Communications & Collaboration
Top Stories
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Tip
09 Jul 2026
Top 7 UCaaS features to enhance productivity
Enterprises have historically used UCaaS to reduce operating costs. No longer. Today, due in part to AI, companies view UCaaS as the most efficient way to boost collaboration. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jun 2026
Securing AI meeting assistants: What IT leaders need to know
More companies are deploying AI agents to make their meetings more efficient. But these tools can also expose companies to some significant security risks. Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2014
Will the dying desk phone reinvent itself as a ‘multimedia device’?
ORLANDO – With the use of mobile devices and BYOD growing in the enterprise, will desk phones go the way of the rotary phone, or can they be reinvented for the future? Continue Reading
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News
17 Mar 2014
ShoreTel rounds out cloud offering with new 400 series for ShoreTel Sky
ORLANDO — ShoreTel announced today at Enterprise Connect 2014 that it is now shipping its 400 series IP phones for ShoreTel Sky, a series of three new deskphone options for cloud customers. Continue Reading
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Answer
07 Feb 2014
How do media servers differ from media gateways?
Expert Carrie Higbie explains how media servers differ from media gateways and how media servers are useful in video and voice environments. Continue Reading
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Answer
09 Jan 2014
How does a volts direct current signal relate to telecom?
Expert Matt Brunk explains how a volts direct current signal is used in telecommunications. Continue Reading
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Answer
19 Dec 2013
What is the difference between H.248 and H.323 protocols?
H.248 and H.323 are protocols associated with VoIP. IP telephony expert Jon Arnold explains the difference between the two in this expert response. Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2013
Compare Cisco and Lync UC platform features while market is ripe
Are you deciding between Cisco and Lync UC platforms? This article compares features from each vendor and explains why the competition is so tough. Continue Reading
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Answer
04 Nov 2013
What is a UC client?
What do vendors mean when they refer to a UC client? Learn what a UC client is and how it is used. Continue Reading
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21 Aug 2013
Your guide to Unified Communications as a Service
Learn about cloud UC services and decide whether they're the right fit for your organization in this Essential Guide. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Jul 2013
Google Hangouts vs. Skype: A comparative look
Google's challenging Microsoft in the video conferencing market. This chart offers a feature-by-feature comparative look at Google Hangouts vs. Skype. Continue Reading
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Answer
11 Jul 2013
What are the advantages of SIP trunks versus analog circuits?
SIP trunking is not perfect, but it has more options and features compared to what traditional phone companies offer, says UC expert Matt Brunk. Continue Reading
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27 Jun 2013
"News, tips and expert advice on unified communications" RSS feed is moving!
As of July 1, the "News, tips and expert advice on unified communications" RSS feed will be moving off of the Pheedo platform. Instead, please bookmark the following URL to make sure you continue to receive our content: http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/rss/News-tips-and-expert-advice-on-unified-communications-and-VoIP.xml Continue Reading
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Answer
10 May 2013
What is a call park phone feature and how does it work?
UC expert, Matt Brunk, explains a call park phone feature, how it works and how it compares to a visual call park feature in this expert response. Continue Reading
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27 Mar 2013
Top 5 video conferencing cloud services
Cloud video conferencing service providers allure enterprises with flexible offerings and palatable prices. See the market's top cloud video services. Continue Reading
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Answer
20 Mar 2013
What are the different types of private branch exchange systems?
The types of PBX systems available shifted after the advent of Internet Protocol, according to IP telephony expert Jon Arnold. Continue Reading
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20 Mar 2013
Enterprise Connect 2013: UC conference coverage
Check back here for the latest updates from Enterprise Connect 2013. Continue Reading
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Answer
05 Mar 2013
Are there advantages to using the public switched telephone network?
You may have to sacrifice some advantages of the public switched telephone network if you switch to VoIP, says telephony expert Jon Arnold. Continue Reading
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Answer
05 Mar 2013
How can I easily switch between an external webcam and a built-in one?
Video expert Steve Campbell answers a question about built-in and external webcams. Certain factors affect the quality of your experience, he says. Continue Reading
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25 Feb 2013
Visual collaboration redefines enterprise communication
Unified communications must evolve into visual collaboration technologies to garner productive work environments for dispersed employees. Continue Reading
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18 Feb 2013
Top cloud-based telephony and UC providers
If you are thinking of hosted PBX solutions or outsourcing your companies' communications, consider these top cloud-based telephony and UC providers. Continue Reading
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Answer
31 Jan 2013
When does it make sense to employ an external webcam?
The decision of whether to use an external webcam depends on what you intend to use video conferencing for, says video expert Steve Campbell. Continue Reading
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17 Jan 2013
VoIP certification guide
Our VoIP certification guide's resources will advance your UC career. Check out these tutorials for help in choosing the appropriate certifications. Continue Reading
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26 Nov 2012
Top three unified communications trends of 2012
As the year winds to a close, the top unified communications trends of 2012 have emerged as collaboration, mobility, BYOD and UC cloud offerings. Continue Reading
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Answer
19 Nov 2012
How does VoIP performance differ over LAN, WAN and other networks?
Environment affects VoIP performance, so it's important to consider how VoIP best fits in your environment is important, our UC strategies expert explains. Continue Reading
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Answer
31 Oct 2012
What is the SVC Codec and how is it used?
The SVC codec is an extension to the H.264 standard for video encoding used by many equipment manufacturers, explains our video conferencing expert. Continue Reading
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News
07 Sep 2012
Cloud, UC forces network architects to redesign WANs
Enterprises must consider redesigning their wide area networks (WANs) to support cloud computing and unified communications (UC). Continue Reading
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10 Jul 2012
The ultimate guide to telepresence solutions
This guide covers the history, background and development of telepresence technology, along with the issues of enterprises security concerns and interoperability needs. It also offers informative information on market leaders, and telepresence trends. Continue Reading
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News
15 Feb 2012
Video conferencing essential to disaster recovery communications
Video conferencing and telepresence have become essential parts of a disaster recovery communications plan for both government agencies and enterprises. Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2011
Business tablet hype at Enterprise Connect: Mobile UC pros skeptical
IT pros attending Enterprise Connect this week are enthusiastic about business tablets but not for mobile UC. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Nov 2010
The truth about five nines availability in unified communications networks
Five nines availability is attainable with traditional telecommunications networks, but is it attainable with a unified communications network? This tip explains how to calculate availability and how it relates to unified communications software and hardware. Learn what is required to achieve five nines availability and how it translates to downtime. Continue Reading
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Answer
03 Aug 2010
The value of toll bypass in the enterprise
IP telephony expert Jon Arnold explains the value of toll bypass in an IP telephony setup, detailing why enterprises should consider it as an option while tempering cost-savings expectations. Continue Reading
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News
06 May 2010
Will 4G make mobile video conferencing good enough for enterprises?
Wireless operators promise higher bandwidth and lower latency with 4G networks, but it remains unclear whether the benefits of mobile video conferencing for enterprises will compensate for its limitations. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Oct 2008
Identifying issues in a multi-site Cisco UC deployment
Deploying Cisco Unified Communications Manager between multiple sites requires an appropriate dial plan, appropriate bandwidth, a quality of service (QoS) implementation and a design that can survive IP WAN failures. This chapter will explain the issues that can arise in a multisite Cisco UC Manager deployment, and recommend specific solutions. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Mar 2008
hairpinning
In general telecommunication, hairpinning is returning a message from an origin endpoint back in the direction it came from as a way to get it to its destination endpoint. Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Feb 2008
What's the difference between collaboration and web conferencing?
Although the terms "collaboration" and "web conferencing" are similar, there are subtle differences in their meanings that can better help you understand what they are and what they do. Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Jul 2007
What can a VoIP phone do that a landline phone cannot?
This expert response outlines the basic differences between a VoIP phone and a POTS phone. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Mar 2007
How silence suppression saves WAN bandwidth
Silence suppression, or voice activation detection (VAD), technology is used to save WAN bandwidth used by VoIP traffic, while comfort noise generation (CNG) counteracts negative affects on VoIP speech quality. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Feb 2007
VoIP bandwidth: Calculate consumption
The bandwidth needed for VoIP transmission depends on compression technology, packet overhead and the network protocol used. In this tip, learn how to calculate how much bandwidth your VoIP implementation will need. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jan 2007
How voice compression saves bandwidth
Compression of voice traffic can save bandwidth on your IP network, but can cost quality or cause delays. Learn more about the CODECs or standards for voice compression -- and their effect on call quality -- in this tip. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jul 2005
Turning analog phones into VoIP phones
How an ATA or broadband phone works and what kind of features and performance you can expect from them. Continue Reading