It's going to be a whirlwind of a week.
If you're attending Enterprise Connect 2016, running Monday through Thursday this week in Orlando, Fla., you know of what I speak. The conference program, which kicks off this morning at 8:15 a.m., features more than 50 in-depth sessions across seven tracks. The Expo Hall, which opens this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET, will be home to more than 180 exhibitors through Wednesday, when the show floor closes at 5:00 p.m.
So what's on your agenda for the week? Whether you'll be attending in person or following the coverage online, Enterprise Connect is the place to be for finding out what's what in enterprise communications today, and what will be what going forward. So what's on your agenda for the week? Share in the comments section below, or tweet your watch list to #EC16.
In the meantime, here are a few of the things on the top of my mind for the week:
The Rise of the Communications API
The days of isolated communications systems are gone, as the growing expectation of business users is that they should be able to reach out to one another at will, in whatever way they so choose, and from within whatever app in which they happen to be working. Likewise for consumers, who increasingly rely on click-to-chat and click-to-call capabilities to escalate issues or get answers quickly while perusing the Web or using mobile apps.
Integration of communications capabilities into applications and business processes isn't a new concept, but it has taken on renewed urgency as the demand for real-time engagement and increased productivity puts ease of communicating in the spotlight. And, of course, a chief way of doing this is via the communications API.
Since we last gathered in Orlando for Enterprise Connect 2015, we've seen just how seriously enterprise communications vendors are taking this mandate -- Cisco's acquisition of Tropo is a prime example, but you can't really have a serious conversation these days about where communications is headed without talking about the role of the API. That's the reason we've created the Communications API track, new this year for Enterprise Connect, and invited experts to give us the lowdown on communications APIs and enterprise IT executives to demonstrate how they're already gaining business value from development they've done thanks to availability of communications APIs.
The team collaboration experience
As I mentioned in last week's post, "Collaborating, and Enjoying the Meeting Experience," you are not going to be left wanting if you've come to Enterprise Connect in search of education on cloud-based team communications and collaboration tools. We've got some great sessions lined up on team collaboration options, like Tuesday morning's "shootout" session run by Dave Stein, an independent consultant, and one vendor after another will be showcasing their tools on the exhibition floor. No doubt like many of our enterprise attendees, I'll be listening in and scoping out the choices, trying to figure out which is the best way -- if there is such a thing -- to approach team collaboration. Is this mostly about a great video experience, or is mobility the clincher? Do we want this capability from our legacy providers, or do we give startups the advantage here? These are some the questions I have in mind relative to team collaboration.
Avaya's place in the communications ecosystem
Avaya has long sat in the third spot in enterprise communications market, behind Cisco and Microsoft. While certainly not quiet since Enterprise Connect 2015 -- it made quite a splash with its May acquisition of integration king Esna Technologies -- the company often comes under fire as an "also-ran" that's falling farther and farther behind its chief competitors in the race to cloud-based, mobility-focused communications platforms. From what I could glean from a quick conversation I had last week with Gary Barnett, SVP and GM of Avaya Engagement Solutions, I would say the company is poised to nip that kind of commentary in the bud. We'll find out for sure when Barnett takes the keynote stage on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET.
Oracle Communications and the enterprise
Speaking of keynotes and vendor direction, on Tuesday morning at 11:30 ET we'll hear all about where Oracle Communications is heading in the enterprise. Doug Suriano, who took on the role of SVP and GM for Oracle Communications last May, will make his debut appearance at Enterprise Connect as one of our five keynoters. I caught up with him briefly last week as well, and he promises to put Oracle's high-level strategy for things like cloud, virtual networking, and big data into an enterprise context. Enabling and supporting real-time communications has been a focal point for Oracle Communications, as has the Internet of Things (IoT), so I'll be looking to hear his plans for the enterprise in respect to these and other areas.
Oh, I could go on and on -- we've got the transition to the cloud to consider, for example, as well as where we're at with WebRTC and enterprise mobility, not to mention the rise of the IoT and where it fits with UC strategy. And I definitely want to hear more from Google and where it's headed in the enterprise, and find out what's next on Cisco's and Microsoft's agendas, to name just a few vendors I'll be following here. So stay tuned and check back in often for our continuing coverage!
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