The initial promise of converged communications was that it would bring down operating costs dramatically. The saving on phone calls alone was seen in some quarters as justification enough to embark on a convergence programme. But one additional benefit, which may have previously been overlooked, is today proving to be the more compelling driver – ­ a converged IP-based network turns out to be the bedrock for new innovative and effective methods of keeping colleagues in touch.

Unified communications (UC) combines multiple forms of IP-based communication under a single interface, potentially yielding significant productivity gains, as colleagues are able to choose to interact through the method of communication ­ from voice and instant messaging to videoconferencing ­ that suits them best, at any given time. This ability to define a preferred contact method is commonly described as “presence”.

But to enter this brave new world of corporate communication is a huge undertaking. The mechanics of simply getting an IP network to support voice calls reliably can challenge even the most adept IT leader.

Today, there is a wide range of UC-related technology available to buyers, though relatively few organisations have yet taken advantage of all the options it offers. Global giants such as Shell and HSBC are among those at the vanguard of UC deployment. Both are engaged in a staged rollout of comprehensive UC features that will take years to complete.

But others are taking a more cautious approach, perhaps starting with a basic voice over IP (VoIP) rollout, and examining their options from there, says Joshua Holbrook, director of enterprise research at analyst Yankee Group.

Much of that caution is understandable, he says. Given that UC is a term that encompasses so many different technologies, IT leaders have wildly different perceptions of what is involved.

“There is no uniform definition for UC because it is an amalgam of different technology. Ask 10 people to define what comprises UC and you will get 10 different answers. However, the most common UC bundles include functions such as unified messaging, instant messaging (IM) and webconferencing,” says Holbrook.

While many IT chiefs see unified communications as a simple marriage of voice, data and video, they often overlook the existence and potential of innovative IP applications based on Web 2.0 that can make a difference to their business, says Tony Collett, director at independent communications consultancy Azzurri Communications.

“It is worth remembering that Generation Y, who have grown up knowing only Web 2.0, email, SMS, wireless access everywhere and anywhere, will be expecting these applications in the workplace to work in the most efficient manner,” says Collett.

The arrival of Microsoft’s Office Communications Server (OCS) product in 2007 was perhaps the tipping point for unified communication. Established vendors such as Nortel, Cisco, Avaya, Siemens, Ericsson and Alcatel Lucent, long used to selling telephony solutions based around private branch exchanges (PBXs), network switches and IP phones, were suddenly confronted with a software-only solution able to run on standard servers and link into whatever PBX an organisation was already running.

“Microsoft does view the world differently than traditional telephony vendors ­ it sees the convergence of all collaboration happening on the desktop, and that informs how workers will interface with their products,” says Holbrook.

“The phone is an afterthought for them whereas Cisco and Avaya still see the phone as a critically important interface for users. Desktop phones offer fat margins for Cisco and Avaya so they have no interest in seeing workers migrate to desktop-centric communication.”

OCS has proved a disruptive technology nevertheless. If it has not quite forced rival telephony suppliers to change their spots completely, it has certainly prompted them to accelerate their adoption of software-based UC products.

A good example comes from oil company Shell, which is rolling out UC across its entire organisation, though it anticipates that a deployment on this scale will take a few years to complete. Shell is using Microsoft’s OCS linked to Active Directory (AD) in conjunction with Nortel IP phones to deliver UC to more than 100,000 users in 130 countries.

“Some people are at different stages than others ­ some have voice and audio/video/webconferencing already, while others have just IM and presence,” says Shell Group IT architect Johan Krebbers. “The benefit is that people have a single user interface to show presence, so that if they decide to contact others within the company by IM, voice or videoconferencing, they do not have to worry about looking for the phone number, they can just go by name and decide which form of communication they want to use.”

But not all IT leaders find the arguments for using a software-based approach to UC so straightforward. The West Midlands Fire Service is still weighing up its options.

It recently migrated to a Session Initiation Protocol- (SIP-) compliant Siemens HiPath telephony system that delivers IP telephony to about 1,800 operational and 600 support staff at 40 fire stations, two headquarters and a couple of administration sites across the West Midlands region.

For the moment, the implementation supports fixed and mobile VoIP between desktop and mobile phones, but Sean Kelly, West Midlands Fire Service ICT manager, says he is looking to make use of more advanced convergence options in the future.

“We are just about to implement unified messaging and are assessing the options. The primary considerations are Exchange OCS and Siemens HiPath Expression, and we are looking to make a decision within the next few months,” he says.

One of the drivers for the West Midlands Fire Service’s planned introduction of unified messaging is the need to accommodate the growing number of remote and home workers it must support.

The service has about 80 middle managers on the operations side, on duty 24/7, who use business-type dashboard management tools to ensure appropriate staffing and resource levels.

“They all use their mobiles quite a bit and we are beginning to roll out some of the smarter follow-me type services as well,” says Kelly. “As an emergency service, we tend to favour evolution not revolution, and roll out in a low-tech way initially. We try to match individual business requirements, but if somebody only needs IP telephony and intranet access, that is what we deploy.”

Digital entertainment specialist The Licensing Agency (TLA) is also using mobile convergence to serve employees based in different locations, having deployed software-based IP telephony product GoHello to route calls between desktop and mobile phones.

“The most important thing for us is that the system stays up and running and people do not have to spend a lot of time learning the software,” says Erik Haugen, TLA director of international sales.

“We don’t use the Exchange Server integration yet, but we are planning to integrate the system with Salesforce.com, then link in diary information from all our users so they can see who is not available because they are in a meeting and so on.”