Collaboration in the context of IT Architecture and Business Requirements
In the context of the complete IT enterprise architecture of a company, we holistically and manufacturer-independently focus on Collaboration in the sense of:
- Messaging: team collaboration, chat, presence,…
- Meeting: video conferencing systems, boards and peripherals
- Calling: voice and video telephony including complex peripherals and applications such as contact centre, recording, etc. integrated into calendar/mail platforms and enterprise content management.
In doing so, we work with all manufacturers relevant for professional corporate communication, such as Cisco, Microsoft, Zoom and Google, and at the same time evaluate other competitors on the market.
Sensible planning of collaboration architecture, workplace and workspace transformation can only take place if the initial situation and technologies are understood. The greatest complexity and cost factor in collaboration transformation projects lies within the calling environment. It is not sufficient to have expert knowledge of only one manufacturer. And it is precisely here that the difference counts: Transformation, migration and adoption can only be implemented smoothly by extremely experienced, pure messaging-meeting-calling specialists with multi-vendor expertise. The more heterogeneous and complex the initial situation, the more important is a perfect coexistence and migration concept.
Maximum experience, solid engineering know-how and knowledge of the necessary end user changes enable the following implementation:
- the optimal chronology of coexistence with interoperability where available,
- integration where useful,
- migration where possible, and
- special developments where necessary.
Messaging and Team Collaboration
Agile collaboration with internal and external team members. Messaging applications that are deeply integrated into processes form the basis of the modern collaboration workplace. This includes, for example, enterprise content management systems for simultaneous work on documents.
We not only work intensively with the integration of applications, but especially with possible extensions through bots and artificial intelligence.
Webex
Microsoft Teams
Zoom
You can only create solutions of the future if you have understood the past.
Transformations are changes, evolutions and revolutions of technology. We have been transforming information technology and telecommunications since 1987.
Webex
Microsoft Teams
Zoom
Meeting
Virtual and hybrid meetings are an inevitable part of modern corporate communication – and not just since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
This includes the integration of the ideal video conferencing environment into the company’s entire communication and processes: from desktop video systems to room systems to electronic whiteboards.
Multi-vendor interoperability:
Video systems should be able to participate in meetings of all relevant on-premises and cloud collaboration platforms and not be limited to one vendor.
We analyse interoperability early on in our own R&D labs and do not rely on vendor brochures. We look at platforms such as Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and all relevant manufacturers of video room systems.
If necessary, we develop solutions to enable exactly this interoperabilty and to increase efficiency with any chosen systems. In some cases, we also do this in cooperation with manufacturers.
Nowadays, innovative meeting and meeting room concepts include more than just video conferencing. Integrated booking systems, digital signage, room control, room analytics and professional applications of artificial intelligence such as extensible speech recognition/voice assistance, facial recognition, etc. are part of cognitive collaboration concepts.
Case Study – Strategy consulting and Return of Invest
Workplaces: 80.000
Transformation timeframe: 7 years
Strategy consulting over a 6 months period including Collaboration Architecture Blueprint, Transformation planning and architecture correlated Business Case, as well as Total Cost of Ownership calculation.
Potential savings between the worst and best transformation path over the period of transformation.
Factor of return on investment on costs associated with our consulting services.
Calling is the most underestimated, but one of the most complex areas of corporate IT.
Calling
When it comes to consulting and professional services around Calling, you can easily separate the wheat from the chaff. We have experience from hundreds of calling projects around IP telephony, All-IP, Unified Communications and Collaboration covering all relevant traditional manufacturers such as Siemens/Unify, Alcatel, Avaya, Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Webex Calling, Microsoft Teams Calling and Zoom Telephony.
In more than 10 global projects with focus on telephony, we have not only provided strategic consulting but also supported the implementation for over 100.000 workstations each. We have so far advised and transformed more than 5 million workplaces.
The greatest complexity and considerable cost factors during a collaboration transformation are often found in the calling environment.
It is essential to fully understand the As-Is-state and the manufacturer(s) in place. It is not enough to know the manufacturers used in the target solution.
Smooth transformation of, migration to and adoption of a modern target platform (hybrid or cloud) is only possible involving specialists that are extremely experienced and have pure messaging/meeting/calling multi-vendor expertise.
Webex
Microsoft Teams
Zoom