What makes unified communication such a great option?

The concept of unified communication though new but has developed strong roots. You might not be technically aware of the term but if you have responded to your work related email with the help of your cell phone or you have retrieved your voicemail messages from offsite then you have used this technology. Writer Art Rosenberg coined this term in the year 2000 to name the technology that reroutes data and messages to the recipients. It is said that Unified communication is the next step of development after unified messaging.
There are some people who consider that both unified communication and unified messaging is the same thing. This is not true; rather it is matter of concern, because with this conception in mind the business owners do not even look for an alte
ative solution which could be better for them. They think that they have a solid communication platform which discourages them to explore the other options. In the time of inflation when economy is really stringent this conception can cost these companies a sizeable amount and lead to economic losses. While on the other hand if the person is careful enough and is aware about the difference, this information can help in saving the fortunes and would facilitate better communication platform
UM versus UC

Unified messaging is basically a system in which messages from different sources like fax, email, phone etc are gathered together on a single interface for the easy retrieval and review. This serves as a great option for the users as they could retrieve all their messages from a single mail box. This eliminated the hassle of managing different platforms and increased productivity. The main issue that Unified messaging faced was that usually the messages which were stored were retrieved later so there was no real time communication taking place. Therefore Unified communication was the next logical step after Unified messaging. With the intervention of UC the real time conversation was also made possible along with the delayed messages. By using UC one can also one can also switch between the platforms and can choose what suits him the best.
Hosted PBX services along with UC
Unified communication and Hosted PBX makes up a powerful package and forms a very strong business interaction platform. UC as we know by now focuses at providing an integrated platform to its users; Hosted PBX is a new face of telephony that captures the capabilities of this new technology along with its features and aims at strengthening communication.
What do I gain from Unified communication?

ï Single inbox: You can have all types of messages and communication delivered to a single inbox. The single inbox is easier to manage and maintain. It also provides flexibility to the users.

ï Well-organized communication: Users can communicate more efficiently by having the access to all the messages at one time and being free to share, forward, or manage them in the way that's most convenient or effective for them

ï Saves cost: Integration streamlines the communication, administration and consolidates the infrastructure onto fewer physical servers and hence saving money for the enterprise.

ï Anywhere Access: UC provides alte
ative ways of retrieving the messages. By combining e-mail, voice, and other modes communication, users can get voice messages in e-mail; have e-mail dictated over the phone, or access communications through Web.