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© 2010 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited1 © 2009 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

The Struggle to Unify Communications

Art Schoeller

Principal Analyst

Unified Communications and Contact Centers

IT Roadmap Chicago March 15, 2011

2 Entire contents © 2011 Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pain Points on the path to Unified Communications

• What is the business case?

• Must IT identify UC champions?

• Preserving existing assets and building a roadmap.

• Suite versus best of breed?

• If IT builds it will they come?

• How does IT support consumerization?


Presence

Single-user identify

Integrated desktop

Common user

experience

Simplified

Management

SIP support

Unified Communications – a definition

Unified

messaging

Mobility,

Integrated calling

“Out of the box”

integration to

collaboration

API’s and toolkits

IP Telephony /

VoIP

Unified

conferencing,

Audio, Web, Video,

Text


UC adoption is progressing – but the devil is in the details


As use grows, concern about value….


Which UC function to deploy when?


UC interoperability key to the enterprise


SIP supports business connectivity

• Software solutions provide greater flexibility and

interoperability

• Supports advanced multimedia features and virtual

applications

• SIP session managers provide:

– Common dial plan across the network

– Multivendor support

– Reduced number of trunks

– Features delivered to any type of endpoint

• Provides cost-effective connectivity to back-office systems

• SIP trunking grows and offers low-cost alternative to PRI

lines

• Security challenges persist


SIP Trunking

SIP Service

Provider

PSTN

Remote

Workers

SIP Trunk

Enterprise WANSession Border

Controller Enterprise Session

Manager(s)

Enterprise

Locations


TDM - SIP Trunk comparison

T-1 / PRI SIP Trunking

Bandwidth utilization Fixed channels “Statistical multiplexing”

Capacity planning Fixed increments Variable

Provisioning Month Day

Vendor Management Separate voice / data Consolidated

Align with VoIP/SIP Gateway Minimized transcoding

Availability Everywhere Still limitations

Security High Subject to IP attacks

CaaS options While possible – limited Standard delivery


SIP Trunking – design considerations

• Trunk concentration is desired, but avoid single points of failure

• Consider multiple aggregation points based on geography

• Maintain local DID for customer facing applications

• Maintain local branch trunks for survivability

• Coordinate with session management for:

• Dial plan normalization

• Disparate platform integration and endpoints

• Call admission control

• Toll cost optimization

• Policy management

• Fail over and disaster recovery

• Fixed Mobile Convergence scenarios raise additional security risks

• Select SBC‟s carefully – evaluate carrier AND session manager

interoperability


Device transformation and mobility

Expansion of devices available with open standards for

appliance servers, gateways, and phones

Extend the “enterprise UC envelope to mobile devices, fixed

mobile convergence, single number access

Workers receive a choice of devices, such as desktop phone,

mobile device, wireless on-premise phone, or softphone, but

not necessarily a landline phone

Audio, Internet, and video combine for more compelling

interactions

Facilitates internal and external communications with less

concern over employee location, to accelerate connectivity


Mobile UC ranks up there in interest level


But it competes with a ton of other mobile applications!


So mobile UC lags desktop UC


Mobile UC impediments - and resolutions

• A number of key verticals – healthcare, manufacturing have

alternative transport for years – DECT, femtocells, which tie

campus mobility to different application platform

• Devices have not had the processing capacity to abstract UC

applications

• “Thin, Thick” mobile UC clients spanning common OS‟s are

now coming out

• The trend to BYOM (bring your own mobile)

• UC vendors are addressing this issue

• But enterprises are still „absorbing‟ the shock


Widespread video redefines meetings

• Extends video from the conference room into

new locations as a replacement for face-to-face

meetings

• Supports business processes such as:– Remote sales presentations by experts

– Escalation and problem-solving for projects

– Training at local sites rather than headquarters

– Partner meetings and contract negotiations

• Creates shared workplace with HD and desktop

video for improved collaboration

• Reduces travel costs and lowers carbon

footprint


Video interest varies by technology segment


UC in the cloud interest is growing


Carriers expand their UC options• Carriers leverage their account

relationships and wish to grow and/or protect their “ARPU”

• A bridge from „hosted/hybrid‟ to cloud

• Either partner with a PS firm or grow their own

• Most align with one or two major UC vendors

• Determine skill set and certification in your area

• Skills required include:

– Infrastructure assessment

– Security practice

– Wireless solutions

– Voice and data networking

– Web integration

Carriers• AT&T

• Bell CA

• Orange BS

• Sprint

• TELUS

• Verizon

• Others


Cloud players proliferate UC options

• Potential market disruptive services include:

– Salesforce.com Chatter

– Google voice services

– Microsoft voice moves to the cloud

– Amazon‟s EC2 cloud computing with Siemens

– Skype‟s business strategy

– Tier two and tier three growth fueled by SIP

trunking services such as Level 3, XO, Global

Crossing, Broadvox, nexVortex, and Vonage

– MANY „pure play‟ UC players focused on SMB


Positive signs in UC decision making – but…


The UC “Civil War” can lead to a Frankenstein

“Our situation is slightly more complicated in that enterprise decisions have

already been made on the technology solution front. We have already chosen

Cisco for enterprise voice, outsourced „conference‟ hosting to Intercall and

signed an eCal with Microsoft that includes Lync. To your question below, we

have an internally hosted Meeting Place environment that is being retired as

part of the move to Intercall. Now we are trying to figure out how to wire this

together into a seamless unified communications experience. The RFP is to

hire a consultancy that will help us build what is starting to feel like a

Frankenstein solution.”

Global financial services firm


The UC “Civil War”

Telecom,

PBX,

Carrier svcs

Business units,

Consumer IT

App

development,

UC integration

Collaboration

portals,

Email, IM

Data network,

LAN / WAN

Facilities,

Video

conferencing

• Fractured UX

• Fractured MX

• Over-licensed

• Security risk

• Increased integration

• Increased hardware

• Stranded legacy


UC vendor landscape

CloudGoogle

Skype

Microsoft

Salesforce.com

Application platformIBM

Oracle

Productivity softwareGoogle

Microsoft

IBM

CommunicationsAvaya

Cisco

Siemens

Each camp leverages core

to attach adjacent markets


Critical UC road map considerationsItem Description

SIP – session

management

Long term plan to organize enterprise architecture around SIP

signaling and consolidate number of session managers

Conferencing Where and how to deploy conferencing servers

Carrier access / egress Plan for SIP trunking

Deployment model On-premise, managed, hosted, cloud

Directory Organize and clean up directory – for search, dial plan

Identify and access

management

External user authentication, federation

WAN/LAN QOS Real time media (voice, video) stream quality

UX For all UC applications: review and strategy for consolidated,

streamlined UX across all devices. Pay special attention to

conferencing. Assess SIP support

MX Identify, inventory, and plan for all back end servers, including

conferencing servers

Integration points Client access to multiple back end services, SIP trunking

between different servers, signaling and media transcoding points


UC ROI “hard dollar levers”Item Comment

Carrier toll charges Move intra company LD to WAN

Concentrate PSTN access – on-net, off-net

SIP trunking cost reduction

IM displaces phone calls

Fixed mobile convergence reduces cellular minutes

Carrier conferencing Eliminate carrier conferencing per call costs

Travel Video conferencing displaces travel costs

Consolidated infrastructure IP telephony „data center model‟

Reduce MAC and other UC staff sys admin FTEs

Reduce physical hardware, server count

Optimize software license purchase, utilization

Unified Messaging – voice mail and email consolidation

Devices Soft phone displacement of hard phones

Volume discounting of standardized phones


UC ROI “soft dollar levers”Item Comment

User productivity IM/Presence reduction of “phone tag”

Document sharing/editing improves speed, accuracy

FTE travel time elimination

Staffing Training utilization

Recruiting and retention of “Gen X, Gen Y, etc.”.

Skills utilization and knowledge transfer from Baby Boomers


A UC “checklist for success”

Task Description

UC project team Business and all IT stakeholders – shared metrics

Current technology

inventory

All UC assets – determine timeframe for write down

Current expertise

inventory

User Experience assessment across all UC

communication types: what to preserve, what will

change

Systems

management

What stays, what will change, and opportunities for

consolidation of systems administration, support

reductions

Worker

segmentation

Office worker, teleworker, field, multi-office

Collaboration

champions

Drive POC‟s with key economic benefit workflows –

promote use


Recommendations

• Unified Communications is a journey – you may need a travel agent.

• Use the UC „checklist for success‟.

• UC is not a „mandated‟ technology – so it‟s harder to drive it.

• Drive your vendors, partners to develop relevant use cases.

• Get executive support – teach, don‟t tell.

• Consumerization, especially mobility is your ally – not the enemy.

• Use “Viral Marketing”

• Locate who has the “UC Flu”

• Promote their stories to infect the rest of the enterprise

• Use your Marketing department

• Formal research to identify barriers

• Internal promotion

© 2009 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Thank you

Art Schoeller

+1 617 631 8811

[email protected]

www.forrester.com

the struggle to unify communications · signed an ecal with microsoft that includes lync. to your...

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