I went to a Computer Weekly roundtable this week on the subject of Unified Communication. There were 20 or so CIO's there, including Ian Robinson, Group IT Director, McLaren Group, who explained how his COO had described Unified Communications as 'oxygen' for the group. Others described ideas that seemed to me to have huge potential for competitive advantage for their organisations.
The more I listened the more I was convinced that this should form a new and distinct part of our IT strategy, rather than have it rolled up in our infrastructure strategy, which is where it used to sit. I doodled a mind map as we went, which I have attached UC.tif - key themes included software such as Microsoft OCS, technology such as IPT, and solutions such as desk-to-desk video conferencing.
A bit like Web 2.0, UC isnt so much one particular technology as a cluster of technical and social trends.
