Integration

Unified communications (UC) is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging, presence information, telephone , video conferencing, data sharing , call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax. UC is not necessarily a single product, but a set of products that provides a consistent unified user interface and user experience across multiple devices and media types. There have been attempts at creating a single product solution however the most popular solution is dependent on multiple products. UC allows an individual to send a message on one medium and receive the same communication on another medium. For example, one can receive a voicemail message and choose to access it through e-mail or a cell phone. If the sender is online according to the presence information and currently accepts calls, the response can be sent immediately through text chat or video call. Otherwise, it may be sent as a non real-time message that can be accessed through a variety of media.