Remote work elevates the importance of UC mobility
A successful UC mobility strategy caters to remote workers, takes advantage of mobile-first applications and incorporates video communications.
Not long ago, a personal hand-held computer seemed like something from a sci-fi movie. Today, though, mobile computing devices, such as cell phones, are ubiquitous. Unified communications (UC) seems like a perfect fit for this rise in mobility, but organizations still struggle to integrate mobile UC into digital transformation plans.
In addition to mobile device access, the move toward a more mobile workforce means organizations should consider the needs of remote workers. As more people work off-site in home offices, or even from the local coffee shop, organizations need to ask questions about how digital transformation strategies can keep remote workers connected.
How does UC mobility change digital transformation?
Digital transformation can come from two focal points: operations and cost reduction, or employee engagement and innovation. The latter lends itself to UC mobility in digital transformation plans.
When considering technology features, IT and end users don't exactly have the same wants and needs. Unlike IT-centric digital transformation strategies, UC mobility transformations aim to create a better-connected environment for workers.
This article is part of
Ultimate guide on enterprise unified communications strategy
For organizations that support flexible work hours and remote workers, mobile access to a company's UC environment is essential. IT leaders should start exploring UC mobility to better understand the needs of remote workers. Focusing on innovative workflow ideas rather than the latest, greatest technology will create a digital transformation that is tailored to meet the needs of both on-site and remote workers.
Where do mobile-first apps fit in?
Planning a digital transformation strategy around UC mobility needs to include a look at mobile-first applications. Workers expect applications to perform consistently across different devices. But the expectation and reality of using desktop applications on mobile devices usually don't align. Mobile-first applications can be an easy way for IT to mitigate differences in UX.
In most cases, UC applications are developed to work for the desktop. But, as more people rely on mobile devices to get work done, some applications should cater first to the mobile experience and later translate to a desktop experience.
For many vendors, creating a good mobile UX for UC platforms means integrating features into the native applications of a mobile device. By embedding UC features into applications such as a phone's dial pad, the UC experience is nearly invisible to the user because of its intuitiveness. Several applications help integrate the UC experience by using native applications on a mobile device.
Is mobile video a reality for enterprises?
The nature of meetings has evolved. Instead of focusing on disseminating information, meetings today have become more about getting work done. The change in how meetings are conducted, coupled with the rise in remote workers, means organizations have to rethink meetings. Mobile video conferencing is one way organizations are handling meetings with off-site participants.
Most meetings rely on visuals, which could mean using digital whiteboards or seeing and reading the body language and facial expressions of other participants to gain greater context. Mobile video provides the necessary visuals to create an immersive experience for remote meeting participants.
In the past, IT worried that security for mobile video wasn't on par with on-premises systems. Today, cloud video providers have prioritized security, calming the concerns of many IT leaders when allowing outside video traffic on company networks.
