End-user interest in unified communications (UC) was 'not fantastic' when the notion was hyped several years ago, says Kelvin Lee, general manager of Malaysia-based Green Packet. Mobile networking infrastructure and communications applications were simply not ready then.
But the landscape has changed, he says, because UC technologies secure mobile connectivity, such as mobile VPN, and through convergence of data and cellular networking. And as the number of mobile users continues to rise, UC will become more commonplace, he says.
Demonstrating Green Packet's recently-launched enterprise UC solution at the company's CommunicAsia booth in the Malaysia country pavilion, Lee is bullish on demand for the solution and UC in general. In particular, he sees a keen uptake from smaller companies that have sizeable mobile workforces.
Green Packet's six month-old platform SONAccess Office Unlimited comprises both software and hardware components. An application server manages contact lists, various VoIP call and conferencing applications, while a second server manages call sessions, mobile VPN and uninterrupted session handoffs as users cross from cellular data network coverage to Wi-Fi hotspots and traverse different LAN zones.
Mobile device support is currently limited to clients running Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Mobile 2003/2005.
'We are seeing more adoption of the solution now among SMEs in Malaysia,' says Lee, adding that customers are embracing UC now as a means to boost workforce productivity and cut telecommunications costs.