1.9 UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS ARCHITECTURE in Modern Computer Network
1.9 UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
A concept related to network convergence is unified communications (UC). Whereas enterprise network convergence focuses on the consolidation of traditionally distinct voice, video, and data communications networks into a common infrastructure, UC focuses on the integration of real-time communication services to optimize business processes. As with converged enterprise networks, IP is the cornerstone on which UC systems are built.
Key elements of UC include the following:
1. UC systems typically provide a unified user interface and consistent user experience across multiple devices and media.
unified communications
The integration of real-time enterprise communication services such as instant messaging, presence information, voice (including IP telephony), web and video conferencing, and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voice mail, e-mail, SMS, and fax).
2. UC merges real-time communications services with non-real-time services and business process applications.
Figure 1.9 shows the typical components of a UC architecture and how they relate to one another.
FIGURE 1.9 Elements of a Unified Communications Architecture
The key elements of this architecture are as follows:
Real-time communications (RTC) dashboard:
An RTC dashboard is a key component of UC architecture. This is the element that provides UC users with a unified user interface across communication devices. Ideally, the user has a consistent interface no matter what communication device the user is currently using, whether it is a cell phone, wireless tablet computer, desktop system, or office telephone attached to the corporate private branch exchange (PBX). As you can see inFigure 1.9, RTC dashboards provide access to real-time communication services such as instant messaging, audio and video conferencing, and interactive whiteboards; RTC dashboards also provide access to non-real-time services such as unified messaging (e-mail, voice mail, fax, and SMS) in unified view. An RTC dashboard includes presence information about co-workers and partners so that users can know on the fly which colleagues are available to communicate or join a collaborative communication session. RTC dashboards have become necessities in organizations that require high levels of communication and collaboration to support business processes.
Web conferencing:
Refers to live meetings or presentations in which participants access the meeting or presentation via a mobile device or the web, either over the Internet, or corporate intranet. Web conferences often include data sharing through web-connected interactive white boards (IWBs).
Audio conferencing:
Also called conference calling, refers to a live meeting in which participants are linked together for audio transmission and reception. A participant may be on a landline, mobile phone, or at a “softphone”—a computer equipped with microphone and speaker.
Unified messaging:
Unified messaging systems provide a common repository for messages from multiple sources. It allows users to retrieve saved e-mail, voice mail, and fax messages from a computer, telephone, or mobile device. Computer users can select and play voice-mail recordings that appear in their unified messaging inboxes. Telephone users can both retrieve voice mail and hear text-to-voice translations of e-mail messages. Messages of any type can be saved, answered, filed, sorted, and forwarded. Unified messaging systems relieve business users from having to monitor multiple voice mailboxes by enabling voicemail messages received by both office phones and cell phones to be saved to the same mailbox. With UC, users can use any device at any time to retrieve e-mail or voice-mail from unified messaging mailboxes.
Instant messaging (IM):
Real-time text-based messaging between two or more participants. IM is similar to online chat because it is text-based and exchanged bidirectionally in real time. IM is distinct from chat in that IM clients use contact (or buddy) lists to facilitate connections between known users, whereas online chat can include text-based exchanges between anonymous users.
Video teleconferencing (VTC):
Videoconferencing allows users in two or more locations to interact simultaneously via two-way video and audio transmission. UC systems enable users to participate in video conferences via desktop computers, smartphones, and mobile devices.
Presence:
The capability to determine, in real time, where someone is, how that person prefers to be reached, and even what the person is currently doing. Presence information shows the individual’s availability state before co-workers attempt to contact them person. It was once considered simply an underlying technology to instant messaging (for example, “available to chat” or “busy”) but has been broadened to include whether co-workers are currently on office or mobile phones, logged in to a computer, involved in a video call or in a meeting, or out of the office for lunch or vacation. A co-worker’s geographic location is becoming more common as an element in presence information for a number of business reasons, including the capability to quickly respond to customer emergencies. Business has embraced presence information because it facilitates more efficient and effective communication. It helps eliminate inefficiencies associated with “phone tag” or composing and sending e-mails to someone who could more quickly answer a question over the phone or with a quick meeting.
IP enabling contact centers:
Refers to the use of IP-based unified communications to enhance customer contact center functionality and performance. The unified communications infrastructure makes use of presence technology to enable customers and internal enterprise employees to be quickly connected to the required expert or support person. In addition, this technology supports mobility, so that call center personnel need not be located at a particular office or remain in a particular place. Finally, the UC infrastructure enables the call center employee to quickly access other employees and information assets, including data, video, image, and audio.
IP/mobility:
Refers to the delivery of information to and collection of information from enterprise personnel who are usually mobile, using an IP network infrastructure. In a typical enterprise, upward of 30 percent of employees use some form of weekly remote access technology in the performance of their jobs. Converged IP/wireless infrastructure: A unified networking and communications-based IP packet transfer to support voice, data, and video transmission and can be extended to include local- and wide-area wireless communications. UC-enabled mobile devices are able to switch between Wi-Fi and cellular systems in the middle of a communication session. For example, a UC user could receive a co-worker’s call via a smartphone connected to Wi-Fi network at home, continue the conversation while driving to work over a cellular network connection, and could end the call at the office while connected to the business’s Wi-Fi network. Both handoffs (home Wi-Fi to cellular and cellular to office Wi-Fi) would take place seamlessly and transparently without dropping the call.
The importance of UC is not only that it integrates communication channels but also that it offers a way to integrate communication functions and business applications. Three major categories of benefits are typically realized by organizations that use UC:
Personal productivity gains:
Presence information helps employees find each other and choose the most effective way to communicate in real time. Less time is wasted calling multiple numbers to locate co-workers or checking multiple worked-related voice mailboxes. Calls from VIP contacts can be routed simultaneously to all of a UC user’s phone devices (office phone, softphone, smartphone, home phone) to ensure faster responsiveness to customers, partners, and co-workers. With mobile presence information capabilities, employees who are geographically closest can be dispatched to address a problem.
Workgroup performance gains:
UC systems support real-time collaboration among team members, which facilitates workgroup performance improvements. Examples include the use of presence information to speed identification of an available individual with the right skills a work team needs to address a problem. Enhanced conferencing capabilities with desktop VTC and interactive white boards and automated business rules to route or escalate communications also help to increase workgroup performance.
Enterprise-level process improvements: IP convergence enables UC to be integrated with enterprise-wide and departmental-level applications, business processes, and workflows. UC-enabled enhanced communications with customers, suppliers, and business partners are redefining best practices for customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), and other enterprise-wide applications and are transforming relationships among members of business networks. Communication-enabled business processes (CEBP) are fueling competition in several industries, including financial services, healthcare, and retail.
Modern Computer Network Theory Playlist
Modern Computer Network Practical Playlist
#Subscribe the Channel Link :-
IF any Query or Doubt DM on #Instagram :-
#Bansode_Tech_Solution
A concept related to network convergence is unified communications (UC). Whereas enterprise network convergence focuses on the consolidation of traditionally distinct voice, video, and data communications networks into a common infrastructure, UC focuses on the integration of real-time communication services to optimize business processes. As with converged enterprise networks, IP is the cornerstone on which UC systems are built.
Key elements of UC include the following:
1. UC systems typically provide a unified user interface and consistent user experience across multiple devices and media.
unified communications
The integration of real-time enterprise communication services such as instant messaging, presence information, voice (including IP telephony), web and video conferencing, and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voice mail, e-mail, SMS, and fax).
2. UC merges real-time communications services with non-real-time services and business process applications.
Figure 1.9 shows the typical components of a UC architecture and how they relate to one another.
FIGURE 1.9 Elements of a Unified Communications Architecture
The key elements of this architecture are as follows:
Real-time communications (RTC) dashboard:
An RTC dashboard is a key component of UC architecture. This is the element that provides UC users with a unified user interface across communication devices. Ideally, the user has a consistent interface no matter what communication device the user is currently using, whether it is a cell phone, wireless tablet computer, desktop system, or office telephone attached to the corporate private branch exchange (PBX). As you can see inFigure 1.9, RTC dashboards provide access to real-time communication services such as instant messaging, audio and video conferencing, and interactive whiteboards; RTC dashboards also provide access to non-real-time services such as unified messaging (e-mail, voice mail, fax, and SMS) in unified view. An RTC dashboard includes presence information about co-workers and partners so that users can know on the fly which colleagues are available to communicate or join a collaborative communication session. RTC dashboards have become necessities in organizations that require high levels of communication and collaboration to support business processes.
Web conferencing:
Refers to live meetings or presentations in which participants access the meeting or presentation via a mobile device or the web, either over the Internet, or corporate intranet. Web conferences often include data sharing through web-connected interactive white boards (IWBs).
Audio conferencing:
Also called conference calling, refers to a live meeting in which participants are linked together for audio transmission and reception. A participant may be on a landline, mobile phone, or at a “softphone”—a computer equipped with microphone and speaker.
Unified messaging:
Unified messaging systems provide a common repository for messages from multiple sources. It allows users to retrieve saved e-mail, voice mail, and fax messages from a computer, telephone, or mobile device. Computer users can select and play voice-mail recordings that appear in their unified messaging inboxes. Telephone users can both retrieve voice mail and hear text-to-voice translations of e-mail messages. Messages of any type can be saved, answered, filed, sorted, and forwarded. Unified messaging systems relieve business users from having to monitor multiple voice mailboxes by enabling voicemail messages received by both office phones and cell phones to be saved to the same mailbox. With UC, users can use any device at any time to retrieve e-mail or voice-mail from unified messaging mailboxes.
Instant messaging (IM):
Real-time text-based messaging between two or more participants. IM is similar to online chat because it is text-based and exchanged bidirectionally in real time. IM is distinct from chat in that IM clients use contact (or buddy) lists to facilitate connections between known users, whereas online chat can include text-based exchanges between anonymous users.
Video teleconferencing (VTC):
Videoconferencing allows users in two or more locations to interact simultaneously via two-way video and audio transmission. UC systems enable users to participate in video conferences via desktop computers, smartphones, and mobile devices.
Presence:
The capability to determine, in real time, where someone is, how that person prefers to be reached, and even what the person is currently doing. Presence information shows the individual’s availability state before co-workers attempt to contact them person. It was once considered simply an underlying technology to instant messaging (for example, “available to chat” or “busy”) but has been broadened to include whether co-workers are currently on office or mobile phones, logged in to a computer, involved in a video call or in a meeting, or out of the office for lunch or vacation. A co-worker’s geographic location is becoming more common as an element in presence information for a number of business reasons, including the capability to quickly respond to customer emergencies. Business has embraced presence information because it facilitates more efficient and effective communication. It helps eliminate inefficiencies associated with “phone tag” or composing and sending e-mails to someone who could more quickly answer a question over the phone or with a quick meeting.
IP enabling contact centers:
Refers to the use of IP-based unified communications to enhance customer contact center functionality and performance. The unified communications infrastructure makes use of presence technology to enable customers and internal enterprise employees to be quickly connected to the required expert or support person. In addition, this technology supports mobility, so that call center personnel need not be located at a particular office or remain in a particular place. Finally, the UC infrastructure enables the call center employee to quickly access other employees and information assets, including data, video, image, and audio.
IP/mobility:
Refers to the delivery of information to and collection of information from enterprise personnel who are usually mobile, using an IP network infrastructure. In a typical enterprise, upward of 30 percent of employees use some form of weekly remote access technology in the performance of their jobs. Converged IP/wireless infrastructure: A unified networking and communications-based IP packet transfer to support voice, data, and video transmission and can be extended to include local- and wide-area wireless communications. UC-enabled mobile devices are able to switch between Wi-Fi and cellular systems in the middle of a communication session. For example, a UC user could receive a co-worker’s call via a smartphone connected to Wi-Fi network at home, continue the conversation while driving to work over a cellular network connection, and could end the call at the office while connected to the business’s Wi-Fi network. Both handoffs (home Wi-Fi to cellular and cellular to office Wi-Fi) would take place seamlessly and transparently without dropping the call.
The importance of UC is not only that it integrates communication channels but also that it offers a way to integrate communication functions and business applications. Three major categories of benefits are typically realized by organizations that use UC:
Personal productivity gains:
Presence information helps employees find each other and choose the most effective way to communicate in real time. Less time is wasted calling multiple numbers to locate co-workers or checking multiple worked-related voice mailboxes. Calls from VIP contacts can be routed simultaneously to all of a UC user’s phone devices (office phone, softphone, smartphone, home phone) to ensure faster responsiveness to customers, partners, and co-workers. With mobile presence information capabilities, employees who are geographically closest can be dispatched to address a problem.
Workgroup performance gains:
UC systems support real-time collaboration among team members, which facilitates workgroup performance improvements. Examples include the use of presence information to speed identification of an available individual with the right skills a work team needs to address a problem. Enhanced conferencing capabilities with desktop VTC and interactive white boards and automated business rules to route or escalate communications also help to increase workgroup performance.
Enterprise-level process improvements: IP convergence enables UC to be integrated with enterprise-wide and departmental-level applications, business processes, and workflows. UC-enabled enhanced communications with customers, suppliers, and business partners are redefining best practices for customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), and other enterprise-wide applications and are transforming relationships among members of business networks. Communication-enabled business processes (CEBP) are fueling competition in several industries, including financial services, healthcare, and retail.
Modern Computer Network Theory Playlist
Modern Computer Network Practical Playlist
#Subscribe the Channel Link :-
IF any Query or Doubt DM on #Instagram :-
#Bansode_Tech_Solution
Comments
Post a Comment