...or the great hope of the future?

At last businesses are waking up to the fact UC is the future (Unified comms is at a tipping point, says Gartner analyst). The way we work has fundamentally changed. We are no longer confined to a desk in an office thanks to the introduction of flexitime and technology which enables employees to work anywhere, any time.

Not only are there cost and environmental benefits to be reaped from UC, but it is also helping workers stay connected in the face of geographic hurdles. For instance, we saw a high reliance on UC when the Icelandic volcano kept flights grounded, and it is this benefit for businesses to be up and running no matter the time, device or location that is vital. We at Polycom call it location liberation.

A big part of the UC journey is video and I believe we are at the next stage of the video revolution. Video revolutionised the music industry with MTV, it changed the internet with YouTube, and now video is transforming how businesses collaborate and create meaningful value across teams and locations. Working smarter is not about working harder.

New approaches to the way firms work will also energise staff and help them to compete with emerging rivals. Adherence to international standards will deliver the interoperability between vendors that will guarantee user choice and drive adoption of these new solutions. It is an exciting time again to be in IT and it’s great to be part of a growth sector.

Ray McGroarty, solutions
director EMEA, Polycom