Modernize Communications and Collaboration Infrastructure

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V4
Modernize Communications and
Collaboration Infrastructure
Your legacy telephony infrastructure is dragging you down – modern
communications and collaboration technology can dramatically improve
productivity.

The ability to work anytime from anywhere on any device is now the
norm, not the exception – unless you’re still relying on legacy
telephony infrastructure.
In our personal lives, technology is seamless, and we expect it to be. If
it’s not, we upgrade to the shiniest next best thing. Why doesn’t this
happen in the workplace?
Plain and simple, the lack of modern communications in your
environment is reducing the effectiveness of your people and business
processes.
VoIP and UC are 15+ year old technologies. Both are mature. It’s no
longer a topic for discussion. VoIP and UC are the proven way
forward, and they’re just the first step. What’s stopping you from
moving forward?
Brad Wells,
Research Director, Infrastructure
Info-Tech Research Group
Employees expect more flexibility in the workplace.
ANALYST PERSPECTIVE

This Research is Designed For: This Research Will Help You:
This Research Will Assist: This Research Will Help You:
This Research Is Designed For: This Research Will Help You:
This Research Will Also Assist: This Research Will Help Them:
Our understanding of the problem
IT Managers
Network/Infrastructure Managers
Develop a clear snapshot of the current state
of communications infrastructure
Understand your business and technical
requirements
Define a desired target state that aligns with
business needs, goals, and end-user needs
Build an RFP for a UC solution.
Develop a communications deck to pitch
modernization to senior management
CIOs
IT Directors
Ensure their organization’s IT capabilities
support the evolving business needs
Understand and articulate the need and
benefit of implementing or refreshing
communications-related infrastructure

Resolution
Situation
Complication
Info-Tech Insight
Executive summary
• Poorly-defined technical requirements can result in failure to meet the
needs of the business.
• A wide range of deployment options (on-premises to managed cloud
services) makes it difficult to find the best solution.
• Modernizing your communications infrastructure can be an expensive
project and getting business buy-in may be tough.
• Organizations are losing productivity from managing the limitations of
yesterday’s technology. The business is changing and the current
solution no longer adequately connects end users.
• You need a solution that meets budgetary requirements and improves
internal and external communication, productivity, and the ability to work
together.
• Define a comprehensive set of requirements (across people, process, and technology) at the start of the project.
Communication solutions are long-term commitments and mistakes in planning will be amplified during implementation.
• Analyze the pros and cons of each deployment option and identify a communications solution that balances your budget
and communications objectives and requirements.
• Create an effective RFP by outlining your specific business and technical needs and goals.
• Make the case for your communications infrastructure modernization project and be prepared to support it.
1. Project scope and assessment take
more time than you think.
Defining project scope and assessing
the existing solution make up 60% of
project time. Being thorough here will
make the difference moving forward.
2. It’s not about the technology.
Don’t focus solely on tech without
considering the requirements of your
people and process.
3. Business first. IT second.
Ensure your IT team communicates
with the business throughout the
process and establishes business
requirements.

Failure to modernize wastes an opportunity for significant
productivity and efficiency gains
Productivity
Efficiency gains
Collaboration
Employee demand
Employee well-
being
Opex savings
Drivers of UC
Adoption
Expected Benefits Realized Benefits
Source: PwC
6.75x more!
5x more!
Unified communications (UC), for example, is an increasingly mature technology that
businesses are using to achieve real benefits. For every business driver of UC adoption,
the actual benefits realized are greater than expected.
Most businesses make the decision
to adopt UC based on business
reasons (as they should), such as:
• Productivity
• Opex Savings
• Efficiency gains
What most organizations don’t
expect is that UC significantly
benefits a business’ employee-base
too. While collaboration, employee
demand, and well-being were initially
less highly prized, 62%, 57%, and
54%, respectively, of all UC buyers
reported realization of these soft
benefits post-deployment.

First, redefine how you think about communications
Communications infrastructure is the foundation for your employees and business to
function, interact, and produce quality content, ideas, and end results.
• End-to-end tools
• Call quality
• Instant messaging
• Presence
• Video conferencing
• Document management
Enable your team to work together anywhere, anytime, and in any way to benefit from:
Immediate access and availability to coworkers
Better and more fluid productivity
Accurate and real-time representation and relation of ideas
It isn’t simply about having a better phone.
It is about building a holistic network that brings business and people together.
Communications infrastructure is not just:

Failure to address technical debt by continuing with legacy
communications infrastructure constrains people and
process.
Most think tech debt is just about dumping old technology
and they forget the interconnected nature of people,
process, and technology. Remember:
1. People are either limited or enabled by the right tools.
2. Effective technology enables the processes in place to
better serve the business.
People, process,
technology all
performing strongly
Something
isn’t working...
Deep in
technical
debt
End-of-life system problems
Lack of call routing functionality
Lack of scalability
The top reasons businesses with legacy PBX
solutions are now evaluating VoIP are:
Source: Harris, Daniel. “VoIP Software Small Business Buyer Report - 2015.”
26%
52%
13%
If you are experiencing these problems or other reoccurring problems
and limitations, you are probably deep in technical debt.
Mitigate technical debt to power business agility

Prioritize investments in technology that earn your business
the highest reward
1. Unified Communications
2. IaaS
3. Desktop Virtualization
4. PaaS
5. Mobile Apps
6. Software-Defined Storage
7. Human Capital Management
8. Social/Collaboration
9. SaaS
10. CRM
11. Tablets
12. Supply Chain Management
13. Data Warehouse
14. ERP
CostSuccess(Risk)
ROI Success (Reward)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
High Reward
Low Risk
Source: Computer Economics
UC was rated the #1
technology investment
choice in 2015!
For the enterprise, no other technology has better cost success and ROI success than
UC. It’s tested, proven, and mature.

Unified communications & collaboration go hand-in-hand:
build a strategy that addresses both
• Focus on enabling
knowledge sharing
and team-based
productivity.
• Allows employees to
efficiently share ideas.
• Business value
derived from creation
of high-performing
knowledge workers
and project teams.
Collaboration
• Focus on optimizing employee-to-employee and
team-based collaboration through enhanced use of
real-time communication tools and presence.
Communication-Enabled Collaboration
• Focus on enabling
individual productivity.
• Allows employees to
efficiently
communicate
whenever/wherever/
however makes the
most sense.
• Business value
derived from reduced
impediments to
communication.
Unified
Communications
Unified
Communications
Collaboration
Unified communications and enterprise collaboration strategies are complementary, not mutually exclusive.
Implementation strategy for one impacts the other. For more about collaboration-centric implementation and
optimization, see Info-Tech’s solution set, Implement a Collaboration Platform.

Leverage a hybrid solution model to invest in your
communications infrastructure and avoid a “rip and replace”
Sixty-five percent of UC deployments are on-premises, but demand for cloud solutions
will likely result in hybrid UC solutions emerging as the go-forward standard.
Instead of having to rip and replace, an overlay may be far more effective
for your business. Hold onto your PBX until its end of life and get the
framework you need as a bridge to tie the systems together. Then this also
gives you leverage to use more than one vendor and you’re not locked in.
– Brendan Ziolo, Head of Large Enterprise Strategy, Alcatel-Lucent
Deployment Models:
On-Premises: Internal IP PBX/Solution
Hosted: External IP PBX/Solution; Private cloud with
dedicated infrastructure
Cloud: External IP PBX/Solution; Shared infrastructure with
other clients accessible online
Hybrid: Combine any aspect of the above deployment models
and movement can occur in any direction.
The deployment model that best fits your business is
dependent on your current and future business needs.
On-
Premises
CloudHosted
Hybrid
Hybrid
Hybrid
Source: Sonus

Follow Info-Tech’s methodology to modernize communications
and collaboration infrastructure
Phase 1: Assess
Infrastructure
Phase 2: Define the Target
State
Phase 3: Advance the
Project
Build the roadmap
and compare option
costs
Assess people,
process, and
technology
Preliminary
assessment
1.2
2.3
1.1
Evaluate the
deployment options
Align business needs
and goals
2.2
2.1
Gain project approval
Draft the RFP
3.2
3.1
Communications Infrastructure
Roadmap Tool – Tech Debt
Team Skills Inventory Tool
Stakeholder Engagement
Workbook
Short- and Long-Term Initiative
Timelines
TCO Tool
Request for Proposal
Template
Executive Presentation Deck
Business Requirements
Document Template
Phases
Steps
Tools and
Templates
MACDs Workflows Template
Platform Assessment

Tech Debt and Platform
Assessment (Excel)
Team Skills Inventory
Tool (PowerPoint)
Communication
Infrastructure Roadmap Tool
(Excel)
Stakeholder Engagement
Workbook (Excel)
Info-Tech delivers: Use our tools and templates to accelerate
your modernization project to completion
Business Requirements
Document (Word)
Communications TCO-ROI
Comparison Calculator
(Excel)
UC Solution RFP
Template
(Word)
Modernize Communications
Infrastructure Executive
Presentation (PowerPoint)

Phase 1 Insight
Insight breakdown
It’s not about the tech. Non-technical and technical staff will need to
use the technology – their experience, ability to use the tech, the
process that will change and result from the technology migration –
these are the factors governing migration success. Involve input from
the user base in the discovery process and use this to inform how
different deployment models or vendor systems could affect IT’s and
the average user’s daily tasks.
Business first. IT second. Typically, IT thinks in an IT first, business
second way. “I have a list of problems and if I solve them, the
business will benefit.” This is the wrong way of thinking. There are IT
capabilities to consider throughout the discovery process. The IT
capabilities should not define your decision, but they can help the
business make the decision. The business’ needs and wants come
first, then IT’s.
Project scope and assessment take more time than you think. A
detailed current state assessment is a necessary first step for a
modernization project, but determining the right level of detail to
include in the evaluation can be challenging. IT’s ability to accurately
define the desired target state is heavily dependent on how well it can
leverage its resources on the ground to understand the current state
and how the business aligns to that understanding.
Leverage the
Communications
Infrastructure Roadmap
Tool to gather the data
you need to evaluate
your existing platforms.
How we can help
Phase 2 Insight How we can help
Phase 3 Insight How we can help
Leverage the Team Skills
Inventory Tool, the
Stakeholder Workbook,
and the Focus Group
Guide to analyze the
needs of your people in
and outside IT.
Leverage the results of
the Focus Group
Activity and the BRD
Template to inform
your Executive
Presentation to
business stakeholders.

Background
Insura Holdings (IH) is a not-for-profit
insurance provider. The combination of
aging equipment, maintenance costs,
performance, and aging technology has led
IH to look for a new IPT and UC solution.
UC Solution Replacement
IH is looking for a unified communications
solution that will allow it to better
collaborate at the office location and
improve productivity of remote workers and
employees in the field.
Complication
The last few years of the current
communication solution led to headaches
for both the business and IT team. Some
promised features, such as speech
recognition, simply didn’t work.
Insura Holdings successfully undertook a replacement
project of legacy communications for a UC solution
CASE STUDY
Industry
Source
Insurance
Member, IT Director (Anonymous Organization)
Insura Holdings IT at a Glance
• Approximately 150 users. Growth
rate of 12% per year. Predominantly
growing remote worker base.
• Contact center processes 70,000
calls per month.
• State’s leading benefits company for
specific insurance area with one
million members.
My manager told me, you should call Info-Tech, and it’s been my best
resource throughout this project. An advisor is really helpful. The service
that Info-Tech provided was very valuable and helped me with the RFP and
gave me suggestions that I wouldn’t have otherwise considered. That’s
really the only resource I used throughout this project other then what I
know from my own experience on the implementation side of the house.
– Network VoIP Admin, Insurance
Part
1/4
Keys to Project Success:
• User involvement
• Clearly identified stakeholder and
business needs
What is one key insight you could not do without going
through a project like replacing a UC solution?

Follow the Info-Tech communications infrastructure roadmap
to modernization
Make a Data-Driven Decision on Unified Communications
Quantify the real value and need for UC to make the business case and build a
realistic roadmap.
• Develop an end-user survey for UC
• Analyze and apply UC survey results
Develop a Telephony and UC Strategy
VoIP and UC are remaking telephony, but it’s still about dial tone.
• Develop a business case
• Develop use cases
• Document your current infrastructure in a system map
• Determine UC fit
• Design your target infrastructure
• Develop an implementation plan
Modernize Communications and Collaboration Infrastructure
• Assess infrastructure
• Align business needs and goals
• Evaluate the deployment options
• Build the roadmap
• Draft the RFP
• Gain project approval

Use these icons to help direct you as you navigate this
research
This icon denotes a slide where a supporting Info-Tech tool or template will help you perform
the activity or step associated with the slide. Refer to the supporting tool or template to get
the best results and proceed to the next step of the project.
This icon denotes a slide with an associated activity. The activity can be performed either as
part of your project or with the support of Info-Tech team members, who will come onsite to
facilitate a workshop for your organization.
Use these icons to help guide you through each step of the blueprint and direct you to content related to
the recommended activities.

Consulting
“Our team does not
have the time or the
knowledge to take this
project on. We need
assistance through the
entirety of this project.”
Guided
Implementation
“Our team knows that
we need to fix a
process, but we need
assistance to
determine where to
focus. Some check-ins
along the way would
help keep us on track.”
DIY Toolkit
“Our team has already
made this critical
project a priority, and
we have the time and
capability, but some
guidance along the
way would be helpful.”
Workshop
“We need to hit the
ground running and
get this project kicked
off immediately. Our
team has the ability to
take this over once we
get a framework and
strategy in place.”
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options
Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your
needs

Measured value for Guided Implementations (GIs)
Engaging in GIs doesn’t just offer valuable project advice, it also results in
significant cost savings.
GI Measured Value
Phase 1:
• Time, value, and resources saved by using Info-Tech’s methodology to inventory IT skills,
build process flow diagrams, inventory and evaluate infrastructure, engage stakeholders,
develop a project vision, and assess your current state.
• For example, 2 FTEs * 10 days * $80,000/year = $6,200
Phase 2:
• Time, value, and resources saved by using Info-Tech’s tools and templates to engage
stakeholders, conduct a focus group, build a business requirements document, and
evaluate project cost and benefit.
Phase 3:
• Time, value, and resources saved by following Info-Tech’s tools and methodology to build
an RFP, executive presentation, and project roadmap.
Total savings $15,400

Best-Practice
Toolkit
1.1 Preliminary assessment
Communications Infrastructure Roadmap
1.2 People, process, technology
IT Team Skills Inventory
Process Map
High-Level System Map
Readiness Assessment Checklist
Inventory Evaluation
2.1 Align business needs and goals
Stakeholder Engagement Workbook
Focus Group
Sample Business Requirements Doc
2.2 Evaluate the options
2.3 Build the roadmap
Communications Infrastructure Roadmap
TCO-ROI Comparison
3.1 Draft the RFP
Sample RFP
3.2 Gain management approval
Executive Presentation Deck
Guided
Implementations
Gain a notional picture of your “tech
debt.” Determine methodology and
goals for a deeper assessment.
Check in with analyst on progress.
Brainstorm solutions to any current or
upcoming obstacles.
Discuss and gain a clear picture of
business needs and goals for
documenting purposes.
Gain a working knowledge of the
deployment model options available
and how they relate to your business.
High-level gap analysis between
current and future state; make plan to
gather data for TCO/ROI.
Gain expert insight from Info-Tech
analysts on how to approach and
draft your RFP. Leverage Info-Tech
as a sounding board and ensure
your RFP misses nothing critical to
obtain a successful response.
Ready to take this project to upper
management? Let our analysts give
you experienced and objective
insight on how to present the case
for modernization.
Onsite
Workshop
Module 1:
Communications Infrastructure
Module 2:
Evaluate the Options & Gap Analysis
Module 3:
Build the Deliverables
Phase 1 Outcome:
• Completed assessment of existing
communications infrastructure
Phase 2 Outcome:
• BRD, gap analysis, technical
requirements, project roadmap,
TCO/ROI
Phase 3 Outcome:
• RFP, executive presentation deck
1. Assess communications
infrastructure
2. Define the target state 3. Advance the project
Modernize Communications and Collaboration Infrastructure –
project overview

Workshop overview
Contact your account representative or email Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.
Workshop Day 1 Workshop Day 2 Workshop Day 3 Workshop Day 4
Activities
Task – Assess the
Communications
Infrastructure
1.1 Identify pain points
1.2 Skills inventory
1.3 Define and rationalize
template configuration needs
1.4 Define standard service
requests – map workflow
1.5 Discuss/examine site type(s)
and existing technology
1.6 Determine network state and
readiness
Task – Learn & Evaluate
Options to Define Future
2.1 Focus group meeting
2.2 Define business needs and
goals
2.3 Define solution options
2.4 Evaluate options
2.5 Discuss business value and
readiness for options
Task – Identify and Close the
Gaps
3.1 Identify gaps
3.2 Examine and evaluate ways
to remedy gaps
3.3 Introduce draft of BRD –
determine specific business
requirements
Task – Build the Roadmap
4.1 Introduce RFP template
4.2 Develop statement of work
4.3 Document technical
requirements
4.4 Cost benefit analysis
4.5 Money, effort, disruption
analysis
Deliverables
1. Documented IT skills
2. Documented process maps
3. Complete list of relevant
communications and
collaboration technologies
4. Completed readiness
checklist
1. Assessment of business
needs and goals
2. Understanding of potential
future state solution options
1. Description of future state
2. Identification of gaps
3. Identification of key business
requirements
1. First draft of RFP (including
business requirements,
technical/functional
requirements, cost benefit
analysis)

Modernize Communications and Collaboration Infrastructure

Modernize Communications and Collaboration Infrastructure

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