Predictions for Unified Communications in 2015, Part 1

	Polycom unifies Lync Unified Communications | Simpler M2M connectivity promised as Sierra Wireless buys Swedish company
	Network World Convergence and VoIP
	Predictions for Unified Communications in 2015, Part 1 As has been our custom for over a decade, it’s time for our annual predictions on what will happen in the coming year for Unified Communications (UC). We’ll start with what is a clear 2014 trend that will continue in 2015: the growing adoption of cloud-based UC.See also: All of Network World's look ahead to 2015 Most cloud providers have reported double-digit growth this year of their IP Telephony (IPT) and UC portfolios, while premise-based systems growth remains in the high single digits year-over-year. We attribute this to both to the adoption of stand-alone cloud services, plus the adoption of cloud-based UC as a hybrid solution that also includes premise-based components. We expect to see continued UC endpoint growth as organizations move beyond simple IPT, especially in hybrid solutions that integrate cloud-based UC with private IPT systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More WHITE PAPER: IBM Improving the Management and Governance of Unstructured Data Maximize efficiency with deeper insight to data value and automated, policy-based compliance, retention & disposition. Read Now In this Issue Polycom unifies Lync Unified Communications Simpler M2M connectivity promised as Sierra Wireless buys Swedish company World Tech Update- Sony pulls 'The Interview,' Skype Translator debuts, Navy tests shark-like drone Microsoft's Lumia Gestures App Lets You Control Your Windows Phone Without Touching The Screen IDG Contributor Network: When tomorrow comes WHITE PAPER: IBM Quintillion Case Study Hedge fund administration company Quintillion doubles its asset and investor portfolio while keeping staff levels almost flat, by working with Insight 2 Value to deploy an efficient content management solution, based on IBM Case Manager. Read Now Polycom unifies Lync Unified Communications The concept of unified communications (UC) is still more of a vision than it is a reality. If employees want to collaborate, they need to use a number of different systems to actually pull off a virtual meeting, as “UC” today consists of a bunch of different tools from various vendors. This means that users often have to deal with complex or multiple scheduling systems, disjointed workflows, and numerous dialing methods. Any integration that’s done at a system level is likely custom and cost-prohibitive for most businesses. Despite all the advancements in UC, a tremendous amount of manual integration still needs to be done. If UC is ever to reach its potential, the user needs to stop being the point of integration.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More WHITE PAPER: Curvature Smart Companies are Migrating their Maintenance Contracts By refocusing their strategy to maintenance contracts that are independent of OEM policies, companies can maximize their IT budget while managing their infrastructure more efficiently. Read about alternative strategies and debunk IT market myths. View now Simpler M2M connectivity promised as Sierra Wireless buys Swedish company Sierra Wireless has acquired Swedish company Wireless Maingate to build a more complete machine-to-machine communications platform and better connect cars, industrial devices, smart meters and other sensors.Together, the two companies will develop a platform that offers connectivity and device management from one user interface. Sierra currently offers a cloud-based application development platform and Maingate supplies wireless services in Europe.The M2M, or Internet of things, sector continues to mature with operators and vendors working to offer more complete communications platforms, and Sierra is no different. The company is best known for its modems, but has also developed a device management tool and a platform for easing the development of connected M2M applications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More : Venafi Securing Keys and Certificates to Critical Assets Today's most devastating cyber attacks—including ShellShock, Heartbleed and Zombie Zero—prey on trust. And that puts your digital certificates at risk. This informative resource center explores how next-generation trust protection can help you combat today's attacks, ensuring trusted access to critical assets. Learn More World Tech Update- Sony pulls 'The Interview,' Skype Translator debuts, Navy tests shark-like drone World Tech Update- Sony pulls ‘The Interview,’ Skype Translator debuts, Navy tests shark-like drone This week on WTU, Sony drops 'The Interview' after terrorist threats, Skype Translator lets users have live conversations in different languages and the Navy tests a drone shaped like a shark. From: Network World Views: 1 0 ratings Time: 04:19 More in Science & Technology Read More Microsoft's Lumia Gestures App Lets You Control Your Windows Phone Without Touching The Screen Microsoft is bringing some special gestures to Lumia Phones that may be a prelude to more expansive features coming to handsets with Windows 10. The company just released a free app in the Windows Phone store called Gestures Beta that lets you answer a call, mute your mic, put someone on speaker, and silence an incoming call without ever touching your phone's display. The story behind the story: Many of the features Microsoft added to Gestures Beta were originally expected in an update to Windows Phone 8.1. Those features, dubbed 3D Touch, were reportedly held back, but The Verge says 3D Touch will return in Windows 10. One of the more interesting features that surfaced during the original 3D Touch reports was Mix View. This feature would allow you to manipulate your phone's Live Tiles without touching the display. Hover your finger over a contact tile, for example, and mini-tiles would explode out with options for calling, SMS, email, and Skype.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More IDG Contributor Network: When tomorrow comes There’s a great science fiction story by Issac Assimov titled The Dead Past. where he describes government bureaucracies that conspire to prevent the spread of knowledge in a dystopian future. One of the interesting side elements of that story is Assimov’s concept of time. We tend to think of the past as years and years ago, when in reality -- as he points out -- the past is what just happened.  The past was you reading that last sentence. Our concept of the future also falls into that same trap. We think of the future being the Jetsons or Star Trek -- something way out of reach in the distance -- when in reality the future is in a few minutes; the future is now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Read More
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