As we watched the successful launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy, it struck us how fast technology was advancing. Think about it: Launching a 230 foot rocket with 27 engines. The boosters separate and nail a side by side landing back at the Cape. The coup d’état was sending Elon Musk’s Tesla on the way to Mars. That was unthinkable just a couple of years ago!
Believe it or not, our collaboration tools are evolving at warp speed too. The traditional PBX has rapidly evolved into an open architecture development platform that has the capability to radically improve the efficiencies of current workflows. Your company’s needs still drive solutions that include multiple vendors, and very likely a mix of cloud, hybrid cloud and on-prem solutions.
The Good News
As more collaboration tools are bundled into licensing packages, greater functionality is available for users and may, in fact, already be deployed. Additionally, these collaboration tools are far more integrated, reliable, and intuitive than ever before.
The Bad News
The troubling fact is that the utilization rates of collaboration tools are nowhere near where they need be to get the return on investment everyone wants and needs. Part of the reason why is that if a collaboration tool requires the end-user to step out of their workflow, then adoption rates drop significantly.
Think of the video rooms of the past. If I had to stop what I was doing, go find an unused video room, then figure out how to connect it, all while collaborating with a team, I probably would not be so keen on using video. This is why these systems often sit unused, collecting dust.
The Future of Collaboration
Solution providers have realized the need for embedded collaboration. After some trial and error, they are adapting their solutions to take workflow into consideration, with the goal of decreasing disruption and increasing adoption. Solutions are evolving to become a natural part of the end-users' workflow. To accomplish this, they are taking three basic approaches:
- Providing a standalone GUI that acts as a dashboard to end-users’ workflows.
- Creating spaces or virtual rooms that become an integral part of the natural workflow.
- Embedding collaboration controls into existing workflow GUIs and cloud human interfaces.
It has been a tough couple of weeks for the retail and restaurant industries. Under Armour, Panera, and Hudson Bay all came forward to announce major breaches of data entrusted to them.
What can we learn from this continuing cavalcade of data breaches that we are becoming more and more inured to as time goes on? Let's take a closer look.
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Last week, our team of cloud experts came together for a webinar to introduce the exciting new ConvergeOne Cloud Experience (C1CX). A secure, scalable, and comprehensive collaboration solution, C1CX spans Unified Communications (UC) and Contact Centers (CC), with a host of software applications, expert integration, and professional services.
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Last week, several of our thought leaders traveled to New Orleans to participate in Avaya ENGAGE 2018 (check out our tweets for our real-time updates throughout the conference). Excitement abounded as Avaya unveiled its plans for the future and invited leading innovators, like ConvergeOne, to participate in thought-provoking sessions about the state of business communications. ConvergeOne even walked away with the title of Avaya 2017 Service Partner of the Year.
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For many businesses, the perceived cost of new technology—versus continuing to use or migrating existing technology—is a roadblock to the cloud.
In addition, they are concerned about the number of people required to support the cloud, and the cost associated with hiring and retaining those resources.
Do any of these concerns sound familiar?
- “We just put in a new voice and data system five years ago!”
- “We already have a lot of CapEx—we want OpEx and a way to grow faster.”
If you listen to the news reporting on Meltdown and Spectre you would have no doubt in your mind that these issues must be addressed immediately. According to most reports, the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities have shaken everyone’s fundamental trust in technology.
They impact nearly every piece of computer and communications technology manufactured in the past 20 years, including laptops, mobile phones, tablets, computers and smart refrigerators. They represent a clear and present danger to your data and the integrity of your system security, but let’s take a deep breath and understand what is the real risk.
Understanding the scope and impact of a threat is key to understanding how to mitigate the risk.
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We recently completed a 14-city roadshow speaking with customers about cloud solutions and business drivers. We wanted to hear what the cloud means to today’s businesses and ensure that our portfolio addresses their needs.
Our team captured the insights, noting commonalities around the most pressing concerns and challenges IT professionals and business executives encounter when considering a move to the cloud. Here is what we learned.
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