unified communications - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Mosman Council dumps ageing telephony, moves to VoIP

  The high cost of Telstra tie lines, coupled with an ageing telephony system, has resulted in Mosman Council switching to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

• Apple iOS, Google Android apps tweaked for on-demand, video-like content

  Brainshark has unveiled features for its video presentation service to create a more interactive experience for smartphone users.

• A look at the skills telecom, IT departments need when transitioning to SIP trunking

  Workers in telecom departments may be understandably apprehensive about switching from TDM to SIP, since it could conceivably put them out of work.

• Microsoft denies intentionally shutting off Hotmail encryption in Arab countries

  Microsoft says it did not "intentionally limit" access to Hotmail's HTTPS encryption service in foreign countries where freedom of expression is under attack.

• Mobile broadband the only way forward: Budde

  Wi-Fi technology will overtake traditional mobile networks due to its low cost and ease of integration associated with mobile applications, according to leading Australian telecommunications analyst, Paul Budde.

• Startup moves Exchange mailboxes to Google or Microsoft cloud

  A startup founded by a former Citrix executive is aiming to help customers move Microsoft Exchange mailboxes to either Google Apps or Microsoft's own cloud.

• Lots of "people" you interact with online are sockpuppets

  "I hear his name bandied about a lot, but I don't know him. I don't know who Henson is. He seems to have his hand in a lot of things around here, but I don't particularly know what that means."

• Polycom gets instant Microsoft integration with Accordent buy

  Polycom said it bought video management firm Accordent Technologies for $50 million in cash,

• Google Voice coming to all Sprint phones

  Sprint is integrating the Google Voice application into all of its phones, giving users a new way to make cheap international calls.

• How to transform the business using mobile UC

  The appeal of unified communications (UC) has been the convergence of all business communication applications across the range of enterprise interfaces, including the PC, telephone, Web, and mobile. However, a recent Forrester survey revealed that whilst European and North American enterprise telecom and technology decision-makers are interested in deploying business telephone features on employees' mobile devices -— with more than half (52 per cent) of decision-makers rating this as an important or very important capability, mobile UC adoption remains embryonic.

• Western Power completes second stage of UC project

  Western Power has completed the deployment of a scalable Telecommunications Network Management System (TNMS) to support the increasing growth and complexity of its network.

• Trucking firm brings on unified communications to save money, boost productivity

  Interstate trucking company Boyd Bros. Transportation was losing experienced freight agents because it couldn't support home workers, but replacing the firm's 20-year-old phone system brought unified communications features that let it hang on to these veteran employees and save money at the same time.

• Three interesting Twitter tools

  OK, so let's say you're interested in social trends. A great place to look at what's hot is Twitter and, yep, there's a service that will graph the popularity of any keyword on Twitter: It's called Trendistic.

• Botnets, cloud computing power may be fueling attacks against VoIP

  A spike in attacks against IP PBXs that started last fall shows no signs of abating, spawning speculation that those responsible have tapped intobotnets and cloud computing resources to carry out their illegal activities.

• Cisco to stay out of the services business

  Cisco Systems plans to collaborate rather than compete with IT services providers as it targets new market opportunities such as virtual education and health for communities, a senior company executive said on Wednesday.