Unified Communications
Unified Communications is the integration of different streams of messages (e-mail, fax, voicemail) into a single 'in-box', accessible from a variety of different devices.
The essence of communication is breaking down barriers. The telephone breaks distance and time barriers so that people can communicate in real time or near-real time when they are not in the same place at once. There are now other barriers to be overcome. For example, people use different terminals to communicate, and there are new forms of communication, such as e-mail, voice mail, fax machines, and pagers. The unified communications concept involves breaking down the terminal and media barriers so that people using different technologies, different media, and different terminals can still communicate to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Frequently people have a message that they want to communicate, but the intended recipient of the message cannot be reached. Technology is helping people overcome this problem as well; products are available that are powerful as well as flexible to meet these needs. With the current developments in communication, standards are important. Also, products are needed that offer interoperability. These products may not be from the same vendor, but they must operate together to form powerful solutions for customers.
With unified communications, subscribers reduce the number of places they must check for incoming voice, fax, and e-mail messages. From a single interface, they can check for all message types.
Easy-to-use user interfaces are essential to accessing the unified mailbox. Whether from the phone or from the Internet-enabled PC, the subscriber can navigate through the unified mailbox with ease and full control at all times. Checking e-mail from the phone becomes intuitive, and likewise, hearing voice messages from the PC becomes second nature.