UC strategy
Unified communications success relies on more than technology. End-user adoption is paramount for a successful rollout. Learn how to build a successful UC strategy that encompasses technology, training, staffing and culture.
Top Stories
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Feature
14 Jul 2025
Tariffs reshape UC hardware costs and supply strategies
Tariffs are driving up UC hardware costs, forcing vendors into supply chain shifts and price hikes. In response, many IT buyers are turning to cloud-based communications software. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jul 2025
The insights and benefits of unified communications analytics
With the help of unified communications analytics, organizations can gain valuable insights into network performance, collaboration activities and security events. Continue Reading
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Answer
30 Jun 2025
What's the difference between social media and social networking?
Social media and social networking appear to be interchangeable terms, but they serve different use cases. Learn the difference between social media and social networking. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jun 2025
How UC can support the return to office
United communications features are a boon to those working from home, but they also have the potential to woo those workers back into the office. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 May 2025
The difference between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars
The key differences between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars are attendee size and participation. Compare the two apps to learn which is best for your engagement needs. Continue Reading
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Answer
12 May 2025
The difference between a traditional and hybrid meeting room
The old meeting room is gone for good. Companies need to employ technology that permits all of their workers to collaborate, whether they are at home, in the office or on the road. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 May 2025
5 steps to address hybrid meeting equity
Taking the steps necessary to ensure that employees can attend meetings, regardless of location, takes time, but new tools can help to ensure everyone is communicating effectively. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 May 2025
Hybrid meeting technology helps AV teams address equity
Ensuring remote and in-office workers share the same meeting experience is a constant challenge. Vendors are helping companies solve this video equity problem. Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Apr 2025
How to record Zoom breakout rooms
Zoom doesn't make it easy to record a breakout room, but it can be done with a few extra tweaks. Learn the steps to enable breakout room recording and boost the meeting experience. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Apr 2025
What will be the future of the workplace?
The future of the workplace includes varying return-to-office plans, flexible work locations and AI assistants to help employees with collaboration and productivity. Continue Reading
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Conference Coverage
18 Apr 2025
Everything Enterprise Connect 2025: News, trends and insights
Check out the latest news and analysis from Enterprise Connect, the largest enterprise communications, CX and collaboration events in North America. Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 Apr 2025
AI and video conferencing come together at Enterprise Connect
While AI seemed like the star of the show at Enterprise Connect, video is still a key technology for UC buyers. Explore the top video trends from the conference. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Apr 2025
Companies prep for NG911 implementation but hurdles remain
This year's Enterprise Connect featured the first-ever panel examining the rollout of NG911. Emergency calls funneled over IP will give first responders valuable information. Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2025
The New Career Skills the AI Era Will Require
Forget the classic STEM toolbox – according to pros at Enterprise Connect, these new areas of expertise will be in demand. Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2025
AI Could Be the Next Tech Wave -- But Only If We're Careful
Before we can unlock AI’s full potential across enterprise and public sectors, there needs to be improvements in explainability, consistency, and control. Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2025
3 AI Copilot Rules: Be Selective, Train Users, Check Results AI Assistants for Knowledge Workers
In the Enterprise Connect session “Making the Most of Your AI Assistant,” panelists shared the best practices that have proven most productive. Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2025
AI in 2025: Its Usefulness Is Triggered By Better Human Habits
In Monday’s technical keynotes, speakers agreed that AI’s value and productivity in enterprise communications starts with mindful human work habits. Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2025
No Jitter Roll: Noting Some Key Product Themes at Enterprise Connect 2025
Our post-show roundup highlights a few themes: the prevalence of ‘virtual agents,’ voice’s importance, using AI to score all calls and making AI available to everyone. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Mar 2025
What is the difference between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Rooms?
For some users, Zoom Meetings is all they need; others may opt for Zoom Rooms. Learn about the features each service provides and the supported use cases. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Feb 2025
Mapping how digital twin technology can work with UC
Digital twin technology can help organizations more accurately plot the effectiveness of their UC infrastructure. But there is still a lot to learn about the concept. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Feb 2025
3 ways to retool UC platform security architecture models
Hybrid workers moving between home and office environments create a UC security gap. But adopting modern tools to augment traditional security policies can mitigate risks. Continue Reading
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Answer
19 Feb 2025
How to record Zoom meetings with OBS
By using Open Broadcaster Software to record Zoom meetings, companies can take advantage of more advanced features, such as live editing and live streaming. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Jan 2025
10 top unified communications providers for 2025
Compare the latest architecture developments, as well as advanced communications and collaboration UC platform features, offered by the leading unified communication providers. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Jan 2025
How to manage E911 in a multivendor UC environment
Multivendor phone systems can present challenges for E911 management. Third-party platforms, however, can help businesses with call routing and location management. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Dec 2024
How do you apply a zero-trust security policy to UC?
An important piece of remote and hybrid work is keeping UC environments secure. Learn how a zero-trust framework keeps user and app communications secure. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Dec 2024
5 key video conferencing trends to watch in 2025
From personal assistants to meeting summaries, AI will redefine video conferencing over the next year. Check out the top trends driving the market in 2025. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Dec 2024
5 UC and collaboration trends reshaping the market in 2025
Expect GenAI and agentic AI to dominate unified communications and collaboration trends, plus employees and businesses weigh return-to-office edicts and heightened cyberattacks. Continue Reading
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Answer
06 Dec 2024
RCS vs. SMS: What's the difference?
Compared to Short Message Service, Rich Communication Services is a newer form of messaging with advanced features and a better business messaging experience. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Nov 2024
What do huddle rooms look like in a post-pandemic workplace?
Huddle room hype has waned, but it helped promote the concept of simplifying video in the workplace. Now, organizations could consider a video everywhere strategy. Continue Reading
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Definition
23 May 2024
unified communications (UC)
Unified communications (UC) is an umbrella term for the integration of multiple enterprise communication tools -- such as voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging (IM), presence and content sharing -- into a single, streamlined interface, with the goal of improving user experience (UX) and productivity. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 May 2024
5 tips for inclusive hybrid meetings
For successful hybrid meeting collaboration, businesses need to empower remote and on-site employees with a full suite of features and high-quality gear. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 May 2024
Fixed-mobile convergence could solve UC services gap
With fixed-mobile convergence, enterprises might finally have a way to ensure their employees have full access to UC services on their mobile devices. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Apr 2024
Enhanced 911 transitions to Next Generation 911
Next Generation 911 has improved calling features compared to Enhanced 911, especially when locating callers. But businesses face some compliance problems. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Apr 2024
3 ways to take advantage of collaboration behavior data
Organizations can use collaboration behavior data to track meeting attentiveness, establish better meeting habits and personalize channel feeds for employees. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Apr 2024
AI drives new speech technology trends and use cases
The next generation of AI-based speech technology tools will have much broader, organization-wide impacts. No longer can these tools be viewed in a vacuum. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Apr 2024
4 common problems with hybrid meetings and how to fix them
Hybrid meetings can be hamstrung by technical and nontechnical challenges. Learn how to address common hybrid meeting problems to support attendees, no matter how they participate. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Apr 2024
Using Power over Ethernet for UC: Pros and cons
Harnessing Power over Ethernet in unified communications deployments can pay dividends. But the technology isn't suitable for every environment. Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2024
Recapping Enterprise Connect 2024
Enterprise Strategy Group analysts recap the top trends at Enterprise Connect 2024, including generative AI for UC and CX, the need for AI governance and the digital workplace. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Apr 2024
AI communications features key when assessing UC vendors
UC vendors are adding more AI capabilities with each software release. What's the best way to ensure vendors' capabilities align with your goals? Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Apr 2024
Creating equity for women in communications and technology
Creating a more equitable workplace starts at the top. Female IT leaders at Enterprise Connect explain how to create a culture that supports women in communications. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Mar 2024
Teams Rooms vs. Zoom Rooms: What's the difference?
Both Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms offer compelling video conferencing services, but there are important distinctions between the two. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Mar 2024
Ultimate guide on enterprise unified communications strategy
When formulating a unified communications strategy, enterprises need to consider several key elements. This step-by-step guide helps businesses plan their UC deployment. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Mar 2024
Enterprise Connect 2024 brings AI reality check
The annual business communications conference highlights the trends that are expected to drive UC and CX buying decisions over the next few years. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Mar 2024
5 remote work communication challenges and how to fix them
Remote work communication is only as effective as the supporting technology and its users. Learn the challenges of remote work communication and how to address them. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Feb 2024
6 workplace benefits of immersive learning with AR and VR
AR and VR have the potential to enhance workplace learning programs. Learn how both employees and organizations can benefit from immersive learning with AR and VR. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Feb 2024
Comparing Microsoft Teams Premium vs. Copilot in Teams
Explore Microsoft Teams Premium and Copilot to understand their AI productivity features and select the product license best suited for your team's needs. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Feb 2024
Mobile unified communications: Everything you need to know
Mobile unified communications is becoming an increasingly important strategy for businesses of all types and sizes. Here's everything you need to know about mobile UC. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Feb 2024
How quantum networking and UC intersect
Quantum networking and unified communications might seem a long way off, but it's not too early to see how it might reshape UC. For one thing, hacking will be a lot more challenging. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Feb 2024
How AI is transforming unified communications
AI in unified communications can take employee collaboration and productivity to the next level. But AI does carry risks that enterprises must first address to maximize adoption. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Feb 2024
Strategic benefits of managed UC services
Managed UC services offer several benefits for businesses, including improved network connections, communication software integrations and support for remote work. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Feb 2024
10 essential business benefits of unified communications
How can unified communications tools benefit your business? Explore these 10 unified communications benefits to make the best deployment decision for your needs. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jan 2024
On-premises vs. cloud vs. hybrid UC deployment models
When deploying unified communications, organizations need to carefully consider the benefits and drawbacks of on-premises, cloud and hybrid deployment models. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Jan 2024
Top 10 must-have unified communications features in business
Unified communications systems have evolved to reflect changing business processes. As a result, enterprises need to prioritize their must-have UC features. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Jan 2024
3 top trends reshaping unified communications jobs
UC professionals looking to switch jobs need to be nimble, versatile and willing to show they can make their future employers more efficient and more productive. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Jan 2024
VoIP codecs explained: How to optimize VoIP quality
The key to a high-quality VoIP call is the right codec. Explore common codecs, their features and potential drawbacks to choose the right one for VoIP optimization. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Dec 2023
Using collaboration behavior data to inform buying decisions
Collaboration apps do more than just let employees work together. They also generate a valuable trove of user data that can help companies become more efficient. Continue Reading
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Answer
30 Nov 2023
AI speech technology offers enterprises benefits, risks
AI offers intriguing prospects to companies looking for ways to get more value from their speech recognition systems. But be wary of expecting too much, too fast. Continue Reading
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Quiz
22 Nov 2023
Test your knowledge of E911 compliance requirements
Compliance with E911 regulations must be a core part of an organization's phone system strategy. Take this quiz to see how well you understand E911 compliance requirements. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Nov 2023
Navigating E911 in the hybrid workplace
Companies are finding it more challenging than ever to comply with E911 regulations. Learn how you can minimize risk and ensure your workforce remains safe. Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Nov 2023
Observations from the intersection of UCC and EUC
End-user computing tends to overlap with numerous other business technologies, such as cloud computing, security and mobility. But one of the areas with the most overlap is UCC. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Oct 2023
How does Microsoft Teams track user activity?
Companies eager to track their remote workers' productivity are examining how UC apps like Teams track user activity. How does Teams track what users do on their devices? Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Oct 2023
6 key strategies to ensure 911 compliance
A mobile and hybrid workforce makes phone location and 911 call routing challenging. Explore ways to ensure your company is doing all it can to protect employees in an emergency. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Oct 2023
5G UC evens the mobile communications playing field
5G is improving the quality of UC services over mobile networks. Learn the advantages 5G UC offers remote workers compared to 4G LTE networks. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Oct 2023
Harnessing UC tools to address proximity bias in the workplace
Hybrid work offers employees flexibility, but they run the risk of losing out to those who are in the office full time. Unified communications tools can help close the gap. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Sep 2023
Assess unified communications pros and cons for hybrid work
Unified communications as a service is getting renewed attention as businesses oversee hybrid workforces. Learn what you should know before deploying UCaaS at your operation. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Sep 2023
How unified communications tools address accessibility
The increased use of cloud communications means the tools must be accessible for everyone. Organizations should vet how their UC providers support accessibility features. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Jul 2023
How to calculate video conferencing bandwidth requirements
Image motion, frame rates and screen resolution often dictate video conferencing bandwidth requirements. Learn four steps to address remote and office video call bandwidth needs. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Jul 2023
3 video conferencing best practices to improve meetings
Hybrid work means that video meetings are here to stay. Organizations need to plan to ensure their video conferences are as effective as possible. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jul 2023
How IT departments structure collaboration management
Today, there are countless apps used to communicate across companies. IT departments are taking two approaches to organize the teams responsible for collaboration deployments. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Jun 2023
What is UCaaS? Unified communications as a service guide
Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is a cloud delivery model that offers a variety of communication and collaboration applications and services. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Jun 2023
Office hoteling pros and cons for hybrid work
As hybrid work gains traction, companies must rethink how they want to allocate their offices. Office hoteling offers some advantages, but be careful of the pitfalls. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2023
Avaya prioritizes slow migration from on-prem to the cloud
The longtime contact center vendor aims to rebound from double bankruptcy by focusing on highly regulated customers' needs, such as continuity of some on-premises communications. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Jun 2023
quality of service (QoS)
Quality of service (QOS) refers to any technology that manages data traffic to reduce packet loss, latency and jitter on a network. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Jun 2023
Explore UCaaS architecture options and when to choose them
The first step to a UCaaS migration is choosing the deployment architecture. Learn how to choose which UCaaS architecture best suits your organization's needs. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 May 2023
Top 7 UCaaS features to enhance productivity
UCaaS continues to evolve as more companies use the platform to support meetings, calls and messaging. New features, among them generative AI, could make UCaaS even more important. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 May 2023
3 best practices for a successful UCaaS migration
Migrating to UCaaS requires careful planning to make the transition as seamless as possible. IT leaders can incorporate three best practices into their deployment strategies. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 May 2023
Migrating from Slack: Inside the trend and spend
The availability of all-in-one collaboration apps, like Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace, is spurring some companies to ask if it's time to migrate from Slack. Continue Reading
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Answer
03 May 2023
Telepresence vs. video conferencing: What's the difference?
Though seemingly similar in concept, telepresence and video conferencing have different approaches to virtual meetings. Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 May 2023
Absorb, acclimate and aspire at Enterprise Connect 2023
Innovation was the highlight of Enterprise Connect 2023, with advancements in interoperability, AI and CRM. But the conference also stressed where vendors must widen their reach. Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2023
Microsoft releases Teams Payments app for small businesses
The tech giant brings transaction capabilities to its Teams platform, expanding digital commerce options for small businesses that offer online services through Teams. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Apr 2023
5 steps to achieve UC network modernization for hybrid work
The shift to hybrid work is putting new demands on the unified communications network infrastructure. Split tunneling and an enterprise CDN are two ways to meet those needs. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Apr 2023
Tap collaboration devices for employee experience data
Collaboration devices play a key role in supporting employee experience, from extracting engagement data to improving hybrid meeting parity. Continue Reading
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Podcast
11 Apr 2023
Enterprise Connect 2023 news highlights
Antone Gonsalves, news director for networking and security, and Katherine Finnell, senior site editor, discuss Enterprise Connect 2023 highlights in "Tech News This Week." Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Apr 2023
3 common video conferencing problems and how to solve them
Employees have grown more skilled with video over the last few years. But video problems still plague meetings today. Learn how to address the most common challenges. Continue Reading
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Video
10 Apr 2023
Recap Enterprise Connect hybrid work trends, generative AI
Analysts discuss the top trends from Enterprise Connect 2023, including generative AI and how to make hybrid work more inclusive. Continue Reading
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News
30 Mar 2023
IT pros face hybrid work technology challenges
Enterprises need specialized video conferencing equipment for office spaces that are usually empty to accommodate both in-office and remote participants during meetings. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Mar 2023
Successful hybrid working mixes tech, policy and culture
IT leaders at Enterprise Connect discuss their strategies for successful hybrid working, from transparent team agreements to parity between home and office setups. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Mar 2023
Collaboration tools help and hinder workplace accessibility
Cloud-based collaboration tools have improved workplace accessibility for people with disabilities. But IT leaders must examine where collaboration tools still fall short. Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2023
Amazon Chime SDK gets new tools for call analytics insights
The communications service's new call analytics tool set enables users to conduct voice tone analysis to track customer sentiment and send the data to their preferred data lake. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Mar 2023
Enterprise Connect 2023 highlights Microsoft Teams, ChatGPT
The annual unified communications conference once again spotlights current and future industry trends as IT leaders weigh their business and technology investments. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Mar 2023
Workplace transformation: 8 steps to build a successful plan
The pandemic might have changed the workplace for good. Here's how to ensure that your organization's physical spaces, business processes and technology suit employees' workstyles. Continue Reading
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News
17 Mar 2023
Microsoft unveils AI-backed Copilot for Teams, Word and more
Microsoft 365 Copilot integrates AI-supported tools into Microsoft's productivity apps to help users write and organize emails, garner insights, and corral disparate data. Continue Reading
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Answer
14 Mar 2023
What is a jitter buffer used for?
Jitter buffers play a key role in supporting audio quality and mitigating network anomalies. Learn how jitter buffers work and their potential drawbacks. Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Mar 2023
How the UC market is addressing corporate ESG initiatives
More organizations are adopting ESG initiatives, and UC vendors have begun to offer new programs and capabilities in response. But how much of a priority is ESG in the UC market? Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2023
ClickUp 3.0 built for scalability with AI, universal search
The new platform moves to the modern cloud infrastructure and offers a streamlined inbox, an AI-supported writing tool and universal search to access files across many apps. Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Feb 2023
How do you build a CPaaS business case?
No matter how big or small the deployment, building a business case for CPaaS is essential to creating a more flexible and controlled communications environment. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Jan 2023
Evernote and Notion take aim at enterprise collaboration market
Notion and Evernote -- best known as personal note-taking apps -- are pivoting to serve as enterprise collaboration tools. Are they viable options yet? Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Jan 2023
Top UC and collaboration news of 2022 highlights 4 key trends
Review the 2022 UC and collaboration news highlights to learn about the trends that drove the market, and discover how these trends will influence the market in 2023. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Jan 2023
Weighing the pros and cons of asynchronous collaboration
UCaaS vendors are developing tools that let remote workers collaborate on their own time. That flexibility can reap benefits, but what does it do to the value of teamwork? Continue Reading
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News
03 Jan 2023
Companies focus on UCaaS consolidation
Replacing redundant collaboration tools with a UCaaS platform is the focus of many companies looking to cut unified communications costs as the possibility of a recession looms. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Dec 2022
Understanding hot desking pros and cons for the hybrid office
Hot desking is one way to manage workspaces in a hybrid office. Learn some hot desking pros and cons to decide if it's the right approach for your company. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Dec 2022
Cisco collaboration study guide for 350-801 CLCOR exam
Learn the basics of Cisco collaboration products and how to deploy collaboration tools in this excerpt from 'CCNP and CCIE Collaboration Core CLCOR 350-801 Official Cert Guide.' Continue Reading