unified communications (UC) - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Home Affairs seeks to tackle hodgepodge UC

  Home Affairs is seeking to rationalise its unified communications platforms as part of a broader strategy to streamline technology at the mega-department.

• Collaboration battleground: Skype vs Cisco Spark in the enterprise

  Cisco in March announced the launch of Spark at Enterprise Connect 2015 in Orlando, USA, which coincided with CiscoLive 2015 in Melbourne. A few months earlier Microsoft had announced its integration of Skype and Lync under the banner of 'Skype for Business,' and it has several partners on board now to bring the solution to the market in 1H15.

• The rise (and rise) of Slack, Silicon Valley's hottest startup

  Slack has a very simple concept that resonates with many: IRC for the enterprise, with hooks between the chat app and just about any external service you can imagine. We already knew it was hot.

• Slack acquires Screenhero to add screensharing, voice, and video chat

  Slack, the IRC-for-enterprise company that's become one of those storied few to achieve a $1 billion valuation in its first year, has bought screen-sharing collaboration startup Screenhero with an eye toward adding valuable new communications capabilities to its software.

• Microsoft waves goodbye to Lync, says hello to Skype for Business

  More than three years after acquiring Skype, Microsoft has announced it would rebrand its semi-rival Lync corporate communications platform as Skype for Business.