Unified Communications Interoperability Forum

Last updated
Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF)
Merged into International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC)
Founded2010
Dissolved2014
Type Non-governmental organization
Focus Communications Technology Interoperability
Area served
Worldwide
Members
17 companies
Website http://www.ucif.org

The Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF) is a non-profit alliance between communications technology vendors. It was announced on May 19, 2010, with the vision to maximize the interoperability of UC based on existing standards. Founding members of UCIF were HP, Microsoft, Polycom, Logitech / LifeSize Communications, and Juniper Networks. [1] [2] On July 28, 2014, UCIF merged with International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (UMTC) [3] into one consortium.

Contents

Unified communications

Unified communications (UC) is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, Telephony (including IP telephony), video conferencing, call control, and speech recognition with non real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS, and fax). UC is not a single product, but a set of products that provides a consistent unified user interface and user experience across multiple devices and media types.

UC also refers to a trend to offer business process integration, i.e. to simplify and integrate all forms of communications in view to optimize business processes and reduce the response time, manage flows and eliminate device and media dependencies.

Members

The original founding members were HP, Juniper Networks, Logitech / LifeSize Communications, Microsoft, and Polycom. [4] Other members were Acme Packet, Huawei, Aspect, AudioCodes, Broadcom, BroadSoft, Brocade Communications Systems, ClearOne, Jabra, Plantronics, RADVISION, Siemens Enterprise Communications, Teliris, Vidyo, and VOSS Solutions. [4] [5] [6] At launch, news outlets drew attention to the absence of Cisco and Avaya from the member list, though UCIF has invited them to join as early members. [2] [7]

On July 28, 2014, UCIF merged with International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC) [3] into one consortium.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interoperability</span> Ability of systems to work with each other

Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader definition takes into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system-to-system performance.

OMA SpecWorks, previously the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), is a standards organization which develops open, international technical standards for the mobile phone industry. It is a nonprofit Non-governmental organization (NGO), not a formal government-sponsored standards organization as is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): a forum for industry stakeholders to agree on common specifications for products and services.

Plantronics, Inc. is an American electronics company — branded Poly to reflect its dual Plantronics and Polycom heritage — producing audio communications equipment for business and consumers. Its products support unified communications, mobile use, gaming and music. Plantronics is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, and most of its products are produced in China and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skype for Business Server</span> Real-time communications server software

Skype for Business Server is real-time communications server software that provides the infrastructure for enterprise instant messaging, presence, VoIP, ad hoc and structured conferences and PSTN connectivity through a third-party gateway or SIP trunk. These features are available within an organization, between organizations and with external users on the public internet or standard phones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scopia</span> Series of videoconferencing products

Scopia, within the computer networking and telecommunications fields, is a series of unified communications products that provide meet-me, videoconferencing and online collaboration. The Scopia products include the Scopia XT Telepresence, Scopia XT7100 Room System, Scopia XT5000 Room System, Scopia XT4300 Room System, SCOPIA XT1000 Piccolo,XT Meeting Center Room System, Scopia Firewall Traversal, Multipoint control units, Gateways, Scopia Control, Scopia Desktop Video Conferencing, and Scopia Mobile HD Video Conferencing. The Scopia products are developed and sold by Avaya and their Business Partner network.

Unified voicemail is the combination of different voicemail bearers into a single voicemail system. Using dedicated DID /DDI numbers for each mailbox, the mailbox can be used on a variety of devices and end-points. This is similar to what GSM providers use for their voicemail systems. Mobile phones and traditional analog phones need to support conditional call diversion to enjoy unified voicemail. Unified voicemail can be extended into unified messaging as already used.

Unified communications (UC) is a business and marketing concept describing the integration of enterprise communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, voice, mobility features, audio, web & video conferencing, fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), desktop sharing, data sharing, call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging. 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.

The Avaya Secure Router 4134, in telecommunications and computer networking technologies, is a device manufactured by Avaya that combines the functions of WAN Routing, stateful firewall security, Ethernet switching, IP telephony, and Microsoft mediation into one device. In addition to sharing many features with other routers such as VRRP, MPLS, and hot-switchable modules, the SR-4134 also guards against individual circuit failures, has the ability to recover from device failures in less than a second, and instantly restores bandwidth once a connection has been repaired. The system is very energy-efficient and can save the owner as much as 40% on energy total cost of ownership, according to testing by the Tolly Group. In July 2011, it was integrated with the Silver Peak WAN optimization appliance to optimize the performance of enterprise voice, video, and unified communications (UC), to ensure that remote users have fast and reliable access to all centralized applications.

The Innovative Communications Alliance (ICA) was a telecommunications alliance between Microsoft and Nortel, created in July 2006, to co-develop, integrate, market, sell, and support unified communications products. The goal of the alliance is to make integrated hardware and software solutions that join together voice, video, and data communications without requiring gateways or middleware. Microsoft and Nortel share developing technologies and patents for unified communications products.

Callware Technologies, Inc. (Callware) is a software company in the telecommunication industry, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. It specializes in developing unified communication and unified messaging solutions for the US Department of Defense, government, educational institutions, and mid to enterprise business.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Networking is the networking products division of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). HPE Networking and its predecessor entities have a long history of developing and selling networking products. Today, it offers campus and small business networking products through its wholly owned company Aruba Networks which was acquired in 2015. Prior to this, HP Networking was the entity within HP offering networking products.

The Network Test Automation Forum (NTAF), founded in 2010, is a nonprofit international industry alliance, dedicated to promoting the interoperability of commercial network testing tools and testing infrastructure, by defining and facilitating the adoption of technical specifications.

Unified interoperability is the property of a system that allows for the integration of real-time and non-real time communications, activities, data, and information services and the display and coordination of those services across systems and devices. Unified interoperability provides the capability to communicate and exchange processing across different applications, data, and infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VOSS Solutions</span>

VOSS Solutions is a British-founded multinational provider of digital workplace management technology, headquartered in Garland, Texas, that provides automation management software.

The Physical Security Interoperability Alliance (PSIA) is a global consortium of more than 65 physical security manufacturers and systems integrators focused on promoting interoperability of IP-enabled security devices and systems across the physical security ecosystem as well as enterprise and building automation systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuze (company)</span> American communications and software company

Fuze is a cloud communications and collaboration software platform designed for the enterprise. Fuze was acquired by 8x8. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Unified communications (UC) management is essentially the management of unified communications; it refers to the systems used by enterprise organizations to automate their enterprise communications services and the voice network infrastructure that those services run over.

Bicom Systems is a producer and vendor of Asterisk (PBX)-based unified communications devices for VoIP businesses. Bicom Systems uses open standards telephony. Products include all of the software and hardware components involved in building a VoIP business or ITSP.

References

  1. "Developer tools, technical documentation and coding examples".
  2. 1 2 https://www.pcworld.com/article/196640/collaboration_vendors_join_for_interoperability.html [ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 "Letter from the Presidents". IMTC Web Site. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "UCIF". Archived from the original on 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  5. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/global-communications-leaders-form-industry-alliance-to-deliver-unified-communications-interoperability-2010-05-19?reflink=MW_news_stmp%5B%5D
  6. Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF): Members Meeting, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, October 5, 2010 (PDF) (Report). Unified Communications Interoperability Forum. 5 October 2010. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  7. "Unified comms interoperability alliance launches - minus Cisco". 19 May 2010.