Tips

Tips

• Comparing Microsoft Teams Premium vs. Copilot in Teams

  Explore Microsoft Teams Premium and Copilot to understand their AI productivity features and select the product license best suited for your team's needs.  Continue Reading

• Mobile unified communications: Everything you need to know

  Mobile unified communications is becoming an increasingly important strategy for businesses of all types and sizes. Here's everything you need to know about mobile UC.  Continue Reading

• How quantum networking and UC intersect

  Quantum networking and unified communications might seem a long way off, but it's not too early to see how it might reshape UC. For one thing, hacking will be a lot more challenging.  Continue Reading

• How AI is transforming unified communications

  AI in unified communications can take employee collaboration and productivity to the next level. But AI does carry risks that enterprises must first address to maximize adoption.  Continue Reading

• Strategic benefits of managed UC services

  Managed UC services offer several benefits for businesses, including improved network connections, communication software integrations and support for remote work.  Continue Reading

• On-premises vs. cloud vs. hybrid UC deployment models

  When deploying unified communications, organizations need to carefully consider the benefits and drawbacks of on-premises, cloud and hybrid deployment models.  Continue Reading

• 4 ways to support contact center calling redundancy

  Cloud-based unified communications systems offer more reliability, but that doesn't mean they're immune from system failures. Learn how to safeguard your contact centers.  Continue Reading

• VoIP codecs explained: How to optimize VoIP quality

  The key to a high-quality VoIP call is the right codec. Explore common codecs, their features and potential drawbacks to choose the right one for VoIP optimization.  Continue Reading

• How to evaluate top UCaaS providers and vendors of 2024

  Organizations have many considerations to make when adopting UCaaS. Learn how to evaluate key capabilities from top UCaaS providers, including mobility, security and integrations.  Continue Reading

• 5 key video conferencing trends to watch in 2024

  From personal assistants to meeting summaries, AI will redefine video conferencing over the next year. Check out the top trends driving the market in 2024.  Continue Reading

• 5 UC and collaboration trends reshaping the market in 2024

  Generative AI is getting all the attention, but there are other key shifts, like vendor rationalization, which will reshape UC in the months to come.  Continue Reading

• Using collaboration behavior data to inform buying decisions

  Collaboration apps do more than just let employees work together. They also generate a valuable trove of user data that can help companies become more efficient.  Continue Reading

• Navigating E911 in the hybrid workplace

  Companies are finding it more challenging than ever to comply with E911 regulations. Learn how you can minimize risk and ensure your workforce remains safe.  Continue Reading

• How does Microsoft Teams track user activity?

  Companies eager to track their remote workers' productivity are examining how UC apps like Teams track user activity. How does Teams track what users do on their devices?  Continue Reading

• 6 key strategies to ensure 911 compliance

  A mobile and hybrid workforce makes phone location and 911 call routing challenging. Explore ways to ensure your company is doing all it can to protect employees in an emergency.  Continue Reading

• 5G UC evens the mobile communications playing field

  5G is improving the quality of UC services over mobile networks. Learn the advantages 5G UC offers remote workers compared to 4G LTE networks.  Continue Reading

• Collaboration security and governance must be proactive

  Even as companies deploy more collaboration tools, they aren't keeping pace with effective governance strategies for these tools and their generated content.  Continue Reading

• Harnessing UC tools to address proximity bias in the workplace

  Hybrid work offers employees flexibility, but they run the risk of losing out to those who are in the office full time. Unified communications tools can help close the gap.  Continue Reading

• Assess unified communications pros and cons for hybrid work

  Unified communications as a service is getting renewed attention as businesses oversee hybrid workforces. Learn what you should know before deploying UCaaS at your operation.  Continue Reading

• Choose between Microsoft Teams vs. Zoom for conference needs

  Weigh the pros and cons of Microsoft Teams vs. Zoom, and focus on ease of use, pricing, market share, video and telephony capabilities, and security requirements.  Continue Reading

• Using generative AI to improve VoIP communications

  Generative AI has the potential to dramatically reshape how companies manage their VoIP communications. A more intelligent chatbot could do a lot of wonders.  Continue Reading

• UCaaS vs. VoIP: What's the difference?

  Both UCaaS and VoIP offer some compelling benefits, but which approach works better depends on how your organization is structured.  Continue Reading

• How to calculate video conferencing bandwidth requirements

  Image motion, frame rates and screen resolution often dictate video conferencing bandwidth requirements. Learn four steps to address remote and office video call bandwidth needs.  Continue Reading

• 3 considerations to choose the right communication channel

  Workers rely on unified communications as a service to interact with colleagues and external contacts. But knowing which app to use to communicate most effectively is a challenge.  Continue Reading

• 3 video conferencing best practices to improve meetings

  Hybrid work means that video meetings are here to stay. Organizations need to plan to ensure their video conferences are as effective as possible.  Continue Reading

• How IT departments structure collaboration management

  Today, there are countless apps used to communicate across companies. IT departments are taking two approaches to organize the teams responsible for collaboration deployments.  Continue Reading

• 3 steps for an effective corporate video strategy

  A video-first business goes beyond conferencing to support productive employees, streamlined workflows and new creative perspectives.  Continue Reading

• Office hoteling pros and cons for hybrid work

  As hybrid work gains traction, companies must rethink how they want to allocate their offices. Office hoteling offers some advantages, but be careful of the pitfalls.  Continue Reading

• Top 7 UCaaS features to enhance productivity

  UCaaS continues to evolve as more companies use the platform to support meetings, calls and messaging. New features, among them generative AI, could make UCaaS even more important.  Continue Reading

• Top 6 UCaaS benefits for businesses

  More organizations are recognizing the benefits of the cloud and making the jump to UCaaS. Learn the six business benefits of UCaaS -- and the potential drawbacks.  Continue Reading

• 3 best practices for a successful UCaaS migration

  Migrating to UCaaS requires careful planning to make the transition as seamless as possible. IT leaders can incorporate three best practices into their deployment strategies.  Continue Reading

• 4 key unified communications security threats to watch for

  Keeping your unified communications system safe requires tools that are specifically geared to voice and video apps. Learn how to take a multilayered approach to UC security.  Continue Reading

• CPaaS brings cloud contact center features to on premises

  Organizations with on-premises contact centers don't need to make a full cloud migration to modernize their systems. CPaaS can enable cloud features and drive key business metrics.  Continue Reading

• Migrating from Slack: Inside the trend and spend

  The availability of all-in-one collaboration apps, like Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace, is spurring some companies to ask if it's time to migrate from Slack.  Continue Reading

• 5 steps to achieve UC network modernization for hybrid work

  The shift to hybrid work is putting new demands on the unified communications network infrastructure. Split tunneling and an enterprise CDN are two ways to meet those needs.  Continue Reading

• Tap collaboration devices for employee experience data

  Collaboration devices play a key role in supporting employee experience, from extracting engagement data to improving hybrid meeting parity.  Continue Reading

• How generative AI for business enhances collaboration

  Generative AI has become a leading technology topic. Digital assistants and idea generation are two ways the technology could increase employee productivity.  Continue Reading

• 3 common video conferencing problems and how to solve them

  Employees have grown more skilled with video over the last few years. But video problems still plague meetings today. Learn how to address the most common challenges.  Continue Reading

• The state of PSTN connectivity: Separating PSTN from UCaaS

  UCaaS isn't for everybody. Some organizations are keeping their phone systems on premises to maintain control over PSTN access, cut licensing costs and ensure service reliability.  Continue Reading

• UC vendors extend mobile telephony capabilities

  UC providers like Cisco and Microsoft are expanding mobile voice services in their platforms, enabling employees to use native dialing and more advanced mobile features.  Continue Reading

• Compare Microsoft Teams Operator Connect vs. Direct Routing

  As more companies migrate their telephony to Microsoft Teams, IT departments have two options to bring their current PSTN provider to the Teams platform.  Continue Reading

• Evernote and Notion take aim at enterprise collaboration market

  Notion and Evernote -- best known as personal note-taking apps -- are pivoting to serve as enterprise collaboration tools. Are they viable options yet?  Continue Reading

• Weighing the pros and cons of asynchronous collaboration

  UCaaS vendors are developing tools that let remote workers collaborate on their own time. That flexibility can reap benefits, but what does it do to the value of teamwork?  Continue Reading

• Understanding hot desking pros and cons for the hybrid office

  Hot desking is one way to manage workspaces in a hybrid office. Learn some hot desking pros and cons to decide if it's the right approach for your company.  Continue Reading

• Comparing Microsoft Teams free vs. paid plans

  While Teams is bundled with some Microsoft 365 licenses, it does offer a free plan. Learn the difference between Teams free vs. paid plans and which is right for your organization.  Continue Reading

• How to approach a Webex-Teams integration and make it work

  Cisco and Microsoft are finally breaking down the interoperability barriers between Webex and Teams apps. Companies will be able to soon reap the benefits.  Continue Reading

• Carrier UCaaS services extend cloud communication benefits

  UCaaS is becoming more popular as carriers roll out more sophisticated and integrated packages to users. Learn why it might make sense to consolidate your vendors.  Continue Reading

• Balancing remote work privacy vs. productivity monitoring

  Weighing employee productivity monitoring against remote workers' privacy is a serious issue that requires protecting personal and corporate data and setting the right policies.  Continue Reading

• How to combat voice security issues in collaboration platforms

  Enterprise collaboration is an integral part of doing business. But companies must learn to guard against voice security issues that could compromise their networks.  Continue Reading

• Asynchronous work best practices require strong policies

  Hybrid work is becoming the norm, but it challenges distributed teams collaborating to complete projects. A new generation of asynchronous collaboration apps may be the answer.  Continue Reading

• How to approach enterprise social software for hybrid work

  Enterprise social software can help organizations build communities to support employee engagement in the hybrid workplace. But IT leaders need to weigh how to manage communities.  Continue Reading

• 5 steps to manage desktop phone systems for hybrid work

  Even as hybrid work gains traction and video communications grows, some employees still prefer using desktop phones. Supporting these devices means making sure they're up to date.  Continue Reading

• 3 UC user scenarios influence hybrid work budgets

  As IT decision-makers evaluate their hybrid workplace budgets, three end-user scenarios lay the foundation for UC and collaboration technology investments.  Continue Reading

• Integrated Microsoft Loop, Teams boost virtual collaboration

  As most organizations now have hybrid workers, virtual collaboration is a priority. Here's how integrating Microsoft Teams with Loop components can enable effective collaboration.  Continue Reading

• Why organizations need to revisit end-user device policies

  Now that WFH collaboration is established at many organizations, companies need to review and revise their end-user device policies to manage security and IT support.  Continue Reading

• 5 steps to address hybrid meeting equity

  Meeting equity is more than how you appear on camera. Follow these five steps to ensure hybrid meetings are engaging, productive and equitable for all employees.  Continue Reading

• How to plan a hybrid conference room setup

  Conference rooms need to evolve as employees demand the same rich virtual meeting experience they have on desktop. Learn how to approach a hybrid conference room setup.  Continue Reading

• Contact centers evaluate CPaaS vs. CCaaS benefits

  The contact center-as-a-service market is ripe for growth as businesses move to the cloud. That's inviting a new crop of vendors -- among them CPaaS providers -- to pitch products.  Continue Reading

• How end-to-end encryption supports secure team collaboration

  End-to-end encryption provides secure collaboration but limits certain productivity features. Learn how end-to-end encryption fits in a team collaboration security strategy.  Continue Reading

• Room video conferencing interoperability critical for hybrid work

  Vendors are beginning to take solid steps to make sure their video conferencing apps are interoperable with whatever meeting apps employees want to use.  Continue Reading

• Understanding WebRTC security architecture

  WebRTC is a secure technology for real-time communications, but security also depends on the application using it. Find out how developers can maintain that security.  Continue Reading

• 3 use cases highlight AI and speech recognition evolution

  The combination of AI and speech recognition has driven innovation for more advanced capabilities. Explore three applications that highlight the future of speech technology.  Continue Reading

• UC, employee experience management offer complex insight

  New research shows that many organizations are rethinking the employee experience amid remote work. Here are the methods, platforms and tools to consider in your evaluation.  Continue Reading

• Hybrid meeting technology helps AV teams address equity

  AV teams are challenged in providing remote and in-room meeting attendees the same experience. Hybrid meeting technology for speaker framing is the first step to meeting equity.  Continue Reading

• Why a distributed cloud architecture could be a boon for UC

  Some organizations are more comfortable in keeping their unified communications on premises. Distributed clouds might be a more attractive alternative.  Continue Reading

• 3 ways to retool UC platform security architecture models

  The security gap created when remote workers use unified communications to collaborate can be erased through tools designed to augment traditional security mechanisms.  Continue Reading

• Assessing intelligent speakers for Microsoft Teams

  Companies are exploring Cortana to beef up their Microsoft Teams meetings as more workers are brought into the office. The virtual assistant has some unique features.  Continue Reading

• Virtual event platforms for conferences race to bolster features

  Even as the pandemic ebbs, virtual events will remain a primary way to reach employees and customers -- but make sure you're getting what you need before you deploy a platform.  Continue Reading

• As large-room video conferencing ebbs, firms gird for future

  As companies evaluate return-to-office strategies, they are also taking a look at the role video conferencing will play when they reassess how meeting rooms should be designed.  Continue Reading

• Reassess enterprise UCaaS deployments in a hybrid workplace

  A savvy UCaaS deployment can help companies solve some of the tough challenges associated with keeping employees engaged in a world where they can work from anywhere.  Continue Reading

• UCaaS and CCaaS unite as organizations embrace the cloud

  The UCaaS and CCaaS markets are converging as vendors and end-user organizations alike integrate cloud-based contact centers with communications platforms.  Continue Reading

• How to achieve the ideal classroom video conferencing setup

  Remote learning is here to stay. Having the right classroom video conferencing setup can help students and teachers feel more engaged whether they're at home or in the classroom.  Continue Reading

• How to mesh video conferencing, video calling devices for home

  Giving remote employees the chance to use their Amazon Echo Shows or Facebook Portals when logging in to meetings has advantages, but security and performance concerns remain.  Continue Reading

• The evolving role of email in business communication

  Email has been around for decades, but its role in business communications will change as collaboration apps become more predominant and open.  Continue Reading

• Weighing video conferencing options for small businesses

  Businesses of all sizes are enabling video rooms as part of their collaboration strategy. Here's how small businesses can choose the right video conferencing tools.  Continue Reading

• Understanding the 4 hidden costs of working from home

  While remote work offers cost savings, there are hidden costs of working from home that affect both employees and businesses. Learn four hidden costs and how to address them.  Continue Reading

• 5 collaboration features to disable for security reasons

  Most enterprises lack sufficient collaboration security strategies. Instead, companies are disabling features to improve security. Learn which features are most often disabled and why.  Continue Reading

• Integration strategy key to fuel cross-company collaboration

  The need to communicate with external partners has put a new emphasis on cross-company collaboration tools. Explore the best ways to provide everyone with the same capabilities.  Continue Reading

• New forms of enterprise video spark management challenges

  Video conferencing is now a fundamental part of employees' workdays. But managing and storing video content brings some new challenges that must be addressed.  Continue Reading

• 5 ways AI can turbocharge enterprise voice for a new era

  Five trends spotlight how AI could revolutionize how an old technology -- voice -- will be deployed in tomorrow's work environment.  Continue Reading

• Use Teams compliance controls to meet security requirements

  Administrators have a lot of flexibility when configuring Microsoft Teams to meet their organizations' security and compliance targets. Limiting chat access is just one tactic.  Continue Reading

• Tap UC to sustain company culture in remote work era

  Remote work isn't going away, so companies have to find new ways to maintain their corporate cultures. Learn how unified communications can help.  Continue Reading

• Consolidate UCaaS platforms for the post-pandemic workplace

  Enterprises preparing for the post-pandemic workplace are reevaluating their UCaaS platforms. Learn the benefits of a consolidated architecture and why it's not for everyone.  Continue Reading

• How to integrate your phone system with Microsoft Teams

  Before organizations migrate their existing phone systems into Microsoft Teams, they need to select the right telephony architecture that fits their business needs.  Continue Reading

• 3 ways UCaaS supports hybrid work from home

  UCaaS can support more than communication workflows for hybrid work from home. Learn how UCaaS can reduce isolation, provide an office-grade UX and manage work-life balance.  Continue Reading

• Weighing personal video conferencing endpoints for hybrid work

  Deploying video conferencing endpoints solely in meeting rooms ignores the needs of remote workers. Learn why desktop and home environments must be included when evaluating endpoint options.  Continue Reading

• How to use UCaaS to fuel hybrid workplace strategy

  As employees weigh whether to return to the office, companies are determining the role UCaaS can play to encourage workers to make the transition.  Continue Reading

• Popular video conferencing APIs to weigh for app integration

  Video conferencing APIs can simplify integrating video with business applications. Learn the benefits of video APIs and best practices to follow when evaluating API providers.  Continue Reading

• 3 tips to build a professional home video conferencing setup

  As remote work becomes more common, connecting with your teams gets tougher. An effective home video conferencing setup can help bridge the communications gap.  Continue Reading

• AI in video conferencing opens a world of features

  AI in video conferencing will result in useful features for businesses. Learn how AI capabilities improve meetings and what to ask conferencing vendors about their products.  Continue Reading

• Cortana for enterprise Teams has promise but faces hurdles

  Microsoft has rebooted Cortana as the enterprise version of Alexa or Siri for Teams. The play is promising, but technical and privacy concerns mean its success is not yet certain.  Continue Reading

• Compare Teams guest access vs. external access vs. Teams Connect

  Microsoft has a few options to connect Teams to outside users. Compare Teams guest access vs. external access vs. Teams Connect to decide which suits your external collaboration needs.  Continue Reading

• As workers return, virtual assistant tools get a new look

  People are familiar with using Siri and Alexa to control TVs and listen to playlists. Now, businesses are examining how these tools can help protect employees coming back into the office.  Continue Reading

• Companies must rethink video conferencing usage in 2021

  In the coming months, the issue facing organizations is not cutting back video conferencing; it's determining how best to manage its use and minimize video fatigue.  Continue Reading

• 5 hybrid meeting best practices for a high-quality experience

  To get the most out of hybrid meetings, follow these best practices to manage audio and video performance, and ensure a high-quality meeting experience.  Continue Reading

• Enterprise AR a vital component of Microsoft's UC strategy

  Enterprise AR is ready for prime time as organizations look for ways to make their remote meetings more productive by combining physical and virtual spaces.  Continue Reading

• 5 steps to managing team collaboration apps

  Team collaboration apps offer measurable productivity and cost benefits. Follow these five steps to address technical, security and operational needs and achieve deployment success.  Continue Reading

• 4 Microsoft Teams security issues and how to prevent them

  As collaboration platforms become essential to everyday operations, understanding Microsoft Teams security issues is more important than ever.  Continue Reading

• External collaboration tools extend platforms to partners

  Extending collaboration tools to outside users is a challenge. Learn the features productivity vendors have that make this possible.  Continue Reading

• 5 best practices for Slack implementation success

  Organizations looking to make the most of their Slack implementation should follow these best practices, including addressing security needs and using channel management tools.  Continue Reading