What are the risks of UC adoption and how can you mitigate them?
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Unified communication (UC) is the integration of various communication channels, such as voice, video, chat, and email, into a single platform that enhances collaboration and productivity. However, adopting UC is not without challenges and risks, especially for businesses that rely on legacy systems, have limited resources, or operate in highly regulated industries. In this article, you will learn about some of the common risks of UC adoption and how you can mitigate them with careful planning, testing, and training.
One of the main risks of UC adoption is compatibility issues between the new UC platform and the existing infrastructure, devices, and applications. Compatibility issues can cause poor performance, errors, or even downtime, which can affect your business operations and customer satisfaction. To avoid compatibility issues, you should conduct a thorough assessment of your current environment, identify potential gaps and conflicts, and choose a UC solution that is compatible with your existing systems or can be easily integrated with them. You should also test the UC platform before deploying it to ensure that it works smoothly and meets your expectations.
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Sagar More
💡 10x Top LinkedIn Voice ✍️ Author 🗄️ Enterprise Technology Architect 🌟 Digital Transformation Evangelist 🚀 DevSecOps, SRE & Cloud Strategist 🎙️ Public Speaker 🗣 Guest Lecturer 🎓 1:1 Coach 🤝
Unified Communication (UC) adoption presents the risk of compatibility issues, where diverse communication tools may struggle to integrate seamlessly. To mitigate this challenge, prioritize platforms with open standards, fostering interoperability. Rigorous testing and pilot phases can uncover potential conflicts, enabling proactive resolutions. Emphasizing user training and change management cultivates adaptability, smoothing the transition and reducing compatibility-related disruptions in the UC implementation process.
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Aldo Febro, PhD
Chief Information Security & Privacy Officer | CISSP CIPP/US CISM CISA
To avoid compatibility issues, please do take time to take a detailed list of business outcomes that are required by the organizations and evaluate this list against the new UC platform. Avoid a situation where a critical business function or outcome from the legacy system is not available on the new UC platform. Business outcomes may take different shape for different department. For example, a business outcome from sales department is the effectiveness for doing outbound cold calls. On the other hand, business outcome from customer service department is the ability to receive inbound calls for support request. It is critical therefore, to involve stakeholders from the business side when making purchasing decision.
Another risk of UC adoption is security breaches, which can expose your sensitive data, communications, and networks to hackers, malware, or unauthorized access. Security breaches can result in financial losses, reputational damage, or legal liabilities, especially if you deal with confidential or regulated information. To prevent security breaches, you should implement strong encryption, authentication, and firewall policies for your UC platform and ensure that it complies with the relevant standards and regulations. You should also educate your employees and partners on the best practices for using UC securely and avoiding phishing, spoofing, or other cyberattacks.
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Aldo Febro, PhD
Chief Information Security & Privacy Officer | CISSP CIPP/US CISM CISA
With UC adoption, there is an increase of attack surface that need to be secured. For example, there is a need to maintain security and privacy of enterprise information when using instant messaging, group collaboration, and video conferencing. Have a plan in place to identify, detect, protect, respond and recover when users are accidentally or intentionally sharing confidential information through these new communication channels. Since UC system is now connected to corporate network, it is also subject to malware that spread through the network. Have a plan in place in case when your UC system experiencing ransomware attack.
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A third risk of UC adoption is user resistance, which can undermine the benefits and value of UC for your business. User resistance can stem from lack of awareness, training, or support, or from fear of change, loss of control, or reduced quality. User resistance can result in low adoption rates, poor usage, or negative feedback, which can affect your return on investment and business outcomes. To overcome user resistance, you should communicate the benefits and goals of UC clearly and frequently, provide adequate training and support for your employees and partners, and solicit their feedback and suggestions for improvement. You should also involve your users in the UC adoption process and encourage them to share their success stories and best practices.
A fourth risk of UC adoption is cost overruns, which can occur if you underestimate the total cost of ownership, overspend on unnecessary features or licenses, or encounter unexpected expenses or delays. Cost overruns can affect your budget, cash flow, and profitability, and limit your ability to invest in other areas of your business. To avoid cost overruns, you should plan your UC adoption carefully and realistically, considering not only the upfront costs, but also the ongoing costs of maintenance, upgrades, support, and security. You should also compare different UC solutions and vendors and choose the one that offers the best value for your needs and budget. You should also monitor and control your UC spending and performance regularly and adjust your plan accordingly.
A fifth risk of UC adoption is technical glitches, which can happen due to hardware failures, software bugs, network congestion, or human errors. Technical glitches can affect the quality, reliability, and availability of your UC platform and services, which can frustrate your users and customers and reduce your productivity and efficiency. To prevent technical glitches, you should ensure that your UC platform and infrastructure are robust, scalable, and redundant, and that they can handle the expected volume and variety of communication traffic. You should also have a backup and recovery plan in case of emergencies and a support team that can troubleshoot and resolve any issues quickly and effectively.
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Aldo Febro, PhD
Chief Information Security & Privacy Officer | CISSP CIPP/US CISM CISA
One way to find out the effectiveness of your backup and recovery plan is to actually conduct a test. Do not have a false sense of security and assumed that everything is going to work as expected. Having a regular test will ensure that you will not be caught off-guard when you really need it.
A sixth risk of UC adoption is regulatory compliance, which can be challenging if you operate in multiple jurisdictions, industries, or markets that have different laws and regulations governing communication and data privacy. Regulatory compliance can affect your UC design, implementation, and usage, and require you to meet certain standards and obligations, such as data protection, encryption, retention, or disclosure. Failing to comply with the relevant regulations can expose you to fines, penalties, or lawsuits, which can harm your reputation and business. To ensure regulatory compliance, you should research and understand the applicable laws and regulations for your UC platform and services, and consult with legal experts or authorities if needed. You should also choose a UC solution and vendor that can help you comply with the regulations and provide you with the necessary documentation and evidence.