Voice and unified communications

News and features on networking technologies, trends and services. Find out about managed network services technology and other areas of interest to managed service providers.

November 13, 2018 13 Nov'18
Cisco Partner Summit 2018 continues software emphasis

The Cisco software strategy is accelerating, according to a company official who cites growth in recurring revenue, enterprise agreements and Lifecycle Advisors as evidence.
June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18
Hyper-converged infrastructure solutions: Scale, Nutanix tap channel

Channel partnership strategy: Scale Computing and Nutanix have launched partner programs in the hyper-converged solutions market; other news from the week.
November 02, 2017 02 Nov'17
Cisco Partner Summit 2017 debuts Spark conversational assistant

Channel execs at Cisco Partner Summit 2017 said they see potential in Spark Assistant, a new conversational assistant that uses machine learning technology from MindMeld.
April 18, 2017 18 Apr'17
UCC market evolution driven by digital transformation

In UC news, a report finds digital transformation initiatives are driving the UCC market, while CoreDial and VeloCloud partner to bring SD-WAN features to cloud UC services.

Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content

Amazon Chime: Channel execs see potential, room for improvement

Channel partners said Amazon's new Chime unified communications offering has the potential to disrupt the market, but may need additional features to boost its competitive stance. Continue Reading
API planning for enterprises requires ample due diligence

When integrating APIs into your business applications, be sure to forecast your communications traffic, rank your business performance metrics and try out potential vendors. Continue Reading
Video conferencing standards, protocols and interoperability

Irwin Lazar explains what video conferencing standards and protocols are and why they are necessary to enable interoperability and promote successful video communications. Continue Reading

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

Unified communications as a service: The next generation

New-look UCaaS solutions are opening opportunities for channel partners that can navigate differing customer needs, regulatory environments and the security landscape. Continue Reading
Cisco Spark Room 70, Polycom Pano advance conference room tech

Many video collaboration vendors are trying to innovate around conference room technology. Cisco and Polycom are two examples of vendors taking different approaches. Continue Reading
What are the requirements for E911 services for VoIP providers?

VoIP service providers have specific guidelines to meet to ensure E911 services are properly configured and meet regulatory standards. Learn how to maintain E911 compliance. Continue Reading

Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

How to launch VoIP services for business customers

Vendor selection, cross-selling and in-depth product knowledge are the keys to success when it comes to offering Voice over IP services, Mike Bloomfield writes. Continue Reading
Messaging platforms flout traditional real-time telephony

Business messaging defies traditional telephony-centric, real-time communications. The persistence and efficiency of web-based messaging offers a new way to collaborate. Continue Reading
Embedding video into apps streamlines communications

By embedding video communications into business applications, CPaaS technology can help enterprises untangle collaboration complexities and boost user engagement. Continue Reading

We’ve gathered up expert advice and tips from professionals like you so that the answers you need are always available.

Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging change presents dilemma

The arrival of Exchange 2019 also means the end of unified messaging in the on-premises offering. Admins who use voicemail in Outlook should explore their options. Continue Reading
We need to talk ... about team chat app security

Team collaboration applications such as Slack and Unify Circuit can make life easier for enterprises. But for some organizations, the risk might not be worth the reward. Continue Reading
Integrate contact center and unified communications platforms

The lines are blurring between contact center and unified communications platforms, as team messaging capabilities help agents collaborate and resolve customer issues. Continue Reading