Now UC it – and
it’s here to stay
Cornerstone Business Solutions
managing director Chris Petty
Cornerstone managing director Chris Petty introduces the latest technology
that’s crept into business and home lives during lockdown…
Unified Communication and
Collaboration. “Eh? What’s that?”
you may well ask. This is the new
buzz phrase we will all be using in the
not-too-distant future.
Now that most of the world is beginning
to work remotely - and actually enjoy it -
we now need to find a way that unleashes
us from the tether of wires and physical
locations. The result has been an influx of
fantastic communication tools.
As technology continues to evolve,
we’ve entered an era where work is no
longer confined to a specific desk, phone
or computer screen. We now have the
freedom to share our skills and pursue
new opportunities across the globe - all
with nothing but the right device and an
internet connection.
Enter Unified Communications and
Collaboration.
The term “Unified Communication” (or
simply UC) describes not only how we
connect different communication systems,
but collaboration tools too! That’s why
moving forward you will often hear the
phrase UC&C which simply stands for
Unified Communications and Collaboration.
In short, UC&C incorporates:
> Messaging
> Voice and video calling
> Team collaboration
> Video conferencing
> File sharing.
So what are the benefits of Unified
Communications?
> Better productivity: Teams can
connect however they feel most
comfortable, using any device or
medium they choose.
> Reduced costs: Because UC
systems operate on the cloud, they
allow companies to shift away from
a Capex model, with fewer initial
expenses.
> Stronger performance: Because
employees can both communicate
and collaborate in an instant, they
can solve customer problems
faster - and improve your business
reputation.
> Enhanced user experience: A
good UC strategy can delight your
employees/customers and even
reduce costs in your organisation,
by giving people more freedom to
work as they choose.
The most common tools that we have
all no doubt used during lockdown are
Zoom and Microsoft Teams. We have
probably only used a small percentage
of these tools and no doubt purely for
video calls and family quizzes. Configuring
these tools fully gives you the full Unified
Communication and Collaboration
experience.
A couple of great things have happened
during lockdown… Firstly, I think we all hit
the pause button and we realised that
technology works, our family life is also
part of our business life and they can both
be done together effectively.
We have all had that conference call
where a child interrupts wanting their ice
cream opened or a dog barks. We have
come to accept that’s now part of our
business lives. The one we didn’t realise is
Unified Communication and Collaboration
is here - and it’s here to stay.
The downside? We are now always
available on any device anywhere in the
world!
CORNERSTONE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LTD
MAP HOUSE, 3 GEORGE STEPHENSON COURT, OFF WESTLAND WAY,
PRESTON FARM, STOCKTON-ON-TEES, TS18 3TG
PHONE 0845 223 2400
EMAIL [email protected]
WEB cornerstonebs.co.uk
58 | Tees Business