If there is one “given” among businesses moving toward unified communications, it's that a phased approach is the deployment path of choice. Typically, this approach represents the best fit for both budgets and for the comfort level of most organizations.

Too much change in too little time can overwhelm employees and make it difficult for them to incorporate new capabilities in a meaningful and effective manner. As a result, most unified communications initiatives are divided into phases that involve the cutover of specific new applications for individual locations or workgroups.

Regardless of whether unified communications features are being deployed for a small branch office or for the entire headquarters team, there are tips and best practices to keep in mind for making certain the process goes smoothly. By building on the experience of others, new communications capabilities can be well integrated into an organization's day-to-day operations and deliver the greatest possible bottom line impact.

Validate Readiness
Before moving forward with the installation of unified communications, it is critical to make a final site-by-site readiness assessment. A “go/no go” decision should be based on the answers to the following questions:

• Have all necessary hardware, software, firmware, inside wiring and LAN/WAN connectivity been ordered, received, configured, and tested?
• Has a thorough analysis of key technical dependencies such as application releases and operating systems, been done?
• Have all the required interoperability and networking attributes of the solution been tested? This step applies whether this is an off-the-shelf application or capabilities that are custom-developed for a company's operations.
• Are any and all specialized engineering resources needed committed to the project and available to support the installation timeline?
• Have existing company directories been examined and has it been determined how they will be coordinated?

In addition to these technology-oriented readiness activities, it is critical to make certain that an organization is ready to weather the change from a people perspective. In fact, the “human factor” remains one of the largest variables in any technology rollout. It determines whether or not a new solution is rapidly adopted and used effectively and if the anticipated efficiencies and bottom line returns are achieved. This means all affected personnel-from information technology administrators to end-users-need to know what to expect, how they will be affected, and what is expected of them.

Master the Art
As with any technology deployment, it's important to use industry best practices during installation of new unified communication capabilities-from performance diagnostics to acceptance testing. To ensure true success, however, there are other less obvious dynamics that need to be addressed during the deployment and post-deployment phases.

Make certain that help desk support is in place and prepared for the inevitable flurry of questions and trouble tickets that naturally accompany any new technology introduction. To minimize the drain on the information technology team, a careful look at the calls and emails received may reveal common threads. Once uncovered, proactive outreach or additional training may be needed to help employees navigate new systems.

While help desk activity is typically the most intense in the days immediately following the cutover, unified communications experts should be available on a going-forward basis, especially to support new employees or those moving to new communications-intensive assignments.

In addition to help desk support, it's essential to have a thorough plan for maintaining and managing the hardware and software components associated with the unified communications solution.

Periodically revisit how the new application is being used and by whom, and whether changes are needed to support evolving business plans. A thorough audit can help determine the extent to which employees are fully using the unified communications capabilities and the bottom line impact that is being delivered to the business.

Assembling the Team
One of the most critical issues businesses face when deciding to move to unified communications is whether to plan, deploy, maintain, and manage their own solution or to turn to external resources for support.

Recent research from industry analysts at IntelliCom Analytics suggests organizations deciding to go it alone are decidedly in the minority, since specialized skills are required. They recommend that any enterprise considering unified communications should carefully and candidly assess which aspects of the project they can handle internally and which will require additional expertise.

The research firm also underscored five key considerations involved in choosing the optimum unified communications partner.

• If a business has a multi-vendor infrastructure, it is important to select a unified communications partner highly experienced in SIP and other core interoperability standards. Prospective vendors should be asked to provide concrete evidence of working relationships with other industry providers.
• Although many components that go into unified communications are “off-the-shelf”, high-performance solutions typically involve some degree of custom development. That makes it critical to find a partner company with proven application development skills.
• When moving to unified communications and integrating systems, applications, and devices, network security takes on even greater importance. Businesses should insist that prospective partners demonstrate skills in security assessment, solution development and implementation.
• While separate vendors can provide specific components of a unified communications solution, most enterprises find that choosing a single vendor is best. By doing so, they have a single point of accountability. If a vendor indicates they intend to sub-contract certain activities to a third party, it's important to ensure they can do so in a way that's completely transparent, with a high degree of continuity.

Vivek Porwal
The writer is BU Head, Unified Communications, Avaya GlobalConnect
vadmail@cybermedia.co.in