Many forward-thinking organizations are beginning to see the true potential of the convergence of voice, video and data. It has the power to transform business relationships, business processes and collaboration between employees, suppliers and customers.
IBM Global Business ServicesOctober 2006
Integrated business communications:
a force for business transformation.
How IP communications is transforming collaborative relationships
Reiner Killmeier, Associate Partner, and Ralf Jungclaus, Managing Consultant, IBM Global Business Services, GermanyIntegrated business communications: a force for business transformation. Page
Executive summaryContents Integrated business communications solutions from IBM unite and consoli-date the various foundational communication capabilities of the emerging 2 Executive summary Internet Protocol (IP) networks to bring the long-awaited vision of voice and 3 What is integrated business data convergence to fruition. Traditional telephony, e-mail, Web collaboration, communications? videoconferencing, presence and instant messaging (IM)-previously available 5 Integrated business only separately-can now be unified. Therefore, balancing cost and capability, communications: the integrated business communications solutions enable organizations to close missing link in collaborative the gap between voice and data and so unify all major aspects of employees' relationships relationships, inside and outside the enterprise, through every major channel 8 Key features of an integrated of interaction. business communications environment Today's collaborative strategies span data-centric information, communica-15 Integrated business tions and processes, from e-mail and IM to business applications and external communications: Web sites. Tomorrow's collaborative business environment will integrate voice transformational scenarios 22 Next steps: the roadmap for and video as well, enabling truly multimodal, multichannel collaboration business transformation inside and outside the enterprise. Flexible communication-in a timely man-26 Conclusion ner, regardless of differences in devices or networks-is the real objective of integrated business communications at all levels.
Many see the convergence of voice, video and data communications as solely a technology issue-an IT networking and telephony challenge with some interesting benefits, but ultimately with a purely infrastructural impact on an organization. Forward-thinking organizations, however, are beginning to see its true potential: the power to transform business relationships, business processes and collaboration between employees, suppliers and customers. They recognize that voice and video have been the missing link in collaborative relationships.Integrated business communications: a force for business transformation. Page
These organizations require a clear strategy to facilitate the move from Highlights disconnected silos of voice, video and data capability to the delivery of new collaborative applications based on converged networks. They should assess how business and communications processes could be enhanced through this opportunity and plan accordingly. The potential impact on business processes For organizations that invest in is deep and wide-ranging, as are the potential returns for organizations that integrated business communications, invest in integrated business communications. Realizing that goal will require the potential impact on business the support of partners that understand how to best approach the challenges processes is deep and wide-ranging, and opportunities that lie ahead. as are the potential returns. This IBM point of view is essential reading for senior management and decision makers responsible for strategy as well as customer-, supplier- and employee-facing processes.
What is integrated business communications?Voice, video and data convergence is based on the emergence of IP commu-nications. New IP communications systems provide a variety of new functions The gap between business that extend beyond communication. With open standards of IP networking, applications and person-to-person the various communication servers can now collaborate efficiently to support communications is closing as multiple forms of contact with human users, whether as calls or messages, open standards of IP networking whether in speech or text and whether originating from people or automated enable the integration of voice, application processes. IP infrastructure is helping to close the gap between video and data. business applications and person-to-person communications. Integrated business communic... [download for more]
