7445_42-46_SRINIFIED COMMS.qxd 15/9/08 18:22 Page 25
SPECIAL REPORT: UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS ■
’
manage the architecture and deliver the
benefits back to the business.
While the outcomes are typically John McCabe, Damovo Neil Wisdom, Complete Telecom
attractive, the path to achieving them
can be fraught with problems. “You need
buy-in from senior people within the
organisation from the outset, because
it is about transforming the business,”
warns McFadden. “UC projects are
unlikely to go ahead or achieve benefits
Organisations have all the
without high-level support.”
The good news is all vendors agree
building blocks for UC but
that the time has never been better to
move to UC. “The combination of more
reliable equipment along with the avail-
what they’ve been missing is
ability of more affordable, higher band-
width will drive uptake,” comments Neil
the catalyst to do it. It’s more
Wisdom, sales director at Complete
Telecom. “In the past few years, the about business reasons’
larger organisations have made the
jump into the world of IP-based voice.
They have got the message and realise it
will save them money and give them
more features and functions at a lower
price.”
One enticing aspect of a converged
network is that it allows organisations
to give their employees the same experi-
ence, wherever they are. “You can use a
softphone that becomes an extension of
the corporate PBX. And videoconferenc-
ing begins to make sense. Traditionally, it
had been clunky and jerky and bit of a
gimmick. Now, you can get a high-speed
link at a very affordable price.”
Another factor which has had a major
influence on UC adoption is the Irish
economy. “There have been a lot of new
buildings and office moves that bring
more opportunity to consider new
cabling and kit. It’s harder to retrofit
an old building,” says Wisdom. “A single,
combined, converged solution always
comes out at better value. That has
driven the uptake.” But will the chang-
ing economic climate stall its growth?
Not according to Wisdom. “The main
pitch for UC is around cost savings
and greater efficiencies. In a difficult
economic climate, people are looking at
these things far more readily.”
September 2008 Knowledge Ireland 45
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84