In the grand scheme of things, the world of unified communications is still in its infancy. As such, every day seems to bring a new development, a fresh quirk that changes the shape of work. Relying on ever-changing technology on a daily basis can be disorienting, and sometimes we forget to press pause and take stock of where we are, how we got there and where we are going.  We must see the present clearly in order to step into the future with confidence. So let’s try to wrap our heads around where we stand in relation to unified communications in the middle of 2019.

Poly has just unveiled a new addition to its versatile Trio series, and this time they are taking aim at huddle rooms with a smart audio conferencing solution designed for small groups. The Poly Trio 8300, which was preceded by the 8500 and 8800 models, comes loaded with the features that make Poly’s solutions for medium and large rooms so essential, but it has been scaled down for use in tighter spaces.

A recent report issued by Research and Markets estimated that a mere 2% of the 32.4 million huddle rooms around the world are currently video-enabled. The math is clear: many companies are aware of this collaboration trend, and have even put some effort into adopting a huddle room strategy, but something has kept them from fully committing.

No matter what business you happen to be in, confidentiality should be a top priority. You don’t have to be working in government secrets to be wary of data breaches and accidental leaks. With the rise of cloud-based computing, people are more concerned than ever about how information travels and where it ends up. With that in mind, we have a few security tips for keeping your video communications safe and secure.

Are you dissatisfied with your company’s open office? If so, you are not alone. In a 2017 study conducted by Gartner, 25% of employees assigned to open office work spaces reported being less than satisfied with their arrangement. Meanwhile, only 9% of employees with private offices said they weren’t satisfied with their work spaces.

Lifesize, which has been innovating video conferencing and collaboration solutions since 2003, recently released its 2019 Impact of Video Conferencing Report. If stats and figures aren’t your thing, here’s the short version of the report's findings: video conferencing continues to grow in popularity, with more and more companies turning to solutions that cut down on travel time, foster collaborative workplace cultures and appeal to a new generation of young workers.

With the rise of cloud-based conferencing and collaboration solutions like Prime Call Cloud UC, offering telecommuting options to your employees is easier than ever. With nothing more than a computer and a camera, your employees can connect to their colleagues and clients anytime, from anywhere. No longer constrained by the cost of hardware investments and IT maintenance, you really have nothing standing between you and an expanded remote workforce.

Huddle rooms represent an opportunity to respond to the needs of a more diffuse and mobile workforce. You might not want to bother with this buzzword, but your employees probably do. So let’s look at why and how you should get on board.

Companies that fail to recruit and retain top talent are not long for this world.  However, as time goes by and the landscape of the workplace changes, employees’ needs and desires shift. What might have compelled a new employee to sign a contract ten years ago might not cut it these days. The young people entering the workforce now, i.e. the future of your business and of the world in general, have different priorities than the generations preceding them. If you don’t take these priorities seriously and do everything you can to honor them, it won’t be long before your competitors pull ahead.

Last year, Cisco conducted a survey of over 1,000 “IT decision makers” from seven countries in order to assess interest in and plans for cloud UC strategies. The survey found that 74% of these decision makers planned to choose a cloud provider in the next 24 months. Clearly, cloud-based UC is the future of business communication. The only question is how to go about transforming your conferencing and collaboration environment without needlessly disrupting workflow. We have a few answers to that question.

It goes without saying that video conferencing is an important and ever more essential part of business communications. Video conferencing solutions are simpler and more accessible than ever, in quite a few ways, but there are also so many more options and add-ons. Here are a few key things to look for when you’re shopping for a video conferencing solution.

Here's the thing about video conferencing in 2019: everybody is already doing it all the time, and most people have been doing it for years. Consumer apps like FaceTime and Skype and WhatsApp (to name but a few) have turned our phones into video conference devices. With that familiarity comes certain expectations: that video conferencing should never be more than a single click away, and that any device will do when one needs to join a meeting.

Okay, that title is a wee bit misleading, because you don’t necessarily have to choose between huddle rooms and conference rooms. But you will have to make some decisions about what kinds of rooms (and, in turn, what kinds of video solutions) to prioritize. Here are some things to consider.

Cisco’s WebEx Teams collaboration platform, which was released last year after absorbing the much-loved Cisco Spark, is an all-in-one conferencing and collaboration solution that brings together messaging, video meetings, white boarding and audio conferencing in one easy-to-use package. Designed with flexibility and accessibility in mind, WebEx Teams keeps co-workers on the same page no matter where they are or what device they are using. With this commitment to seamless workflow in mind, Cisco recently added a number of useful features to an already dynamic collaboration solution. Let’s take a look at a few of the latest additions.

Manufacturers of video conferencing and collaboration solutions have creating more flexible, interoperable  solutions with huddle rooms and remote workers in mind, but traditional conference rooms are not a thing of the past. They are coming along for our ride into the future, and Poly is making sure they are properly outfitted.