Of late, the overwhelmingly popular theme in the IP Communications space has been Unified Communications (News - Alert). Service providers, hardware vendors, software developers, and enterprises all have latched onto this latest buzzword, which, in broad terms, is a complete, often multivendor solution, designed to eliminate barriers to effective communication and collaboration presented by time differences, physical separation, and multiple devices.

 

When I asked Marjorie Tenzer, vice president, Marketing and Channels, Lotus Software at IBM, last week to describe IBM’s (News - Alert) place in the Unified Communications space, the first thing I noticed was the confidence with which she said, “Our software platform is real, people are using it, it’s happening.”

 

That’s a distinct difference from commentary heard recently regarding the adoption of other, competitive UC solutions.

 

One of the reasons for the continued growth of the Lotus suite is that IBM recognizes there are several entry points into Unified Communications. Whereas some businesses are looking to jump right into IP-based voice communications, others are content with their existing telephony services, and look to deploy collaboration or video conferencing solutions to complement voice communications. For IBM, it matters not — with its proven software, support services, and industry knowledge, it is prepared to assist businesses regardless of how they choose to deploy a UC solution.

 

According to Tenzer, another key differentiator is IBM’s willingness to sell into Microsoft (News - Alert) shops — it does not feel compelled to make its solutions an all or nothing proposition. Instead, IBM’s Lotus Sametime applications integrate easily into MS Exchange environments, offering customers the flexibility they need to deploy UC solutions that fit their individual requirements.

 

Of course, having the product is only part of the equation. Successful vendors also have a superior channel program, which, as Tenzer explained, is where the comprehensive business solutions are created, as channel partners and systems integrators are able to combine various components, including Sametime, to create a robust, complete solution ideally suited to each customer.

 

IBM has dedicated considerable resources to expanding its Sametime channel recently, and already has some 200 “Lotusphere Comes to You” roadshow stops planned for the first half of the year across the globe — from smaller cities like Waltham, Massachusetts and Dayton, Ohio, to large metropolitan cities like Toronto, Paris, and Sydney. In fact, several IBM representatives flew straight to a roadshow engagement in Dayton from VoiceCon in Orlando. 

 

“Lotusphere Comes to You” features presentations and discussion designed to educate participants, to ultimately facilitate increased ROI from their IT investments and generally increase the collaborative environment in enterprises.

 

While part of the roadshow is designed to create familiarity with IBM solutions, Tenzer says it also creates a true partnership engagement opportunity, which she says is the cornerstone of a successful Unified Communications deployment, which relies heavily on the interoperability between various vendors’ products and applications.