public or private cloud, or a combination of all three. Cloud-based unified communications is also called UC as a service (UCaaS). An open source project called WebRTC enables real-time communication to be embedded into web browsers. Historically, single-vendor UC environments have demonstrated the tightest integration and compatibility. Interoperability among vendors remains an ongoing challenge in UC, but it has been mitigated, in part, by partnerships, common protocols and open APIs. Read more... Quote of the Day "While UC's value proposition may not be intuitive, the islands of communications that worked well in simpler times are not effective today." - Jon Arnold Trending Terms real-time communications web conferencing unified messaging Unified Communications as a Service WebRTC virtual meeting room Learning Center Team collaboration secondary in Workplace by Facebook app Despite efforts to market the Workplace by Facebook app as a team collaboration tool similar to Slack, several organizations that have deployed Facebook's business platform say they are using it primarily as an intranet. Ribbon Communications boosts UCaaS portfolio with Edgewater buy Ribbon Communications plans to acquire Edgewater Networks for $110 million and will fuse Edgewater's SD-WAN and network orchestration capabilities with Ribbon's UCaaS portfolio. The evolution of unified communications technologies Unified communications technologies have evolved from desk phones to messaging apps. Businesses need to be open-minded about other emerging tools. Open UC platforms improve communication workflow, but carry risks Open UC platforms are growing in popularity, as organizations look to embed communications within their workflows. While integrating communications with APIs and CPaaS has its advantages, security risks do lurk. Unified communications vendors continue consolidation carousel The consolidation trend among unified communications vendors continues, as Polycom, Star2Star and West announce mergers and acquisitions. Quiz Yourself Management chose Slack to encourage communication ________ the company's marketing team and its sales team. A. between B. among Answer Stay in Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed! FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2018 TechTarget. All rights reserved.