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4 Criteria for Picking a UC Systems Integrator

As the complexity of unified communications continues to grow, selecting a systems integrator for UC takes on increasing importance, particularly for large enterprises.

A decade or so ago, UC was challenging but not overly complex as the architecture mirrored a traditional PBX. You had a phone, an Ethernet cable, and an IP-PBX. The challenge came in running voice on the data network. This certainly caused some issues, but enterprises very quickly developed best practices and for the most part turned running converged voice and data networks into a nonissue.

UC has evolved significantly over the past 10 years, though, and the complexity level has shot up faster than Tiger Woods' golf game has fallen apart. UC now involves the use of physical and virtual servers, softphones, Wi-Fi clients, cellular clients, video services, recording capabilities, multiple vendors, cloud-based resources, and application integration. After deployment come migration issues such as dial plan updates, user training, voice mail porting, and so on.

portable Business issues can be challenging to overcome as well. In my 2014 ZK Research UC Deployment Strategies Survey, I asked more than 800 large enterprise respondents what skill set their organizations lack the most for deploying UC. The No. 1 response? Business case analysis. The No. 2 response? Upfront planning. Neither of these is really technical in nature but a good plan with a solid business case can pave the way to a smooth deployment.

The need for an SI should be clear. In fact, one could think of the need for an SI rising proportionally with the complexity level. But how do you evaluate an SI?

Obviously, the SI needs strong technical skills and be well versed in all the major vendors -- Avaya, Cisco, Microsoft, and others. But all of the SIs will have these skills. In fact, most SIs today likely will have a broad set of managed and cloud-based services to help customers with deployments. If we assume the basic technical skills like network expertise and anything vendors specific are a wash, how should you evaluate SIs? Below are some criteria you can use:

    Methodology. Think of this as a proven, validated process or approach to implement a UC system. If the SI can't walk you through a methodology, then run for the hills, as you don't want your deployment to be done ad hoc. Most SIs, like IBM and HP, have some kind of methodology to make the deployment a repeatable process with predictable results. I would certainly interview current and former customers to understand where the SI met expectations and where it fell short. Then ask the SI how it's improved the process to ensure those challenges don't follow into your deployment.

    Tools. Every SI's toolkit includes a number of templates, manuals, programs, and systems for executing the methodology. Many of these are likely to be homegrown and custom to the SI. Some will be customer facing and some will be internal only to the SI. Prior to cutting a deal with an SI, be sure to review the tools thoroughly. This is particularly important to ensure customer-facing systems are easy to use and understand, and add value to your deployment.

    Advanced technical expertise. I mentioned that technical expertise is likely a wash for most SIs. Well, that's true and not true. It's true when it comes to what I think of as the basics, things like network provisioning, bandwidth planning, and IP phone testing. All SIs will be on par here. However, level of expertise in a number of advanced technical skills can set one SI apart from another. These skills include application integration, virtual server migration, video implementation, cloud integration, and vendor interoperability. Necessary advanced technical skills will vary one organization to another, so it's important to match the strength of the SI with the needs of your business. You almost want the SI to have a "been there, done that" attitude when it comes to custom or unique issues.

    Knowledge transfer. This is one of the most overlooked areas when businesses use an SI. After the deployment is complete, the SI needs to engage with the internal IT staff to pass along the skills for continued management of the UC solution after implementation. In fact, knowledge transfer is something that's ongoing, from the planning stage all the way through operational support -- and the SI should put the same amount of effort into this aspect as it does for selling the services in the first place. Even if the deployment is successful, it can wind up being a failure without the proper transfer of information.

Methodology. Think of this as a proven, validated process or approach to implement a UC system. If the SI can't walk you through a methodology, then run for the hills, as you don't want your deployment to be done ad hoc. Most SIs, like IBM and HP, have some kind of methodology to make the deployment a repeatable process with predictable results. I would certainly interview current and former customers to understand where the SI met expectations and where it fell short. Then ask the SI how it's improved the process to ensure those challenges don't follow into your deployment.

Tools. Every SI's toolkit includes a number of templates, manuals, programs, and systems for executing the methodology. Many of these are likely to be homegrown and custom to the SI. Some will be customer facing and some will be internal only to the SI. Prior to cutting a deal with an SI, be sure to review the tools thoroughly. This is particularly important to ensure customer-facing systems are easy to use and understand, and add value to your deployment.

Advanced technical expertise. I mentioned that technical expertise is likely a wash for most SIs. Well, that's true and not true. It's true when it comes to what I think of as the basics, things like network provisioning, bandwidth planning, and IP phone testing. All SIs will be on par here. However, level of expertise in a number of advanced technical skills can set one SI apart from another. These skills include application integration, virtual server migration, video implementation, cloud integration, and vendor interoperability. Necessary advanced technical skills will vary one organization to another, so it's important to match the strength of the SI with the needs of your business. You almost want the SI to have a "been there, done that" attitude when it comes to custom or unique issues.

Knowledge transfer. This is one of the most overlooked areas when businesses use an SI. After the deployment is complete, the SI needs to engage with the internal IT staff to pass along the skills for continued management of the UC solution after implementation. In fact, knowledge transfer is something that's ongoing, from the planning stage all the way through operational support -- and the SI should put the same amount of effort into this aspect as it does for selling the services in the first place. Even if the deployment is successful, it can wind up being a failure without the proper transfer of information.

I'll be exploring these and other topics during a panel I'm moderating at Enterprise Connect 2015 in Orlando March 16 to 19. The session, "Selecting a Systems Integrator for UC," takes place on Tuesday, March 17, at 2:45 p.m. Joining me will be Rick Qualman, IBM vice president of enterprise networks and communication services, and Kevin Kramer, principal, Americas mobility consulting principal, HP. I hope to see many of you there, too!

Register now for Enterprise Connect 2015 and use the code NJSPEAKER for $300 off the cost of an event pass.

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