Unified Comms - Confused?

Times have changed dramatically in the past 10 years, traditional voice services have migrated from circuit base switches to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , the technology now allows communication methods to be more integrated.

Unified Comms means different things to different people however in essence it is the ability to integrate various communication methods, including voice, instant messaging (IM), presence, call centre functionality, unified messaging (UM), collaboration and conferencing over both wired and wireless networks. By integrating with a common presence database it allows for real-time delivery of communications based on method and location of recipient.

Today we are seeing more and more organisations not only interested in learning more about the capabilities of Unified Comms but also implementing them in a planned, cost effective manner. Any deployment of a Unified Communications solution should aim to protect the existing investment as much as possible whilst aiming to improve customer satisfaction, employee productivity, reduction in overheads and improve team interactions.

So lets be specific, some of the common productivity enhancing applications are:-

• Unified Messaging - Allows users to recieve fax, voice and email messages in one in-box that is accessible anywhere over any connected browser.
• IM/Presence - Provides visibilty of staff availability, status and the preferred mode for contacting them. It helps colleagues stay in touch, which aids faster better informed decision making.
• IP Telephony - Enables the convergence of voice and data over a single network for enhance call functionality and reduced communication costs. 
• Conferencing - Integrates video and voice conferencing applications with existing desktop clients.
• Collaboration - Offers document sharing, white boarding and special conferencing to enhance teamwork.
• Mobility - Provides integrated mobile communications to reduce the device proliferation so prevalent in organisations. Also provides a single number irrespective of device or location that can be used to contact each user, thus eliminating guesswork and wasted time associated with dialling multiple number.

Unified Comms has great potential to help businesses save money, improve productivity and have a happier workforce. However the challenge is in implementing the solution so that the anticipated results are actually delivered.
paul@mbusinessconsulting.com
http://www.mbusinessconsulting.com/

Work Life Balance !

UK businesses could save up to £31.7 billion by helping workers fulfil their ideal work-life balance, according to a report by Orange into the impact of universal connectivity on the future of living and working in the UK.
The report, based on YouGov research and insights from futurologist James Bellini, reveals that 16% of respondents would be willing to take an average of £6,900 salary cut and 42% would be happy to forfeit their company car if it meant they could live and work in their ideal location. In addition, many more would be willing to forfeit the seniority of their role (27%) or future job progression (25%) to make their ideal work/life balance scenario a reality.
The survey of 3,281 UK office workers also reveals the potential impact that a more connected Britain might have on the geographical spread of the UK’s working population. Although 40% of office workers are happy in their current work location, according to the study, 39% would rather live and work by the seaside, the countryside or the mountains.
Overall, the responses show a desire to move away from the UK’s traditional industrial and economic hubs such as the North East and the Midlands to more rural, idyllic locations, such as Devon. The South West, currently the fifth most populous region in the UK, would be by far the most popular region in which to live, with London coming in at second place. 
The research also uncovered the factors that currently drive people to live where they do, with 49% of office workers having moved to their current location because of a job offer.
Just 4% of workers are in their current location because of its proximity to family and friends. However, given the opportunity of flexible working in a universally connected Britain, 26% of people would choose a specific location because of its proximity to family and friends, creating a more family-oriented Britain.

Regular, social, face to face connections with close friends and family are clearly valued highly as workers strive for an improved work-life balance. This is especially true when considering that 87% of workers would choose to work flexibly away from the office some or all of the time and 31% would be willing to spend up to an hour travelling to work if it meant they could live in a location of their choosing. Unfortunately, in many cases, the traditional constraints of the physical office and employment hubs are limiting workers’ ability to make these choices.

This research shows that flexible working presents a significant opportunity for business to improve employee morale, work life balance, reduce costs and improve productivity. In the curent economic climate smart businesses will be investigating how they can implement a remote / mobility strategy to enhance their business.
paul@mbusinessconsulting.com
http://www.mbusinessconsulting.com/

BlackBerry as a remote control!!

Throw Out Your Remotes

The BlackBerry smartphone can take control of your house

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot of electronic devices in my house. There’s the TV, the DVD player, the DVR, the stereo, the computer and more. With so many components in our daily tech life, simplification is the key. In the past, that’s meant using a universal remote to control home electronics, but recently can we go further. John Brock decided to conduct an experiment to find out how well he could control everything from the one device that’s always on him - a BlackBerry® smartphone. Follow the link to see what is actually possible.  http://www.blackberry.com/newsletters/connection/personal/i509/remotes.shtml?CPID=EMC-BBCN_pe_aug2009&MIG=4A8AEAD797F7168AE10000000A501446

A Proven way to improve productivity - Mobile Technology

Do you and your staff sit at desks all day? If so you may not need mobile technology. However is sitting in the office the best way to drive your business? Do you need the size of your current office space? Is their a better way of achieving your business goals? Could more be done with your staff if a true remote working and mobility strategy was implemented in your business?

Benefits of a Mobile Strategy
The benefits from any implementation of a mobile solution, can be classified into two categories tangible benefits and intangible benefits.

Tangible Benefits
The saving that results from staff reductions is probably the most obvious economic benefit associated with a mobile strategy. Implementing a mobile solution can lead to increased individual productivity, increased sales per sales person, more service calls per repair person and less time spent by professionals on administrative work, all of which can ultimately translate into a reduction in total staff required.
However, there are several other tangible benefits associated with mobile solutions. A higher order-fill ratio as a result of accessing real-time inventory information at the time an order is submitted can translate into reduced inventory costs. On-the-spot invoice production in service vehicles can lead to shorter payment cycles and better cash flow.

Intangible Benefits
Many of the applications associated with mobile solutions involve automating sales, improving customer service or gaining a competitive advantage — all benefits that tend to be difficult to quantify. To ensure an effective project which will lead to business benefits the project team should outline these benefits with as much detail and as specifically as possible. The group should then translate these benefits into percent increases in sales, market shares and productivity improvements.

Further Benefits of Deploying a Mobility Solution

• Improved Business Productivity
• Enhanced worker efficiency through increased access to online resources
• Unlocks value in offline devices (brings PDA-like resources online)
• Faster execution of strategy (new procedures, pricing)
• Increased knowledge-sharing amongst workers, customers and partners
• Improved quality of decision making by informing employees
• Workers that can tune their level of interaction are apt to work during off hours

Improved Customer Loyalty/Service

• Better customer service (employees: are better informed, have shorter response times, have an improved ability to sense and respond)
• Higher quality interaction with customer

Business Resilience

• Able to quickly react to adversity through multiple channels
• Rapid deployment in reaction to an "event"

Cultural Enhancement

• Attracting and retaining employees, by allowing them to work where and when they choose, and by providing them the personalized tools for appropriate, customized information

Organisations do not need to manage and implement technology on their own. You may be an expert in what you sell, but you probably aren't an expert in security or mobile technology. The only way you're going to maximize technology is to outsource your use and implementation of it.

Lack of Security on Mobile Devices

Mobile devices by their very nature are not secure by default. A number of devices are sold with basic security options available however these settings need to be enabled to gain any value - the question here is how many businesses actually take the time and effort to enable the already present security options on their mobile devices?

The real issue is that a number of businessess both large and small are unsure of how to secure their mobile devices effectively, this in turn is opening up the organisation to hackers and Spam attacks.

According to a report in SC Magazine UK, Spam to mobile devices is increasing by 21% year on year, this is further supported via an independant study carried out by Airwide Solutions which indicates Spam across the EU is growing at 21.3% annually. With the now ubiquitous deployment of mobile devices in the workplace and in particular the disproportionate increase in Smartphones such as the BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Mobile employees are now using these devices as essential business tools to store sensitive company and private information such as proprietary data, passwords etc. The traditional method of using passwords to secure devices which contain confidential or sensitive information is just inadequate for the environment we now operate in.

It is very clear that Mobile security is a threat that is continually growing and it can take many forms including:-

• Malware - Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Spyware
• Direct Attack
• Physical Compromise - Accessing sensitive data/lost devices
• Data Communication Interception - Sniffing data as it is transmitted and received
• Authentication/Identity Snooping - Accessing resources with a users identity or credentials
• Exploitation and misconduct - Online predators, pornography, inappropriate communications

Pretending that Mobile Security is not an issue is to "stick your head in the sand" and does not grasp the potential of the problem or indeed how to adress it. With the ever increasing use of mobile devices businesses must ensure that their devices and data are secure.

Solutions exist to protect organisations mobile devices so ensure you understand what is possible and ensure your organisation does not become one of the unfortunate statitics.

paul@mbusinessconsulting.com

www.mbusinessconsulting.com

Apple iPhone - Good enough as a business device?

The Apple iPhone is it a business device? Well it is clear that despite Apple apparent push to try and convince us all it is there are some serious misgivings about taking this device for anything other than a pure consumer play. The reason for my statement is quite simple from a security perspective the Apple iPhone is severely limited. The Operating system which Apple have utilised in the iPhone is designed around ease of use for the masses and not business security as required by all enterprises whether large or small. To my knowlegde I do not believe it is possible to enforce Corporate policies onto the iPhone and the main reason for this is quite simply the device is just to new. However if Apple continue to "get it right" the clamour for this device in the business world will become so self promoting that there will be an unswerving demand for a central management system that it will be impossible to ignore. As we move forward all platforms will eventually support the Open Mobile Alliance device management standard and then the Apple iPhone we become a truly beautiful business device .