As the unified communications (UC) landscape has continued to evolve rapidly in the last few years, the way companies adopt and implement UC solutions has changed.
Today, many organisations, large and small, aren’t using a single UC platform. Instead, they’re combining tools and services from various vendors. While some companies benefit from an all-in-one package from their favourite vendor, others prefer to mix and match different tools for messaging, video functionality, recording, reporting, analytics, and workforce management.
Taking a multi-vendor and multi-platform approach to UC provides businesses with much more freedom to design the ultimate communication strategy for the specific needs of their employees and customers. However, this framework does come with many challenges. Managing various solutions across various platforms can be time-consuming, complex, and expensive.
So, how do companies leverage the advantages of multi-vendor frameworks without confusion?
The Challenge of Multi-Vendor Solutions and Integrations
Even as UC platforms become more advanced and versatile, most offerings don’t have every solution companies need to thrive built-in as standard. Countless organisations find themselves needing to leverage solutions from different vendors and environments. In some cases, companies even use various applications, cloud and on-premises infrastructure and tools in one space.
In this complicated environment, companies need to figure out how to:
- Minimise costs and increase ROI across the UC solution stack
- Avoid technology silos that require expensive and scarce technical teams to operate
- Build an ever-evolving collaboration system for modern workforces
- Introduce end-to-end automation and workflows for efficiency
- Maintain high levels of end-user satisfaction
- Preserve comprehensive visibility into every part of the solution
How to Simplify Multi-Vendor Management and Integration
To streamline multi-vendor management, simplify integrations, and preserve a powerful end-to-end UC environment, companies need a way to boost visibility into their UC systems and reduce complexity. This means:
Step 1: Leveraging a Digital Workplace Management Tool
The easiest way to simplify multi-vendor and integration management in a UC environment is to leverage a digital workplace management tool with built-in automation controls. Platforms like VOSS Automate provide companies with a single-pane-of-glass view into their complete business communication stack, regardless of how many disparate solutions they use.
VOSS is designed to support various components, devices and systems, including Microsoft Teams, Avaya UC, Cisco, and BroadSoft solutions. In this all-in-one environment, companies can gain access to:
- Management and support: Leverage comprehensive management tools for the complete UC stack in one convenient environment.
- Easy administration: Remove the need for complex provisioning and administration with a simple and convenient system for handling all UC assets.
- Hyper automation: Introduce zero-touch workflows to streamline business processes, reduce manual administration and remove the risk of human error.
- The flexible landscape can evolve and grow according to the needs of each business, providing endless opportunities for consistent transformation.
- Step 2: Implement Automations and Integrations
With a digital workplace management system in place, companies can begin to automate complex tasks and simplify workflows, to boost business efficiency and productivity. For instance, the VOSS Automate system allows for rapid automated provisioning with a configurable driver and GUI orchestration options. Companies can automate the fulfilment process, simplify onboarding new team members, and even track important data all in the same place.
The solution integrates with any API, so businesses can rapidly connect disparate services and systems in one environment. The platform also allows companies to view and administer other business systems alongside their UC stack, such as service tools, expense management, billing, and HR solutions, all through one console.
Companies can even integrate their UC solution with tools like ServiceNow, which paves the way for the automation of various day-to-day requests, like resetting passwords and pins or ensuring new team members gain access to relevant tools as quickly as possible.
