ATandT recently introduced a unified communications service for its enterprise and business customers that could facilitate even greater communication across platforms.
According to a January 22 ComputerWorld article, ATandT’s Unified Communications Federation service reduces barriers typically faced by unified communications platforms, but still allows its users to keep up boundaries for organization and privacy. As the large enterprises ATandT services increasingly seek to directly interact with their own customers, this service will likely prove to be vital.
By definition, unified communications are advanced computer services that integrate email, instant messaging, IP telephony installation, mobile communications and video conferencing into one comprehensive system of communicating online. ATandT’s service will be based in the cloud, meaning its users will be able to take advantage of this system from anywhere in the world that has an Internet connection. And customers who use UC Federation will be able to communicate with users of alternate unified communications platforms as well, something that businesses with unified communications have largely struggled with.
Currently, the UC Federation only supports translating instant messaging communications between Microsoft Lync and Cisco Jabber, ComputerWorld reports; however, more systems and types of communication will soon be compatible with the system, including Skype, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Office 365, AOL, Avaya One-X and many more. Any enterprise can use the service, even if it doesn’t get its phone services from ATandT.
Access to UC Federation is now available for a per-month, per-user cost of $4.99. ComputerWorld reports that ATandT is open to discounts for customers with exceptional volume or usage of these IT managed services. The company is also offering free 90-day trials to the first 25 enterprises that sign up for the service.
What are your thoughts on ATandT’s new unified communications platform? Share what’s on your mind — or ask any other questions you may have about IT managed services — in the comments below.
