Unified Communications (UC) is a convergence of many different business communication services and technologies. The primary business components are email and voice telephony, based on voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services. Instant messaging (IM) tools make up another component. Conferencing services with streaming audio and video is a component increasingly gaining in importance. Fax, voice communications, short text service (SMS) and presence also play key roles. Other systems, like call control systems, contact centers and speech recognition-based voice response systems, are also available for better management and customer service.

UC integrates business resources into an easy-to-use arsenal that enables staff to communicate more efficiently. This helps reduce human delays by providing quicker response to customers, business partners and other employees. 

Many UC solutions integrate with applications you already use every day, like Microsoft® Office, including Microsoft® Word and Microsoft Outlook®.

Gartner’s 2009 Q3 research of popular Unified Communications solutions rates Microsoft® exceptionally high, both in terms of execution capabilities and strategic vision. Microsoft®’s flagman communications product – Microsoft® Unified Communications – has been deployed to an increasing number of sites and users, particularly gaining in the unified messaging sector and building on the strength of the whole family of Microsoft products.