Webtorials papers discuss TCO for the SMB, incorporating fixed and mobile devices
Today, we again showcase two papers available from Webtorials discussing unified communications (UC). The first paper, sponsored by 8×8, discusses UC’s total cost of ownership (TCO) for the small business as it compares a hosted model to a premise-based solution. The second piece, sponsored by AT&T, is a discussion on the merits of incorporating fixed and mobile devices into a UC deployment.
In the first reader resource, titled “The Cost Advantages of Using a Hosted Unified Communications Service — A TCO Guide for SMBs,” the discussion points out that prospective UC customers will frequently see IP PBX/call server vendors comparing their own features and pricing with other on-premises equipment vendors — looking, for example, at direct feature/cost comparisons of hosted UC services.
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This paper contrasts the TCO and management complexity of the two different options: buying and maintaining on-site equipment versus using a cloud service. Using a sample configuration, the comparison examines the service costs of one hosted UC provider (the sponsor, 8×8) and that of one aggressively priced IP PBX vendor (ShoreTel). Of course, savings calculations will differ depending on the providers being compared along with the features desired and the size of an installation, but this paper gives readers some helpful ballpark numbers with which to start a TCO evaluation.
In the second article, AT&T rightfully claims that UC and mobility are intricately linked, and the convergence of the two capabilities grows exponentially in both importance and time savings. The piece begins with a “get-down-to-basics description,” suggesting that:
“UC combines multiple communication and collaboration tools such as instant messaging, conferencing, email, unified messaging, team collaboration, and voice calling with presence behind a single user interface that is accessible using a variety of devices … your mobile device, desktop, laptop, iPad, notebook. By merging tools into a cohesive whole and making them accessible via a wide variety of fixed and mobile devices, UC Services can help you accomplish more than any one solution alone ever could.”
This brief piece provides an overview of AT&T’s vision for this convergence, and is most worthwhile as a benchmark toward “Communications-Enabled Business Processes (CEBP).”
Our thanks again to Webtorials and to the papers’ sponsors for sharing these valuable educational resources.
