TMCnet Unified Communications Week in Review

Things were surprisingly calm this week in the usually fast-paced world of unified communications. Still, even a slower week still means there were plenty of noteworthy developments.

First, Mobilis Algeria Telecom this week deployed Acision's (News - Alert) advanced messaging platform with real-time mediation and reporting. Mobilis has more than 11 million subscribers and is always looking to expand that number with premium services, such as Acision's messaging solutions.

Mobilis Algeria officials said they picked Acision's platform, as it offers a superior messaging service with innovative features and extensive personalization. It also features a simplified, centralized management system with integrated reporting and analysis tools.

Next, TMC's Art Rosenberg made the argument this week that UC-enabled unified messaging will have an impact on business voicemail systems. The shortcomings of old voicemail systems, as well of the allure of UC capabilities, were identified as the main incentives to upgrade.

However, the article points out that migrating to new voicemail systems will be difficult. For one thing, the culture of classic voicemail is ingrained. For another, UC-enabled messaging may require changes in how callers are handled and how recipients are notified about incoming calls and messages.

SoftChoice received Master Unified Communication Specialization from Cisco (News - Alert) in both the U.S. and Canada, as well as Master Security Specialization in Canada. The company was awarded these titles for demonstrating its commitment to helping customers use advanced technologies.

"This is a huge accomplishment for Softchoice (News - Alert)," said David MacDonald, president and CEO at Softchoice. "We are very proud to be recognized as part of an elite group of partners worldwide who have achieved this double Master's distinction."

BCS Global also received distinction this week from Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert), receiving the 2012 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Service Provider of the Year. BCS provides managed videoconferencing, telepresence and visual collaboration services.

The company's innovative solutions enable interactive video collaboration, allowing participants to connect seamlessly from any telepresence suite boardroom system, desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet. BCS also offers a scalable application which can cross ISDN, IP, 3G mobile and standard broadband video connectivity.

Lastly, TMC's Jamie Epstein pointed out in an article this week that solutions such as unified communications can be the answer to any failing business. The most crucial advantage of unified communications is obviously the cost savings, as they can maintain current resources more easily.

Some statistics include: 75 percent of time wasted by the average employee can be saved with unified communications, along with half of the time wasted trying to contact customers and colleagues. Furthermore, time wasted by employees trying to get information can be reduced by a quarter.

That wraps up this week in the unified communications sector. Be sure to check out the main channel for more.

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