Unified Communications For Dummies [Paperback]

Tony Bradley (Author), Satish Shah (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470401443 | ISBN-13: 978-0470401446 | Publication Date: January 12, 2010 | Edition: 1

Discover what Unified Communications can do for your business

In our increasingly mobile world, communication must be effective, global, and available through multiple technologies seamlessly. Unified Communications logically blends and combines previously separate services and features, making communication possible by any means, with anyone, using any of your devices.

This complex topic is perfect for a book dedicated to making everything easier! Unified Communications For Dummies introduces you to the many advantages this technology offers your business and shows you how to develop a strategy for bringing it about.

• Unified Communications is a new paradigm for working and communicating efficiently and collaboratively
• This book explains the features available with Unified Communications and how they can create new capabilities to drive customer satisfaction
• Shows how Unified Communications encompasses office and mobile phones, voicemail, instant messaging, fax, Internet phone calls, texting, and even Web conferencing
• Provides a step-by-step approach for creating a Unified Communications strategy
• Offers tips for improving the implementation process
• Shares real-world examples of how Unified Communications is being used today

Unified Communications For Dummies shows you how to meet business needs with this emerging, cutting-edge solution.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Voicemail, e-mail, IM, video conferencing — here's how to get them all working together

Unify your company's communications so your employees, clients, and suppliers can communicate more efficiently to boost your bottom line. This easy-to-understand guide shows you how to develop a strategy for unified communications, make the case for it to your stakeholders, identify the equipment you need, and implement your program.

• Discover the problem — evaluate your current situation and recognize the limitations of unconnected communications

• Learn the parts — get acquainted with the components of a unified communications system

• From voice to VoIP — see how to maximize VoIP for instant communication with multiple contacts

• Start with what you have — discover new ways to use the variety of options you may already have available

• Formulate your plan — develop realistic goals, research resources, and prepare for implementation

• Educate stakeholders — maintain communication about the plan, how to use the system, and the benefits it offers

• Think ahead — anticipate growth and assure that your unified communications program keeps pace

• Be compliant — know compliance requirements and security protocols

Open the book and find:

• How to assess your existing communications

• Ten unified communications solutions to investigate

• The benefits of UC to your business

• How to make the case for your plan

• Tools you'll need

• Troubleshooting advice

• How to compare various technologies

• Resources for learning more

About the Author

Tony Bradley is Founder and President of S3KUR3, Inc. — a provider of information security and unified communications consulting and training. Satish Shah is a global speaker, author, trainer, and consultant on UC. He is Founder and CEO of UC Trainers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (January 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470401443
• ISBN-13: 978-0470401446
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #652,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Skeptical, January 27, 2011

By 

patrick2525 "patrick2525" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unified Communications For Dummies (Paperback)

I may be very skeptical and suspicious, but these 5-star reviews for this UC for Dummies book seem to be too professional - more like something the authors' colleages, editors and buddies would write as opposed to the typical person that reads these 'For Dummies' books.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars too superficial, October 22, 2010

By 

michael - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unified Communications For Dummies (Paperback)

When I bought this book I thought I will get a good overview on UC. However, I was deeply disappointed. The book is written for very non-technical people (i.e. for the kind of people who don't even know what instant messaging is!). The book lacks any technical information. So if you are not a technical person whatsoever, this book might be for you. Also, the author is very repetitive (i.e. keeps on repeating the same information but written slightly differently). I would have written the book in 100 pages at most and not 300 pages. One last thing, the book is very Microsoft biased, but this is for obvious reasons when you know the authors' background.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of Unified Communications - Must read for all businesses, February 13, 2010

By 

Nari Narayanan "Nari" (PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unified Communications For Dummies (Paperback)

This book provides an excellent introduction and broad coverage of the emerging topic of Unified Communications (UC) becoming vital for businesses to improve personal and team productivity and reduce operating costs. While following the "For Dummies" style of simplifying complex topics for the lay reader, this book provides valuable information for technical and IT experts as well. Apart from the excellent introduction section, this book has two major section one on Planning (Applying) UC and the next one on Implementating UC. The Applying UC section provides good information on planning UC and dissects the anatomy of each of the components of UC and how they are all integrated together to provide a single solution. The Implementation section combines very practical tips and excellent technical information using examples on successful deplyment of the solution. This section also covers the important security, compliance, management and customization aspects of UC that should not be ignored by any business. The last section wraps up the book listing some of the advantages, tools and events realted to UC where the reader can get additional information. I thought one area that could have been expanded further in this book is how the reader can sell UC to the decision makers in the business and justify the cost using some ROI examples.

Overall, I would like to compliment the authors on providing the readers an excellent insight into the complex topic of Unified Communications and how to approach the adoption into their businesses.