Unified communications

Unified communications (UC) is an umbrella term for the integration of multiple enterprise communication tools -- such as voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging (IM), presence, content sharing, etc. See complete definition.

News 28 Jun 2023
Zoom brings together in-office, remote employees with Intelligent Director

Collaboration provider expands portfolio and capability with launch of Intelligent Director, which uses AI and multiple cameras to provide optimal images and angles of participants in conference room Continue Reading
Feature 26 Jun 2023
Networking a reconfigured workspace

We find out how one company has optimised its network to support a post-pandemic work environment Continue Reading

News 21 Jun 2023

Avaya expands Google, Alcatel-Lucent alliances to boost customer experiences

Collaboration with leading cloud platform designed to deliver enhanced contact centre solutions as improved Experience Platform enables users to integrate digital capabilities to redefine agent operations Continue Reading
News 20 Jun 2023

Avaya deals Aces to boost customer experiences

Communications and collaboration tech provider unveils what it calls reimagined professional services, prioritising AI, cloud and digital transformation through its core customer experience services platform Continue Reading
E-Zine 20 Jun 2023

How to keep network costs affordable

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as demands for networking performance and speed increase, we examine how to keep a handle on costs. Chip makers are investing in PLC technology – the next generation of flash storage – but some think it won’t be worth the effort; we investigate. And we listen in as tech industry leaders and politicians discuss the regulation of AI. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 19 Jun 2023

Avaya assures future-proof global communications with Enterprise Cloud

Comms tech provider kicks off user group conference proclaiming company is back, and unveils tech for firms to pursue hybrid cloud models by hosting parts of comms infrastructure in dedicated cloud instance Continue Reading
Feature 19 Jun 2023

Optimising net gains: Building efficient and effective network coverage

We look at how companies can gain efficient and effective network coverage around the world without it costing the earth Continue Reading
News 15 Jun 2023

Qualcomm unveils video collaboration platform suite

Mobile technology giant unveils suite of artificial intelligence-based platforms focused on collaboration devices to accelerate design and deployment of variety video-conferencing product Continue Reading
News 15 Jun 2023

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030: Progress report

Halfway into its plan to give the country a makeover by 2030, Saudi Arabia’s emphasis on technology is starting to pay off Continue Reading
News 07 Jun 2023

Welsh ambulance service upgrades life-saving communications

Welsh ambulances going through major communications upgrade as part of wider NHS programme Continue Reading
News 26 May 2023

Zoom kicks off year with solid revenue growth

Zoom posts results for first quarter of 2024 fiscal year, showing impressive increases in enterprise revenues and growth in number of customers Continue Reading
News 22 May 2023

Telstra makes 400Gbps services available through key Australian city routes

Wholesale division of Australia-based global telco offers customers ability to use 400Gbps wavelength services after enhancements made to advanced, high-bandwidth optical infrastructure based on optical technology Continue Reading
News 18 May 2023

PTC stitches the digital thread for tomorrow’s Industry 4.0 digital transformation

With the software-as-a-service genie well and truly out of the bottle, leading engineering design and manufacturing company outlines roadmap for next generation of digital transformation providing a more agile and collaborative environment of creativity Continue Reading
News 11 May 2023

Webex and Google drive improved collaboration capabilities

Collaboration arm of networking giant reveals enhanced relationship with IT behemoth centred on creating faster synergy offering seamless way to connect through meetings and messaging and to improve automotive meeting experiences Continue Reading
News 09 May 2023

IT Priorities 2023: Collaboration technologies to benefit from future of work investment drive

Research finds that as businesses settle into hybrid work, UCaaS and other collaboration technologies are regarded by IT professionals as crucial tool for driving employee productivity and workflow optimisation Continue Reading
News 05 May 2023

Welsh Water turns on CPaaS tap for enhanced customer experiences

Not-for-profit water company deploys CPaaS-based video comms services to optimise operations, budget control and solve customer issues more quickly Continue Reading
News 20 Apr 2023

3CX incident may be world’s first double supply chain attack

It’s supply chain attacks all the way down as Mandiant publishes information suggesting that the 3CX software supply chain compromise was initiated via a prior software supply chain compromise Continue Reading
News 20 Apr 2023

Huawei: rethinking approaches to networks and computing is critical

Comms tech giant Huawei kicks off 20th Global Analyst Summit affirming commitment to connectivity, computing, storage and cloud and how strategic objectives of industry should drive digital transformation Continue Reading
News 17 Apr 2023

Zoom looks to bolster employee experience with Workvivo acquisition

Latest part of continued expansion of communication and engagement platform sees acquisition of employee experience company to offer hybrid workers new ways to stay connected Continue Reading
News 13 Apr 2023

Webex brings cloud collaboration to US security and defence

Leading collaboration technology provider announces air-gapped trusted cloud for defence industry use case allowing teams to work together through modern meeting, chat and calling experiences on Webex app Continue Reading
News 12 Apr 2023

Stemmer Distribution optimises communications infrastructure

Largest distributor of dental products in France standardises communications through UCaaS to help meet all its needs of reachability and mobility, while rationalising costs for the present and future Continue Reading
News 11 Apr 2023

Ericsson: flexibility the new work-life currency

Study from Ericsson’s Consumer & IndustryLab reveals how employees and employers navigate the current work environment and their views on the future of work shaped by the pandemic, digitisation and the fluctuating labour market Continue Reading
News 05 Apr 2023

Disconnect emerges between UK management and employees on hybrid work

Study from leading business software company finds that while overwhelming majority of IT leaders say they are investing in improving the hybrid experience for their organisation, only half of workers think it’s enough and feel their productivity has suffered Continue Reading
News 30 Mar 2023

HP looks to lead with hybrid work collaboration and productivity portfolio

Tech giant bids to address growing issue in world of hybrid work where many workers are reluctant to return to the office because of sub-optimal technology Continue Reading
News 30 Mar 2023

3CX unified comms users hit by supply chain attacks

Ongoing supply chain attacks against customers of UC firm 3CX appear to be linked to North Korean threat actors Continue Reading
News 28 Mar 2023

Cisco enhances hybrid work with AI Webex innovations

Comms tech giant makes AI-powered enhancements to collaboration offering, encompassing devices and customer experience to deliver more personalised and inclusive experiences with camera intelligence Continue Reading
News 28 Mar 2023

Zoom announces AI-based collaboration smart companion

Conferencing and communications company uses OpenAI technologies to offer what it claims will be a unique federated approach to artificial intelligence based on flexibility Continue Reading
News 27 Mar 2023

Tata unveils integrated, simplified cloud-based calling service for global enterprises

Global digital ecosystem enabler launches cloud-based application with an integrated and simplified voice-calling offering to enhance employee experience and productivity with accessible collaboration features Continue Reading
News 23 Mar 2023

UK remote workers held back by poor tech, limited digital skills

Despite rapid adoption of hybrid working since Covid, research from Virgin Media O2 Business reveals organisations facing technical and personnel-related limitations in making third workspace pay off Continue Reading
News 22 Mar 2023

Anheuser-Busch InBev brews digital infrastructure with Orange

Global brewing giant partners with business services division of global telco company to help with digital transformation Continue Reading
News 20 Mar 2023

Zoom strikes unified communications home run in MLB partnership

Conferencing and communications company claims first-of-its-kind partnership with major US sports league to enhance MLB games and the fan viewership experience based on contact centre and core platform Continue Reading
News 13 Mar 2023

8x8 aims to transform XCaaS customer engagement with AI

Cloud comms platform provider claims revolutionary AI-driven enhancements to core XCaaS platform, including a platform-wide integration with OpenAI Continue Reading
News 09 Mar 2023

Millions in the Arab world use VPNs to overcome restrictions and bandwidth throttling

Citizens in the Arab world are using VPNs to help them bypass internet restrictions and increase available bandwidth Continue Reading
News 28 Feb 2023

MWC 2023: ICT infrastructure investment to drive Industry 4.0

Study reveals how digital economy will account for more than half of global GDP by end of 2023 and how growth of 5G and intergenerational evolution of connectivity technology will increase global economic benefits by approximately 15% Continue Reading
Podcast 23 Feb 2023

Video messaging: A Computer Weekly Downtime upload podcast

We speak to Vimeo’s chief product officer about asynchronous video comms Continue Reading
News 22 Feb 2023

Executive interview: Will video kill the streaming star?

While we are used to live streaming, video messages seem cheesy – but Vimeo’s chief product officer believes they will revolutionise communications Continue Reading
News 21 Feb 2023

Gap grows between users and providers in digital service delivery

Global survey of 10,000 consumers finds demand for self-service channels is twice as high as current usage, and reveals a large gap between providers’ reported rates of digitisation and consumer behaviour Continue Reading
News 16 Feb 2023

Cost-of-living crisis hampers UK remote work

Expected productivity gains from UK’s third workplace at risk as workers feel the chill from environments not permitting hybrid working Continue Reading
News 02 Feb 2023

Symbio acquires Intrado Australia’s UCaaS business

The all-cash A$5m deal will expand Symbio’s footprint in the UCaaS market and deepen its reach into enterprises and government entities Continue Reading
News 27 Jan 2023

UK local authorities reveal connectivity priorities, challenges

Study examining topics ranging from gigabit-capable broadband to 5G, smart places, telecoms and net-zero finds progress being made in UK local government, but challenges remain in the drive to improve digital connectivity Continue Reading
News 17 Jan 2023

UK businesses urged to move away from ISDN in 2023

Research warns that as analogue switch-off approaches, only 15% of SMEs and 20% of large businesses have plans in place to migrate to an alternative technology Continue Reading
Feature 04 Jan 2023

Building culture within collaboration to make hybrid work pay

As hybrid working evolves, some firms are struggling to support non-office-based workers and management is unclear of its new responsibilities. What is being done to address this evolution? Continue Reading
News 03 Jan 2023

Cutting-edge contact centre means experience is everything for Bayview

Offering a variety of support, back-office and IT services to companies and customers around the world would present a variety of challenges to any firm. To ensure it could offer acceptable experiences for customers and employees at every touchpoint, IT-enabled BPO Bayview Technologies saw the solution as Avaya OneCloud CCaaS Continue Reading
News 03 Jan 2023

Remote workers shun return to work

Study from UK gigabit broadband service provider reveals that despite received wisdom of home workers wanting to make at least partial return to pre-Covid working practices, stark contrast exists between employers and employees in their desire for staff to hit the office once more Continue Reading
News 15 Dec 2022

BT boosts network monitoring to improve customer experience

Comms tech provider’s analytics software selected by leading UK network provider in five-year deal to improve operators’ fixed access customer experience Continue Reading
News 14 Dec 2022

Almost two-thirds of businesses fear IT estate incapable of supporting hybrid workforce

Research from managed workplace services provider finds current IT setup is preventing effective collaboration, putting remote workers at a disadvantage and driving up cyber risks Continue Reading
Opinion 12 Dec 2022

Hybrid work: How cloud PCs can drive collaboration

Organisations around the globe are grappling with remote working and are looking at various technologies to support flexible working practices Continue Reading
News 02 Dec 2022

Communications runs in his blood

Symbio Connect CEO Giorgio Mihaila has spent more than two decades in a career dotted with roles at major communications technology providers Continue Reading
News 01 Dec 2022

Expectation gap appears between users and managers with hybrid working IT

Research from Canon Europe finds that while more than three-quarters of IT decision-makers believe their company provides the right technology to enable people to do their jobs regardless of location, a fifth are providing their own IT equipment and struggling to get remote IT support Continue Reading
News 30 Nov 2022

SMEs put faith in communications technology

Study from orchestration and digital platform provider shows a ‘new’ kind of small and medium-sized enterprise market, with companies already adopting connectivity technology for business resilience Continue Reading
News 25 Nov 2022

CityFibre identifies massive economic gains for Cheltenham, Portsmouth areas through full fibre

Leading independent gigabit broadband provider reveals positive economic and productivity impacts in Gloucestershire and south-coast cities where it has introduced full fibre, running to £145m and £335m respectively Continue Reading
News 24 Nov 2022

Profits fall but Zoom maintains revenue momentum in Q3

Breakout collaboration service maintains momentum for rising revenues in third fiscal quarter of 2022 with significant rise in number of customers contributing more than $100,000 Continue Reading
News 09 Nov 2022

Qualcomm, Renault go up a gear in electric vehicle partnership

Leading car manufacturer and mobile technologies firm announce plan to enter a strategic long-term cooperation, encompassing co-development of high-performance computing platforms based on Snapdragon Digital Chassis Solutions for next generation of software-defined vehicles Continue Reading
News 01 Nov 2022

UK hybrid workers feel the strain

Survey reveals that UK homeworkers suffer most in Europe from a poor working experience, in turn leading to knock-on negative effect in customer experience due to lack of space Continue Reading
News 28 Oct 2022

Webex looks to enhance customer experiences for digital era

Leading collaboration technology provider reveals what it claims is a unique functionality that can deliver a fully integrated UCaaS, CCaaS and CPaaS portfolio to improve customer experience Continue Reading
News 27 Oct 2022

Webex claims ‘breakthrough’ advances for hybrid work with innovations, partnerships

Collaboration tech provider announces major updates to the Webex Suite with new collaboration device and new partnerships to expand its footprint Continue Reading
News 21 Oct 2022

Execs feel leadership strain in the new normal of work

Research finds flexible work policies as the leading factor that has improved company culture over the last two years, but burnout is on the rise globally and executive experience scores for overall satisfaction at work have dropped markedly Continue Reading
News 21 Oct 2022

Orange reveals digital future with 5G innovations

Operator unveils latest in next-generation infrastructure applications and technologies, including what is said to be a first in Europe – a reflective surface intended to improve network speeds and coverage inside buildings Continue Reading
Podcast 19 Oct 2022

Work in the metaverse: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this special edition of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, we speak to Wipro CTO Subha Tatavarti about the business metaverse Continue Reading
News 14 Oct 2022

Gitex 2022: Florius takes AI-powered CCaaS speech analytics to transform customer experience

Changed workloads during the pandemic have driven Netherlands-based mortgage lender to use AI and CCaaS technology Continue Reading
E-Zine 13 Oct 2022

CW Middle East: Qatar strengthens cyber defences ahead of FIFA World Cup

Being the first Arab country to host the World Cup is pressure enough on Qatar, but there is also a massive cyber security challenge associated with any event of this magnitude. Read about its preparations. Also in this issue, find out about the unique challenges of hiring IT professionals in Saudi Arabia. Continue Reading
News 12 Oct 2022

UK Atomic Energy Authority makes call on new UC telephony

National nuclear-based research facility replaces inflexible cloud-based system to add agility to enable staff to collaborate more effectively in a hybrid working approach Continue Reading
News 12 Oct 2022

Meta presents vision for business metaverse

How can hybrid teams collaborate seamlessly? Meta believes virtual reality tied to business applications is the way forward Continue Reading
News 11 Oct 2022

Gitex 2022: Avaya aims for innovation without disruption as it reveals cloud comms partners

Global communications and collaboration firm showcases business outcomes at leading expo and announces new strategic partnership with conversational AI provider and cloud telecoms and technology solutions company Continue Reading
Feature 05 Oct 2022

Hybrid working: Preventing damage to company culture

The hybrid working model is still a work in progress, and most employers are at an early stage in learning and finding their way towards achieving its benefits Continue Reading
News 04 Oct 2022

Harrison Drury elevates its employee, customer experience with Avaya OneCloud UCaaS

Solicitor’s transition to cloud-based unified communications-as-a-service platform modernises communications and sets up platform to support business’s strategy of providing a hybrid workplace Continue Reading
News 03 Oct 2022

Three-quarters of business professionals want to embrace the metaverse

Study from networking systems, services and software company reveals business professionals’ interest in metaverse pointing to utilising more immersive and connected digital applications in the workplace Continue Reading
News 29 Sep 2022

BSH Home Appliances takes on Twilio to revamp digital customer engagement

Customer engagement platform partners with Deloitte Consulting to support plan by home appliances firm to revamp its entire digital infrastructure within customer service organisation Continue Reading
News 22 Sep 2022

Ofcom turns its attention to the hyperscalers

The regulator sees its role expanding into emerging areas of communications technologies and public cloud services Continue Reading
News 21 Sep 2022

Mobile operators work on holographic calling pilot

Thanks to 5G, it may soon be possible add a third dimension to video calls using ‘realistic’ holograms Continue Reading
News 01 Sep 2022

Oracle Red Bull Racing gets into gear with Zoom to power team unified communications

Collaboration technology provider’s Chat, Events and Meetings products taken up by championship-leading Formula 1 team to enhance key communications and hybrid experiences on and off the track Continue Reading
News 01 Sep 2022

Swedish Electronics Protection Act coincides with major cyber spend

Swedish cyber security law comes at a time of heavy government investment Continue Reading
News 23 Aug 2022

Continued major customer rise fuels strong second quarter for Zoom

Post-Covid boom may have subsided, but conferencing and comms company keeps on track with increased total revenues in second fiscal quarter, when its product diversification strategy focused on delivering better intelligence Continue Reading
News 18 Aug 2022

Jabra, Lenovo expand collaboration to claim first full Microsoft Teams rooms system

Purpose-built, modular room kit provides enhanced business productivity and collaboration capabilities for companies looking to upgrade their meeting room technology for the hybrid working world Continue Reading
News 12 Aug 2022

SMEs overwhelmed by distraction of comms technology, networking platforms

Study from collaboration workspace and targeted networking platform provider reveals small and medium-sized enterprises are becoming overwhelmed by the noise and distraction of social media channels Continue Reading
News 09 Aug 2022

Tata teams with Genesys to boost enterprise engagement with enhanced InstaCC Platform

Global digital ecosystem enabler partners with cloud-based customer experience orchestration to further transform customer engagement across platforms ranging from social to mobile Continue Reading
News 04 Aug 2022

Work-from-home slows in US but remains important part of hybrid workplace

Deloitte survey shows the ways in which people are using connected devices and technology to improve and enhance their lives, in particular dealing with the balance of hybrid work Continue Reading
News 28 Jul 2022

Digital HQs fundamental to making hybrid work successful, say UK workers

Business messaging app provider finds cost-of-living crisis is eased by hybrid work, but 66% of employees would look for a new job immediately or within three months if hybrid or remote working was not an option Continue Reading
Feature 18 Jul 2022

Holding the line in the world of hybrid work

The role of line managers is evolving and changing as the shift towards hybrid working increases, and it would appear the secret to success in a hybrid context is to treat all staff members as if they were working remotely, even if they are based in the office Continue Reading
News 15 Jul 2022

Cloud comms provider 8x8 claims visual, ‘effortless’ customer experience through CPaaS

Integrated cloud communications platform provider announces availability of communications management service in bid to allow array of user roles in organisations Continue Reading
News 13 Jul 2022

Freight forwarding and logistics firm gains extra mileage through CallSwitch UCaaS

International logistics firm achieves improved business efficiency by replacing legacy VoIP system with hosted telephony solution supporting unified collaboration and communications platform Continue Reading
News 12 Jul 2022

UK homeworking more than doubles since 2019

Office for National Statistics roundup of the latest data and analysis on the UK economy, business and jobs finds the number of people working from home in the UK increased by 108.8% between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022 Continue Reading
News 28 Jun 2022

Organisations struggling to support remote and hybrid employees

Digital workplace productivity report reveals limited workplace technology availability sees average worker operating at 60% capacity Continue Reading
News 22 Jun 2022

Packaging, translation to the fore in Zoom platform evolution

Collaboration and conferencing company brings together options for persistent chat, phone, meetings, whiteboard and other features into a single, scalable package Continue Reading
News 17 Jun 2022

Organisations struggle to support IT in a hybrid work model

Study from digital employee experience tech firm finds 95% of professionals face disruptive IT issues that hinder productivity, with particular problems regarding remote workers Continue Reading
09 Jun 2022

Next generation of collaboration and communication services

Continue Reading
Feature 07 Jun 2022

A new design for the new world of work

Widespread forecasts at the height of the pandemic about the death of the office have largely failed to come to pass, but its role is definitely changing as part of a wider, but as yet still mainly experimental, shift to hybrid working Continue Reading
News 01 Jun 2022

Executive interview: Jeetu Patel, general manager of collaboration and security, Cisco

Anyone with an idea can help solve a problem if geography and distance don’t matter when bringing in talent, says Cisco’s collaboration and security chief Continue Reading
Feature 01 Jun 2022

The state of Australia’s national broadband network

Australia’s national broadband network promises to improve broadband connectivity across the country but has been plagued by pricing issues. Here’s a look at where it is today and what lies ahead Continue Reading
News 30 May 2022

Swim England takes the plunge with CaaS to reap remote work benefits

England’s national body for swimming deploys communications-as-a-service platform to support remote work for employees and sees benefits such as 35% reduction in monthly platform costs Continue Reading
Tip 25 May 2022

Hybrid meeting technology helps AV teams address equity

AV teams are challenged in providing remote and in-room meeting attendees the same experience. Hybrid meeting technology for speaker framing is the first step to meeting equity. Continue Reading
Blog Post 25 May 2022

Proof is in the pasty

With the opening of the new Elizabeth Line there was always going to be questions about value for money. At a cost of £25bn, will it deliver value, 13 years after the project to build it began? The ... Continue Reading
News 25 May 2022

Zoom boom continues as it delivers billion-dollar first quarter

Despite partial return to work and adoption of hybrid rather than permanent home working, collaboration technology provider sees first-quarter total revenue up 12% year on year and +$100,000 customers rise by 46% Continue Reading
News 23 May 2022

Reimagining the cities of the future in Finland

New ideas around new space: Helsinki not only imagines, but can see, the cities of the future Continue Reading
News 19 May 2022

Marsden building society deploys UCaaS to enhance employee, customer experiences

Regional financial services leader chooses unified communications as a service offering for more agile, flexible and scalable communication to support both immediate needs and long-term growth Continue Reading
News 16 May 2022

Zoom furthers contact centre expansion with Solvvy acquisition

In the next step of progression from being the pandemic’s breakout collaboration services leader, Zoom makes strategic buy to add advanced conversational AI and automation capabilities Continue Reading
News 16 May 2022

Cisco enhances Webex for hybrid with ChomeOS, wellbeing support

Network and collaboration technology provider enters into partnership with IT giant to build the Webex Meetings PWA for all Chrome OS devices, and introduces collaboration services that support wellbeing Continue Reading
Feature 16 May 2022

Evolution of unified comms services

Post-pandemic ways of working are forcing organisations to rethink their comms – we look at the growth in cloud-based services to support hybrid working Continue Reading
News 10 May 2022

Avaya extends CCaaS reach on Microsoft Azure

Avaya and Microsoft expand partnership by pairing CCaaS with Azure to provide more options to increase productivity and customer engagement by accelerating digital transformation initiatives in the cloud Continue Reading
Feature 09 May 2022

CPaaS – a technology for the future

There is a received wisdom that as businesses flock towards the cloud, they are looking for a single platform on which to manage all their communication needs, leading to boom times ahead for communications platform as a service Continue Reading
03 May 2022

Next generation of collaboration and communication services

Future comms systems may look and feel rather different from what exists today – we look at the journey for communications services Continue Reading
E-Zine 03 May 2022

A prescription for digital accessibility at Boots

In this week’s Computer Weekly, millions of people have difficulties when using websites – we find out how Boots is making its e-commerce offering fully accessible. Our new buyer’s guide examines communications as a service. And we talk to Trainline’s CTO about how the rail app provider survived and thrived post-pandemic. Read the issue now. Continue Reading