As businesses worldwide convert their traditional voice and data communications infrastructures to IP networks, they are eager to leverage the unique capabilities of this technology to improve their operational performance and market differentiation. Unified Communications represents an extremely powerful set of converged network applications that can directly enhance a company's market advantage.

For business leaders that are interested in taking advantage of these new applications to gain a competitive edge, this executive brief first discusses the hallmarks and business benefits of Unified Communications, then ends with a set of recommended approaches to help companies ensure smooth and successful UC deployments that optimize application performance according to each business' unique needs.