When it comes to tech trends for the next 12 months, Enterprise Conversation readers report that they are most interested in investigating mobile unified communications (UC) tools and data encryption, among other new IT initiatives.
While mobile UC and data encryption topped the list, the results showed that readers are concerned about and interested in a mix of different technologies. For example, an almost equal number of participants picked datacenter management software, which is fairly established, as did machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies, which is just starting to take hold.
Mobile UC is one issue that has come to the forefront for our readership in just the past few months. The need for better and more robust communication, coupled with the desire of employees to use their own devices for work, is making IT rethink or at least consider mobility as part of the company UC plan. There is also a drive to incorporate more video to take advantage of tablets. Meanwhile, large-scale videoconferencing deployments, with their associated cost and maintenance, are on the decline. (See: Videoconferencing Is at a Crossroads .)
Data encryption, another issue that rose to the top of the list, is not a new security technology, but one that IT departments are starting to look at more closely to ensure that data remains unreadable even if cybercriminals find their way into the network. The issue of encryption also featured prominently in a recent Kaspersky Lab report.
Another issue is datacenter management, which blogger Leigh Carpenter wrote about in a November post: Datacenter Control: One Management Pane to Rule Them All. Here, the issue goes straight to IT and the management of a new types of heterogeneous datacenters, where the challenge is getting insight and control of a number of different environments running on platforms from various vendors.
Here's how the EC poll broke down among the seven choices offered to readers (more than one choice can be selected):
Mobile UC: 49 percent
Data encryption: 36 percent
Datacenter management software: 36 percent
M2M technology: 31 percent
Multifactor and biometric authentication: 28 percent
@jagibbons: Thanks for sharing the details on your experiences. Agreed this can be an expensive proposition, although many wireless carriers are quite willing to negotiate with large enterprises to put these types of services within reach. Remember, they're likely not gaining anything if you're using a VoIP landline phone system. So wireless carriers are probably quite motivated to get the enterprise to switch to a mobile UC scenario.
jagibbons 1/11/2013 11:36:15 AM User Rank Platinum
Re: Mobile UC=Dream come true
We put VoIP phones on desks back in 2006. At that time, we had a small handful of mobile devices (mostly WiFi PDAs) in addition to about 35 percent of our staff running laptops that could move around.
Since then, as laptop usage and mobile devices, both company- and employee-owned, have skyrocketed in use, we've increased our wireless bandwidth.
Now that video conference use is increasing, we'll probably be bumping up our WiFi bandwidth internally again in 13 or early 14.
One thing that helped us, but won't help most enterprises out there, is that we qualify for a government services mobile phone plan. With the big red carrier, that translates to very affordable unlimited data usage. For all of our company-owned devices (both phones and tablets), some of our wireless bandwidth load is carried by the 4G LTE network. If we didn't have that benefit, we'd have probably increased our WiFi ability more rapidly than we have had to.
@Jabibbons: Thanks for the rundown on what you guys did. It seems pretty intuative and straight forward. One additional question if I may, did you have to look at your network to make sure you had the bandwidth and capacity to handle this? Did you have to add some access WiFi points in the office?
jagibbons 1/11/2013 11:16:36 AM User Rank Platinum
Re: Mobile UC=Dream come true
I mentioned Android because that is our predominant mobile OS. We have a growing number of iOS devices as well. The VoIP implementation was no worse than any phone system overhaul. It largely consists of several servers, VoIP desk phones and initially Windows-based client software to access the advance features like presence, desktop audio conferencing, company directory and so forth.
The solution provider supports mobile devices. Primarily, it is through a web interface to the client tool running off the server. I can tell my phone number to "ring" to any device that can function as my phone microphone and speaker (smartphone, iPad, my home telephone line, my wife's smartphone if mine was dead, any other deskphone in any of our offices, a USB headset with mic connected to my laptop, etc.)
The biggest hurdle was training. It took a while for staff to understand that the traditional phone that was sitting on their desk was really just an audio device. The actual working happened on the server and was controlled by the client tool.
@jagibbons: You mention Android here, but I assume you can achieve this with any mobile device? I would think -- actually hope -- that MSFT comes up with something that combines Lync and WP8 all together. It would seem like a logical choice. Did you have any issues implementing this VOIP system? Any resistance from people?
@snunyc: Good to see that some of this is actually in practice and not just theory. Did the company you talk about run into any issues getting it implemented?
@snynyc, it's possible now for a smartphone to replace a fully-functional PBX phone. Our VoIP phone system supports a desktop and mobile client to control call features and presence. We have one-number follow-me, so I can do everything I need from my Android smartphone. I still have a desk phone, but that's because we haven't phased them out on account of folks who prefer to use them all day like in our contact center.
Great to see that so many respondents are interested in mobile UC. There are examples of how this is being used successfully in some organizations--one great example is Anthony Marano Company which implemented a mobile UC solution about three or four years ago. I long for the day when I will be able to have my smartphone offer all the functionality of my PBX deskphone, plus the IM and presence awareness.
@jagibbons it's very true. We are in the process of implementing a IM software which can be used internally at our office. This will really help us to increase the efficiency among different departments.
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