Unified Communication and Telephony

Unified Communication (UC) is a term used to describe the integration of communication technologies, such as voice or phone communications, with multi-media technologies such as VoIP, video conferencing, and social media communication like instant messaging. Technology vendors may use the term "Unified Communication" to describe a particular software or hardware product, or a family of products. What is consistent across vendors is the concept that all forms of communication may be "unified" so that the user has the flexibility to pick and chose those components that best serve their needs without having to install several disparate components themselves.

Telephony is a term frequently used when discussing unified communications. To many people, the word "telephony" is synonymous with VoIP. However, there are many differences between the two terms. It is important to understand the different options available to you in order to define your requirements...