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.
Step 3: Maintain, Manage, and Optimise
With an all-in-one environment for automating UC management and implementing integrations with multiple associated UC tools, companies can begin managing a comprehensive ecosystem with greater simplicity and speed. A flexible architecture empowers companies to rapidly respond to any change in the market or their business needs without compromising on the end-user experience.
With tools like VOSS Automate, companies can leverage high levels of automation combined with simple controls to empower admins to get more done quickly. This reduces resource use and costs and frees staff members up to focus on value-added tasks. The highly agile environment makes it easy to customise the UC stack according to employee needs, increasing adoption levels and employee experience.
VOSS also offers a performance management solution called VOSS Insights, which works alongside the Automation management platform to provide insights into crucial data. Companies can rapidly track adoption levels, make changes to integrations, and adapt over time.
The Key to Successful Multi-Vendor Management
Managing a multi-vendor UC stack and unlocking the benefits of integrations with leading tools and services can seem complicated. However, as the communication landscape grows more complex, one-size-fits-all solutions are becoming increasingly less fit for purpose. The good news is that enabling and empowering multi-vendor success doesn’t have to be a nightmare.
All companies need to thrive in the right all-in-one environment where they can access high visibility, control, and customisation levels. Working with the right vendor to access a comprehensive automation and digital workplace management tool can simplify the multi-vendor workflow and give businesses more freedom to adapt over time.
Bill Dellara, VP of Product at VOSS Solutions, said: “Organisations want to build best of breed UC solutions from a blend of vendors that fully address their business requirements. This can lead to technology silos and can be costly to manage and operate.
“VOSS introduces automation and zero-touch workflows to abstract that complexity, presenting a single intuitive interface to manage the end-to-end solution, overarching multiple vendors. This central point of control seamlessly integrates with other third-party business systems, giving a much more holistic view of business operations.
“In short, VOSS makes UC management quick and easy, and frees technical staff to work on more challenging tasks.”
Solutions like the VOSS Automate ecosystem are specially designed to support flexible, multi-vendor environments. The all-in-one environment allows users to seamlessly provision across multiple UC platforms while maintaining complete visibility and control. Plus, rich API integration means brands can conveniently add extra functionality to their system according to the changing needs of their employees and customers.
