User-Centric Collaboration:Eliminating Technology Silos to Build a Smarter Business

A Frost & Sullivan Market Insight

Sponsored by Acano

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contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3

The Collaboration Conundrum ................................................................................................... 3

Consumerization and the Emergence of User-Driven IT ......................................................... 4

The Acano Alternative ................................................................................................................. 5

Customer Use Cases .................................................................................................................... 6

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 6

3

User- Centric Collaboration: Eliminating Technology Silos to Build a Smarter Business

INTRODUCTION

While much has been said about technology convergence over the past decade, the actual implementation and impact has trailed far behind. The unprecedented pace of adoption of collaboration solutions, that bring together distributed work teams for greater productivity and agility, has resulted in a plethora of communication tools in the enterprise. These advanced collaboration solutions, intended to better connect people and processes, have created multiple technology silos.

Seamless connectivity between people and ideas has become an underlying factor today to drive the speed of doing business. Technology silos hinder business operations and processes. As a result, organizations are now rethinking how they approach collaboration and are seeking better ways to enhance interactions between customers, partners, stakeholders and employees.

This article discusses the challenges associated with the current state of collaboration and how organizations FDQ� UHPRYH� WKHVH�EDUULHUV� E\� LPSOHPHQWLQJ� VROXWLRQV� WKDW� HQDEOH� D� VPRRWK�ÁRZ�RI� LGHDV� UHJDUGOHVV�RI� the technology.

THE COLLABORATION CONUNDRUM

Businesses today clearly understand the need for effective collaboration. Collaboration solutions have become a strategic imperative to drive not only productivity and sustained competitive advantage but also greater SURÀWDELOLW\�E\�VDYLQJ�FRVWV��

There exist wide spread deployments of audio, video, and web collaboration solutions in most enterprises. According to a recent Frost & Sullivan survey of IT decision makers in North America and Europe; video, web and audio conferencing are among the top enterprise communications applications in use today (Exhibit 1). Audio, video, and web collaboration are enabling users to effectively bridge distances between globally distributed work teams.

Exhibit 1- Enterprise Communication Technologies: Strong Usage of Audio, Video and Web Collaboration

Video Conferencing

Tablets for business purposes

Web Conferencing

Mobile apps

Audio Conferencing

Cloud computing

IP telephony

Enterprise social media

Unified communications client

Business grade softphones

51%

49%

47%

44%

44%

43%

36%

32%

21%

18%

Source: Frost & Sullivan

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According to a recent Frost & Sullivan survey of IT decision makers in North America (Exhibit 2), the cost and complexity of deploying and managing multi-vendor communications solutions is the second most pressing challenge that IT faces today. This is compelling businesses to consolidate and integrate disparate platforms and

applications by looking for solutions that interoperate.

Most collaboration solutions today remain disconnected from each other and force people to put technology over natural ways of communicating. They require users to choose which media type they should use (chat, email, audio, video, web), who they should invite, type of content they can share, and lastly how they can share the information that comes out of the collaboration sessions. These pre- and post- meeting technology FRQVLGHUDWLRQV�RIWHQ�VWLÁH�DQG�LQKLELW�WKH�EHVW�LGHDV��0RUHRYHU��LQWHURSHUDELOLW\�FKDOOHQJHV�SUHYHQW�RUJDQL]DWLRQV�from leveraging resources and knowledge across multiple communication tools. In short, pertinent information is stuck in technology islands that are inaccessible to those who were not part of the collaboration session.

Exhibit 2-Key Challenges Faced by IT

New regulatory requirements are driving IT(information technology) costs up

Managing multi-vendor solutions isincreasingly costly and challenging

Supporting new business needs is driving our costs up

Our understanding of advancedUCC technologies is limited

We are not able to make effectiveand timely investments in IT

Our understanding of mobile technologies is limited

Our IT and business strategies are poorly aligned

54%

51%

49%

42%

29%

29%

28%

Source: Frost & Sullivan

CONSUMERIZATION AND THE EMERGENCE OF USER-DRIVEN IT

The emergence of user-driven IT resulting from Bring-Your-Own-Technology (BYOT) and the growth of mobility is a key trend that shows no signs of abating. Mobile device shipments have surpassed laptop and PC sales.

The groundswell of devices and applications make it critical that collaboration solutions accommodate any-to-any connectivity. They must allow a seamless blending of personal and business technologies, regardless of devices, applications, protocols, and networks.

5

User- Centric Collaboration: Eliminating Technology Silos to Build a Smarter Business

,Q�WKH�SRVW�3&�HUD��XVHUV�DUH�LQFUHDVLQJO\�SHUVRQDOL]LQJ�DQG�FRQÀJXULQJ�WKHLU�communications environment with a combination of devices, apps, and cloud services. IT leaders are being advised to accommodate this shift rather than take a punitive approach.

THE ACANO ALTERNATIVE

The growing imperative to implement effective collaborative tools that not only provide a simple and intuitive user experience but also overcome the challenges of technology silos and interoperability, is leading to the emergence of a new generation of collaboration solutions.

$FDQR�FR6SDFHV�XQLWH�GLVFRQQHFWHG�DXGLR��YLGHR�DQG�ZHE�FROODERUDWLRQ�E\�SURYLGLQJ�D�XQLÀHG�ZRUNVSDFH�ZKHUH�people, processes, and ideas come together to address relevant business tasks in real time and on a persistent basis, way after a collaboration session is over.

Acano enables collaboration by focusing on the following key tenets -

• Unlimited – Unlike other virtual meeting tools that enable a meeting line or meeting room per user, Acano allows users to create unlimited coSpaces by users, projects, and teams. coSpaces are always on and require no reservation. Moreover, they can be created by anyone within an organization that has access to audio, video, and web conferencing.

• Everyone’s Invited – coSpaces are about connecting people, whether they are from the same organization or many different ones. Anyone can be invited by sending a link, opening up new opportunities for B2B and B2C communications. Acano supports the latest developments in WebRTC technology, such as broad browser support (Chrome, Firefox, and Opera) and bidirectional content sharing with Chrome.

• Single User Experience – Wherever users are on audio, video, or sharing content, or whether joining from a room, a desktop or a mobile device, the user experience remains the same.

• Device- and App-Agnostic – Users have the choice to join from anywhere over any network or device, including smart phones, tablets, PCs, Microsoft Lync clients, or soft and hard video clients. Multiple devices can be used at the same time. For example, users can enhance the experience by using a video endpoint for visual communications and an iPad to view the content.

• Persistent – coSpaces are always-on. Users can leave meeting notes, action items, chat messages, and any other content in their coSpaces to provide context on a persistent basis. It is this continuity that differentiates Acano from other virtual meeting rooms.

• Integration – Acano does not create another technology island but complements existing technology assets, including Cisco Call Manager and Microsoft Lync.

• Flexible and Secure�²�$FDQR�RIIHUV�ÁH[LELOLW\�RI�DQ\�GHSOR\PHQW�PRGH�WKDW�EHVW�PHHWV�DQ�RUJDQL]DWLRQ·V�requirements - virtualized, cloud or dedicated server. Its software is scalable and offers call distribution and bandwidth management across different geographical locations. Lastly, it is secure, designed from the ground up with government compliance standards in mind, for example FIPS, JITC and Common Criteria.

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CUSTOMER USE CASES

Charles River Laboratories Uses CoSpaces to be Topic-CentricCharles River Laboratories (CRL) is a leading global provider of solutions that accelerate the early-stage drug discovery and development process. CRL currently operates 68 facilities in 16 countries worldwide. Because coSpaces can be used as persistent virtual meeting rooms, people can step in and step out of a standing meeting at any time. For example, during strategic planning and onboarding for a recent acquisition, the CRL CTO FUHDWHG�DQ�LQVWDQW�YLUWXDO�PHHWLQJ�URRP�RQ�KLV�0DF�WR�FRQQHFW�ZLWK�VHYHUDO�GHSDUWPHQWV��'XULQJ�WKH�ÀUVW�ZHHN��&5/�UHSRUWHG�WKDW�WKH�WHDP�LQFOXGHG�IRXU�VLWHV�DFURVV�WKUHH�FRXQWULHV�DQG�XVHG�$FDQR�VROLGO\�IRU�ÀYH�KRXUV�per day.

FR6SDFHV�EHFRPHV�SDUW�RI�\RXU�ZRUNÁRZ�LQVWHDG�RI�MXVW�EHLQJ�D�PHHWLQJ�URRP�� ,W·V�DOZD\V�WKH�VDPH�connection regardless of where the meeting participants are or how they choose to connect.

-Ray Beaulieu, Charles River Laboratories

Norwegian Health Network Brings Hospitals, Doctors and Pharmacies Together Norsk Helsenett, the Norwegian Health Network (NHN), serves 99% of the population of Norway. Members of the healthcare sector can now join in coSpace virtual meeting rooms to discuss all aspects of patient care IURP�DQ\�ORFDWLRQ�XVLQJ�WKHLU�SUHIHUUHG�GHYLFH��3&V��PRELOH�SKRQHV��WDEOHWV��1+1·V�����YLGHR�VWXGLRV��-DEEHU�RU�Lync clients.

With Acano, the Norwegian Health Network can provide a level of access never before possible between hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, communities and citizens

-Terje Olafsen, Norwegian Health Network

CONCLUSION

Effective collaboration must bring together people, processes, and ideas in a meaningful way. Allowing people to meet simply and naturally, just as they do when they are physically in the same location, is a prerequisite to drive WKLV�JRDO��7HFKQRORJ\�PXVW�HQDEOH�DQ�HIIRUWOHVV�ÁRZ�RI�FRPPXQLFDWLRQV�ZLWKRXW�IRUFLQJ�XVHUV�WR�JHW�WUDSSHG�LQVLGH�SUHGHÀQHG�DSSOLFDWLRQV�WKDW�UHPDLQ�GLVFRQQHFWHG�IURP�HDFK�RWKHU��7KH�QH[W�JHQHUDWLRQ�RI�FROODERUDWLRQ�is doing just that by making the user experience paramount, while the technology itself becomes invisible, so users can focus on the relevant business tasks.

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