Hiring a UC consultant is a Good Idea on Your First Installation
Article By Unified Communications News
A seasoned telecommunications engineer might not have to hire a contractor to replace an aging PBX, but what happens when the CIO utters that phrase that makes one's eyes cross: "unified communications (UC) strategy"? Engineers who don't have the time or know-how can hire a UC consultant to help make those first steps down the UC trail less lonely.
"With almost everyone I talk to who's done a recent UC deployment, if I ask them if they could do something again in their deployment, the most common thing they say is, 'We would get more help up-front,'" said Zeus Kerravala, a distinguished research fellow at Yankee Group who also does consulting work.
In a recent survey of the purchasing intentions among SearchUnifiedCommunciations.com readers, 44% of respondents said their organizations lacked the expertise to implement UC projects in-house, and 68% of respondents acknowledged that they needed to learn more about unified communications.
"With almost everyone I talk to who's done a recent UC deployment, if I ask them if they could do something again in their deployment, the most common thing they say is, 'We would get more help up-front,'" said Zeus Kerravala, a distinguished research fellow at Yankee Group who also does consulting work.
In a recent survey of the purchasing intentions among SearchUnifiedCommunciations.com readers, 44% of respondents said their organizations lacked the expertise to implement UC projects in-house, and 68% of respondents acknowledged that they needed to learn more about unified communications.
Never do your first UC deployment on your own
"[UC applications] are unlike any application most network managers have dealt with before, and there's only a couple ways to get that experience," Kerravala added. "I always maintain you should never do your first UC deployment on your own."
Enterprises usually overlook or underestimate the non-technical aspects of planning and deploying unified communications projects, which is where a UC consultant can help IT departments, according to Roberta J. Fox, president and senior partner at Fox Group, an independent telecom consulting firm based in Mount Albert, Ontario.
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