92% employees who believe a video strategy can save taxpayers money
60% of organizations are deploying or planning to deploy Lync, including enterprise voice
Government workers and leaders expect to connect with citizens, co-workers and other agencies in an efficient, cost-effective way
2. 60%
“Connected or smart governments deliver life event–driven
services that achieve policy outcomes, consider users to be
more than consumers, and provide obvious added value.“
— Jan Duffy, EMEA Research Director, IDC Government Insights
by 2016, more than 1.6
billion smart mobile devices
will be purchased globally
1.6
billion
92%
% employees
who believe a
video strategy
can save
taxpayers
money
% of
organizations
are deploying
or planning to
deploy Lync,
including
enterprise voice
The world has changed
3. Social Inclusion • Economic Uncertainty •
Humanitarian Disasters • Public Debt •
Empowering Small Businesses • Transportation •
Spurring Local Innovation • 21st Century
Education • Energy Supplies • Public Safety •
Aging Populations • Urbanization • Access to
Healthcare • Effective Citizen Services • Emerging
Security Threats • Trust & Accountability • Data
Privacy • Competitiveness • Accessibility • Online
Safety • Interoperability • Cyber Security •
Environmental Sustainability • Globalization •
Enabling a 21st Century Workforce • Public
Infrastructure • Digital Citizens
Complex challenges,
new opportunities
4. Government workers and leaders expect to connect with
citizens, co-workers and other agencies in an efficient, cost-
effective way
Provide broader and better services to citizens
Increase information sharing
Reduce travel and communications costs
Increase productivity among government workers
and leaders with cross-agency collaboration
Achieve environmental benefits
Vision for communications
5. Connecting citizens and public servants
LEADERS expect to easily
communicate to constituents, staff
Improve transparency in government; gain
public trust
Reach citizens quickly and cost-effectively
Communicate emergency messages
Save taxpayer money
Reduce environmental impact
Leaders
6. Connecting citizens and public servants
WORKERS expect tools, applications
and devices that work anywhere
Work effectively from anywhere on any device
Reach out to the right colleague or official in
another government agency quickly through
presence or expert search
Support teleworking
Work in a secure infrastructure
Integrate with other productivity tools to share
documents, emails, calendars, case
management
Workers
Leaders
7. Connecting citizens and public servants
CITIZENS expect greater access to
government
Simplify connectivity to government.
Federation of Lync-Skype supports better
connectivity
Improve online government services. Lync-
Skype provides an alternative to counter
service and web access
Resolve citizen issues faster
Workers
Leaders
Citizens
9. Lync, Skype in Government- scenarios
Virtual town hall meeting
Simplified conference rooms
Leaders
Citizens,
Workers
Better citizen services
Remote job candidate
interviews
Translation and interpretation
Remote information gathering
CitizensWorkers
Cross-agency collaboration
Always-on access for field
workers
Agency-to-agency training
Telecommuting
Saving costs on communication
Workers Workers
10. Benefits
LEADERS
Enhanced transparency by
sharing information with more
citizens
Reduced travel, staff, and venue
costs; reduced environmental
impact
CITIZENS
Better, more frequent access to
government officials
Increased information sharing
Greater involvement with
government
Leaders Citizens
Laura, a state senator in Ohio, is proposing
education legislation. She announces a virtual
town hall meeting to share information about
how the bill will affect schools. Laura hosts the
meeting from Columbus, OH, while citizens
around the state attend from anywhere.
Virtual town hall
meeting
11. Benefits
LEADERS
Reduced cost to host real-time
virtual meetings
Reduced travel costs and time
Reduced environmental impact
WORKERS
Enriched meeting experiences
with multiple participants
Reduced travel time
Improved productivity with the
ability to connect to virtual
meeting from anywhere, with any
device
Diego, the Minister of External Affairs for Brazil,
uses Lync to meet with representatives of
Brazilian embassies worldwide. Diego’s office
doubles as a Lync conferencing room, where he
can host multiple people for virtual meetings.
Workers
Simplified
conference rooms
Leaders
12. Benefits
WORKERS
Improved information sharing
with other agencies
Improved productivity with the
ability to work from anywhere on
any device
Reduced travel
Arthur, a police officer in Johannesburg, South
Africa, collaborates with other police
departments throughout South Africa to share
information, best practices and national
emergency plans.
Workers Workers
Cross-agency
collaboration
13. Benefits
WORKERS
Improved productivity with
enriched collaboration tools
(video, desktop sharing,
presence)
Better citizen service with
immediate access to the right
information and experts
Improved employee satisfaction
with the ability to work across
multiple phones – Windows, iOS,
Android
Ahmed, a building inspector for Dubai, was not
given the correct address for his inspection
site. He can click-to-call to the office from his
smartphone to get directions. When at the site,
he connects with a colleague by video on his
tablet to show potential code violations and
discuss possible solutions.
Workers Workers
Always-on access for
field workers
14. Benefits
WORKERS
Improved citizen service with
better trained workers
Reduced training cost, including
travel
Daniel, a rescue services worker in
Broome, Australia attends a video-
enabled state-wide training seminar,
which is hosted from Perth, with the rest
of his team. The training includes new
regulations, plus fire safety best practices
from the county fire chief.
Workers Workers
Agency-to-agency
training
15. Benefits
WORKERS
Improved employee satisfaction
with flexibility to work from
anywhere
Reduced office space cost with
the ability to implement flexible
workplace policies
Improved productivity during
events which prevent workers for
going to the office (transportation
strike, nation medical
emergencies like the bird flu in
Singapore, or high security event)
Claudia, a tax commissioner in Portugal, is
forced to stay home from work because of
a transportation strike. She is able to
conduct all of her meetings and answer her
office phone from her home computer.
Telecommuting
Workers Workers
16. Benefits
Saved taxpayer money on PBX
system maintenance, telephony
charges, and office moves
Improved productivity with
additional communication
methods and remote access for
workers
Mikhail is a city IT director in Russia. The
city replaced its aging PBX system with
Lync voice to save costs. Mikhail can select
whether calls should route to voice mail, a
mobile phone, or another number so he
can answer calls from anywhere.
Saving costs on
communications
WorkersWorkers
17. Benefits
CITIZENS
Another option for connectivity
besides counter service or web
access, delivering better service
with immediate access
Reduced travel to government
agencies to complete
applications
Access to services for citizens
unable to travel due to disability
WORKERS
Better service with enriched
citizen interactions from
Citizens Workers
Salma and Youssef are completing their
business license online for their new furniture
store in Tangier, Morocco. When they have a
question about fees, Salma and Youssef select
the “Click to Call” button and are routed to and
connected with the appropriate agency.
Better citizen
services
18. Chen, a British citizen now living in the United
States, applies with the Transport of London for a
remote marketing position. The recruiter from
London uses Lync to interview candidates. Chen
connects to the recruiter via video conferencing
from her home.
Citizens
Benefits
WORKERS
Increased efficiency when
conducting job candidate
interviews
Improved recruiting decisions
with the ability to record
interviews
CITIZENS
Increased access to government
jobs around the world
Reduced travel to job interviews
Workers
Remote job
candidate
interviews
19. Benefits
CITIZENS
Improved citizen service with
access to any government
worker, regardless of language
barrier
WORKERS
Enhanced service to non-native
speakers/immigrants
Reduced cost for on-site workers
speaking multiple languages
Broader citizen reach
Omar, an Arabic-speaking student from Saudi
Arabia, recently emigrated to Sweden. When
Omar calls with questions about permanent
residency, the Swedish immigration officer uses
Lync presence to locate an available Arabic
interpreter and adds her to the phone call.
Citizens Workers
Interpreter
Translation and
interpretation
20. William, a public defender in Colorado Springs,
CO, is representing an accused bank robber.
Since the crime occurred in Denver, CO,
William connects with eyewitnesses by video.
Benefits
WORKERS
Increased efficiency with access
to the right people (e.g.,
witnesses, arbiter, etc.) from
anywhere on any device
Improved case management
CITIZENS
Reduced costs with access to
government workers without
traveling for in person interaction
CitizensWorkers
Remote information
gathering
22. www.smartlync.be
The annual State of the European
Union conference chose Lync
Online to connect more than 400
business and political leaders in six
European cities to discuss the future
of business.
Benefits
Significant conferencing cost savings compared to
traditional AV systems
Reduced travel costs, loss of time and environmental
impact
Broader reach and increased participation
“The use of the Lync cloud technology at this
six-city conference was a great example of
democracy in action.”
— Robert Gogel, CEO
Integreon (conference organizer)
Virtual town hall meeting
Simplified conference rooms
23. www.smartlync.be
“We believe Lync will have a significant impact
on employee productivity because these real-
time communication capabilities are new to the
State.”
— Tarek Tomes, Assistant Commissioner (OET)
Members of the United States
Federal Government have chosen
Lync and Skype to connect with
more citizens and collaborate more
efficiently with each other.
Stories
President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign deployed
Lync among its 2,000 staffers, who worked throughout
the U.S., to handle thousands of calls and collaborate
across the campaign.
The Committee on Administration approved Skype for
use among members of Congress, who use it to
connect with constituents, conduct virtual town halls,
and build relationships with colleagues.
Cross-agency collaboration
Better citizen services
Virtual town hall meetings
24. www.smartlync.be
Global humanitarian organizations are using Skype
to enable their employees to cost-effectively connect
with family and colleagues.
Stories
Many staffers for the United Nations
Refugee Agency that work remotely in
hardship locations use Skype to
connect with their families, who they
may not see for weeks at a time.
Employees for emergency.lu, a global
disaster relief organization supported
by the government of Luxembourg,
use Skype to coordinate with one
another during global disasters.
Cross-agency collaboration
Always-on access for field
workers
Better citizen services
25. www.smartlync.be
The State of Minnesota chose Lync
to give its employees immediate
access to one for information
sharing — whether in-the-office or
on-the-go.
Benefits
Improved employee productivity with real-time
presence, instant messaging and video chat
Improved mobility productivity and ability to collaborate
on-the-go with Lync mobile
Cross-agency collaboration
“We believe Lync will have a significant impact
on employee productivity because these real-
time communication capabilities are new to the
State.”
— Tarek Tomes, Assistant Commissioner (OET)
Better citizen services
26. www.smartlync.be
The City of Mantua, Italy, chose
Lync to replace its obsolete and
expensive telecommunications
infrastructure, and to promote better
collaboration among city
employees.
Benefits
Improved productivity by enhancing collaboration
among city employees with VoIP and instant
messaging
Estimated cost savings of €315,000 ($431,000) per
year in telecommunications expenses
Initial investment was expected to be recovered in
approximately 18 months.
Cross-agency collaboration
Managing budget cuts
27. www.smartlync.be
New Hanover County (NC) chose
Lync to enable seamless
communication among its agencies
and compensate for reductions in its
IT budget/staff.
Benefits
Improved citizen service with better collaboration for
Social Services, county police, etc.
Saved costs with teleworking
Reduced IT management; predictable budgeting; data
recovery
“Lync was so easy to roll out and adopt. Before we
even had a chance to announce it, people saw the
icon and started using it immediately—with no
training.” — Leslie Chaney, Director of IT, New Hanover County
Cross-agency collaboration
Better citizen services
Working from home
28. www.smartlync.be
Estimated Economic Value of Lync, Skype
all values estimated on per user, per year basis
Provide Greater Access for Citizens
Work from Almost Anywhere
Improve Cross-Agency Communication
Access to Millions of
Citizens through Skype
Cut telephony costs:
$420-$700
Reduce carbon
emissions:
37kg-100kg
Lower real estate and
facility costs:
$590-$984
“We estimate we have reduced
carbon emissions by more than
300 metric tons.”
Vanessa Pantoja Ferzuli,
Data Services Manager,
SEMARNAT
Reduce travel costs:
$318-$530
The City of Mantua (Italy)
estimates savings of €315,000
per year, of which 65% is for
communications.
“50% of our users responded
that they would use audio
conferencing to avoid travel
twice per month. This … will
save the organization about
CHF4,800 per month.”
Peter Schönthal, Head of IT, bfu
Lync has helped the Argyll &
Bute Council support the
rationalization of office space,
with savings of maintenance
and leasing achieved through
closing three offices.
Next Step: Ask how a Business Value Assessment with Microsoft or a partner to help understand the impact to your
organization
Government
29. Lync benefits achieved around the
worldBroader, better citizen
services
Social Services workers in
New Hanover County (NC)
use Lync to get immediate
answers to questions while
on customer calls.
Increased information
sharing
The North Wales Police
(UK) recently organized 17
different agencies on Lync to
collaborate on severe
weather plans.
Cost savings
The city of Mantua, Italy
saves €315,000
(~$426,000) per year in
telecommunication costs.
Increased productivity
Barack Obama’s 2012
presidential campaign
enabled more than 2,000
campaigners to work
anywhere in the US.
Environmental benefits
The city of Växjö, Sweden,
reduced its carbon
emissions by 330 metric
tons from reduced employee
travel.
30. www.smartlync.be
Extending Unified Communications Reach
Connecting with Others from Anywhere
Sheryl in her home office at
Contoso (Denver, CO, USA)
John at his office at Contoso,
(London, UK)
Fabian, partner (Sao Paulo,
Brazil)
Lync-Lync
Federation
#1
Microsoft leads the UC market
90
of Fortune 100
companies have Lync
Anne, small supplier
(Singapore)
Casey, customer (Tucson, AZ,
USA)
300M
Connected users
Lync-Skype
connectivity
31. www.smartlync.be
Security with Lync and Skype
Users own accounts
and settings
User-controlled
privacy settings
Communication
modes are controlled
by the user
AE256 for signaling,
Chat and media
Personal archiving
only
Consumer
application
Enterprise design,
interoperability and
controls
Accounts and
licenses belong to
business
Allow Federation per
user, group
Control
communication
modes and domains
by user, group
Supports industry-
standard encryption:
TLS Signaling, sRTP
Media (AES128)
Data-retention
policies set per user,
group
Authentication Access Control Authorization Encryption Compliance
Lync-Skype Connectivity
Extending your Business-to-Consumer
scenarios more securely
32. Real impact for better government
microsoft.com/ongovernment
33. The 2012 Digital Government Strategy aims to “enable the
American people and an increasingly mobile workforce to
access high-quality digital government information and
services anywhere, anytime, on any device.”
92%
% employees
who believe a
video strategy
can save
taxpayers
money
$8
billion
$ productivity
savings if just
50% of federal
employees
used video
conferencing
55%
% of federal
workers who
use smart
devices for
work bring
their own
1.6
billion
by 2016, more than 1.6 billion
smart mobile devices will be
purchased globally
Notes de l'éditeur
Leaders everywhere are looking for breakthrough ways of fuelling local economic growth, expanding access to education and opportunity, and keeping their people safe and secure.
They are looking for ways to make things better .. Fast enough … and for everyone … in their countries and communities. There are big obstacles to overcome and fewer resources to dedicate to essential challenges. And that challenge takes place in a rapidly changing world – with people changing place, migrating to cities at a rapid rate; the global economy changing fast, where today’s young people are preparing for careers they may not yet exist; and fast moving threats, both natural and man made.
First quote (Jan Duffy)- pulled from RIBG Citizen Service Customer Deck Final: According to IDC Government Insights Smart Government Maturity Model, the final stage of Smart Government is characterized by user-centered services. It depends on a 360° degree view of citizens, a public that actively participates, and an administration that listens to and acts on citizen input. The goal is 360° degree citizen services that are centered on a typical event in a citizen's life.” (http://www.idc-gi.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=GI227222)
92% of employees believe a video strategy can save taxpayers money: “Fly Me to Your Room: Government Video Conferencing Collaboration Report”, Teleworkexchange.com, September 24, 2012 http://www.mobileworkexchange.com/uploads/2000/1259-Fly_Me_to_Your_Room_Video_Conferencing_Research_Report_Press_Release_092112_FINAL.pdf
Interest in Lync is huge, based on a recently released report by Infotrack. This year, almost 60% of enterprises (500+ seats) surveyed are deploying or planning to deploy Lync, including enterprise voice, up from 45% last year. The proportion of enterprises with no plans to deploy Lync for voice dropped dramatically, from 21% down to only 7%. Finally, one in four enterprises now report Microsoft as their preferred vendor for IP-PBXs, a number unheard of back in 2010 http://blogs.technet.com/b/lync/archive/2013/10/21/lync-voice-leading-in-enterprise-shipments.aspx
1.6 billion smart mobile devices will be purchased globally by 2016: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/102612-mobile-device-management-gartner-263724.html
Other statistics
60% of companies say most employees use personal devices at work: http://www.avanade.com/Documents/Resources/work-redesigned-research-findings.pdf
62% of executives say they have or are planning to have a BYOD program: Using Peer-to-Peer communities to Drive BYOD Self-Support (Gartner — August 3, 2012)
55% of federal workers who use smart devices for work bring their own: “The 2013 Digital Dilemma Report: Mobile, Security, Productivity – Can We Have It All?”
80% of Fortune’s “Best Places to Work” allow telecommuting for employees: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/11/the-work-from-home-tug-of-war/1979457/
Easy, low-cost ways to connect with citizens make governments operate better.
Leaders expect to easily communicate to constituents, staff:
Improve transparency: With Lync recording features, all government conversations (video, audio and IM) can be saved and posted online for easy worker and citizen access.
Reach citizens: Lync allows government leaders to quickly access more citizens than traditional forms of communication (in-person meetings, mailers, television, etc.). Lync, Skype and Lync Web App allow leaders to connect with citizens anywhere in the world on short-notice via multiple channels (video, audio or IM). Those channels are also cost-effective, helping leaders manage their budgets, reduce travel and increase productivity.
Communicate emergency messages: Leaders can use Lync to send inter-office alerts (e.g., adverse weather warnings, fire alerts, etc.) to targeted workers, or use Lync to organize and deploy emergency responders (e.g., disaster workers, EMTs, etc.).
Save taxpayer money: Since Lync can be used anywhere on any device, leaders save taxpayer money by reducing travel costs, venue-setup fees, etc.
Reduce environmental impact: Since Lync can be used anywhere on any device, leaders reduce governments’ environmental impact by hosting virtual meetings whereby neither they nor citizens have to travel.
Benefits
Engage with more citizens by conducting town halls in any city/state without leaving the office or requiring constituents to travel
Enable local to global cross agency collaboration. (For example, first responders could reduce time and cost by efficiently sharing best practices, collaborating on recruiting, conducting training, and planning for major emergencies)
Achieve greater fiscal efficiencies by retiring PBX systems, and saving on telephony service costs, and office moves
Choose the deployment option that aligns with your operational realities and strategic plans
Workers expect tools, application and devices that work anywhere:
Work effectively: Lync allows workers to connect and collaborate from anywhere on any device, increasing productivity and improving citizen services.
Reach out to the right colleague: Using presence and expert search, workers can quickly resolve issues and answer questions by connecting with the right person the first time. This increases worker productivity (i.e., reduces the time spent searching for answer/expert) and improves citizen services.
Support teleworking: Since Lync can be used from anywhere on any device, workers can work from home or on-the-go. Because of this, governments can hire more people (e.g., stay-at-home parents, people with disabilities, etc.) without increasing overhead. Similarly, workers can access the information they need when they need it, even if they aren’t in the office.
Work in secure infrastructure: Workers can feel comfortable knowing that the data they’re transmitting via Lync and Skype are secure. This is especially important when that data is confidential, and when workers are connecting with citizens.
Integrate with other productivity tools: Lync seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft productivity tools (i.e., Exchange, Outlook, SharePoint, OneNote, Office), promoting effective and enriched collaboration among workers.
Benefits
Offer employees almost-anywhere, anytime, access to colleagues and information across devices and geographies
Enable police departments to conduct remote interviews without either party traveling to see the other
Improve the efficiency and safety of court proceedings by enabling secure video conferencing for mediation/arbitration hearings, screening jurors, obtaining witness testimonies, and holding criminal proceedings with at risk defendants such as current prisoners or hospitalized defendants.
Citizens expect greater access to government:
Simplify connectivity: The Lync-Skype Federation helps citizens easily connect with government officials. Specifically, the Federation allows citizens using Skype to:
Add Lync/government contacts.
See Lync/government presence.
Participate in peer-to-peer (e.g., Skype-to-Lync) audio calls or IM chats.
Improve online government services: Governments can improve their online citizen services (e.g., registrations, license renewals, etc.) by offering Lync-, Skype- and Lync Web App-enabled connectivity. Video calls, audio conferences and IM chats can replace traditional in-person processes, and give citizens an easier way to ask questions and find information.
Resolve citizen issues faster: With Lync, workers can quickly find the right expert to answer citizens questions. With Lync-Skype, workers and citizens can connect to resolve issues without having to travel.
Benefits
Provide secure access to information and citizen and business services almost-anywhere, anytime, and across multiple devices
Enable citizens to complete processes that currently require in-person interaction with government officials, to connect online via video. For example license renewal or paperwork completion
Provide remote translation and interpretation to non-native speaking citizens and increase access to services for all citizens
Lync is able to help all government stakeholders - whether citizens, workers, or leaders - make connections to improve their experience.
Caveat - Today, citizens can connect via audio or video conferencing via Lync Web App (for up to 250 participants) As of Nov. 2013, Lync-Skype connections allow you to add a contact, see presence, and connect with peer-to-peer IM and peer-to-peer Voice. In the future, Lync-Skype federation will support video.
Lync has provided the ability to keep personal contacts from public IM systems for a long time. Lync can enable audio and video chats as well.
Politicians want to get their message out and spent a great deal of time and money meeting with their constituents.
Lync provides the flexibility to hold town hall meetings virtually. The politician does not have to travel and constituents can attend from any location. The politician can invite their constituents via email or direct mail. Constituents can attend by dialing-in on their phones and listening to the audio or using Lync Web App on their computer to get the full audio, video, and presentation.
Product info:
Microsoft Lync meetings bring together traditionally separate components of desktop video, audio conferencing, web conferencing, content sharing, and room-based video conferencing solutions into a single, unified conferencing experience. Lync Meetings provide unified conferencing for two to 250 parties with any combination of:
• Voice communications (audio conferencing).
• Video communications.
• Web collaboration through presentation, joint editing, and control of documents, applications, and desktops.
• Whiteboard, with the ability to cut and paste content of any type.
Diego, the Minister of External Affairs for Brazil, uses Lync to meet with representatives of Brazilian embassies worldwide. Diego often involves other people from the Brazilian government in these meetings. Because of this, Diego’s office doubles as a Lync conferencing room, where he can host multiple people for virtual meetings.
The Lync Room System is an improvement on current videoconferencing system technology.
Common complaints about videoconferencing systems are:
It takes too long to get the meeting started – inevitably it takes 8-10 minutes to get video going
The equipment is underutilized – its easier to use the speaker phone on the conference room table so that is what people do
Remote attendees feel isolated – typically the video shows the content so remote attendees are not visible
Meeting are hard to manage – changing presenters, showing attendees, muting participants, etc. are seldom intuitive
Lync Meeting Room is a console that enables Lync Meeting participants, using designated Lync Room Systems, to connect to function as a video room system while maintaining a consistent and familiar Lync experience. The Lync Room System makes managing a video conference as intuitive as a desktop video session.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/lync/archive/2013/02/19/the-lync-room-system-lrs.aspx
As of Nov. 2013, Lync-Skype connections allow you to add a contact, see presence, and connect with peer-to-peer IM and peer-to-peer Voice. In the future, Lync-Skype federation will support video.
When people performing similar roles are separated geographically and rarely interact they tend to develop their own ways of doing things. Governments would like to enable the adoption of standardized best practices across their organizations.
Lync enables scheduled and ad hoc meetings to share best practices among agency employees.
Ahmed, a building inspector for the city of Dubai, UAE, was not given the correct address to his inspection site. He can click-to-call from his smartphone (Windows, Android, or iPhone) to the office to get directions. When at the site, he connects with a colleague by video. Ahmed uses his tablet to show potential code violations and discuss possible solutions.
Field service workers have the need to be productivity regardless of location. With Lync they have the ability to click-to-call directly from their phone without wasting time typing in phone numbers. They can also direct which device (phone, PC, home phone) to ring based on their location.
As of Nov. 2013, Lync-Skype connections allow you to add a contact, see presence, and connect with peer-to-peer IM and peer-to-peer Voice. In the future, Lync-Skype federation will support video.
Lync is a cost-effective way to conduct training. Presenters can demonstrate techniques live or embed videos in a presentation.
Instructors no longer have to travel and people from multiple locations can attend the session. Sessions can also be recorded and reused.
As of Nov. 2013, Lync-Skype connections allow you to add a contact, see presence, and connect with peer-to-peer IM and peer-to-peer Voice. In the future, Lync-Skype federation will support video.
With soft phone capabilities and presence information, working from home doesn't have to be any different that working at the office. The flexibility this provides can save money and improve employee satisfaction.
Employees may be required to stay home due to a transportation strike, a national medical emergency (like the bird flu in Singapore in early 2000s), large high security event (like the Olympics or a Formula One race), illness, severe weather, or other unusual circumstance. With Lync, workers have the ability to seamlessly work from home which can mean the difference between a lost day and normal productivity.
Companies who encourage a flexible workplace are able to reduce real estate costs by implementing hot-desking and reducing office space requirements.
Lync VoIP capabilities can be used to add to or replace existing PBX equipment. Cost savings are achieved though:
Simplified Maintenance – no longer are expensive maintenance contracts and dedicated PBX specialists required
SIP Trunking – long distance telephony charges can be reduced with SIP Trunking. Larger companies can also take advantage of least cost routing
Moves, Adds, and Changes – now changes are done in software rather than changing wiring. Office moves don’t require any changes when with a soft phone.
Lync Server 2013 provides enterprise voice capabilities through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) that can enhance or replace traditional private bank exchange (PBX) systems. These capabilities include common calling features such as answer, forward, transfer, hold, divert, release, and park, along with Enhanced 9-1-1 calling (E911) for North America, and support for analog devices and a broad range of both IP and USB user devices from partners. Users can access these features over the Internet without using a VPN connection. Features include:
• Voice calls—place voice calls using the Lync client, Lync Phone Edition, Lync Attendant Console, or the Lync mobile client.
• Anywhere access—use Lync calling features from a desktop, laptop, or mobile device all without requiring a VPN.
• Call handling—answer a call or have it forwarded to voice mail, a mobile phone, another public switched telephone network (PSTN) number, or to a delegate assigned to answer calls.
• Device switching—switch devices, for example a headset to speakerphone, without interrupting a current call or without placing a call on hold.
• Visual Voicemail—when Lync is integrated with Exchange Server or Exchange Online, users can receive an email that has a preview of the voice mail. The user can view the voice mail preview in Microsoft Outlook.
• Call delegation—users can delegate call handling to one or more assistants who can perform a number of tasks on behalf of the user, such as screening person-to-person calls, placing calls, and initiating conferences.
• Team calling—simultaneously ring any number of users that a user designates as members of a team.
• Infrastructure interoperability—Lync uses industry standards and published interfaces to interoperate with existing infrastructure.
In addition to the complete telephony capabilities of an IP PBX, enterprise voice is integrated with rich presence, IM, collaboration, and meetings. Personalized speed dialing keys are replaced by contacts lists, and automatic intercom is replaced with IM. Enterprise voice supports high availability through call admission control (CAC), branch office survivability, and extended options for data resiliency.
Lync 2013 has a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based call control architecture and it can interconnect with any standards-based SIP system. In the event that connecting telecom equipment does not support SIP natively, a qualified media gateway may be deployed for protocol translation. Microsoft recommends that third-party telecom systems connecting to Lync should be OIP certified to avoid any support related issues.
Although Lync 2013 is fully capable of replacing an entire voice network, it can also co-exist with an existing PBX environment to form a unified dialing domain that is transparent to end users. Unlike the traditional dial-tone based approach of trunk-to-trunk transfer, Lync 2013 has a unified routing mechanism to deliver diverse communications and collaboration media streams under a single session between two or more endpoints. Lync not only offers these capabilities to its registered users or endpoints but it also provides interoperability with legacy voice/PBX environments.
Salma and Youssef, small business owners in Tangier, Morocco, connect with different government agencies to register their new furniture shop. They begin by populating the required forms online. When they have a question about fees, Salma and Youssef select the “Click to Call” button and are connected to the appropriate agency.
Traditionally, the options for completing tasks were counter service or web access. Lync-Lync Web App can provide a new medium (video chat) that can be more effective for completing applications or getting questions answered.
Putting information online is not enough. Government services can be complex and people frequently need to ask questions before completing forms.
Lync can make government employees accessible with a click or even though a chat box that pops up automatically. By answering questions and enabling citizens to complete forms correctly the first time, the agency better completes its mission and operates more efficiently.
Lync routing capabilities can be used to identify an employee who matches the skill required, the location, and immediate availability.
As of Nov. 2013, Lync-Skype connections allow you to add a contact, see presence, and connect with peer-to-peer IM and peer-to-peer Voice. In the future, Lync-Skype federation will support video.
Recruiting is an important and expensive task. It can often involve flying multiple candidates to a headquarters location for two or three rounds of interviews.
Today, they can connect PC-to-PC audio via Lync-Skype. Or by videoconferencing via Lync (recruiter) and Lync Web App (candidate).
Videoconferencing is one way to reduce the expense of travel while still being able to interact with candidates.
Lync Web App and Skype provide easy ways for candidates to attend an interview. As of Nov. 2013, Lync-Skype connections allow you to add a contact, see presence, and connect with peer-to-peer IM and peer-to-peer Voice. In the future, Lync-Skype federation will support video.
Providing services to people who don’t speak the local language is often a necessary service.
Lync makes this easy by enabling employees to connect with a centralized translation service. Translators can be located with a skill search or distribution list and then added to conversations with one click.
As of Nov. 2013, Lync-Skype connections allow you to add a contact, see presence, and connect with peer-to-peer IM and peer-to-peer Voice. In this case, Lync Web App (not Skype) would need to be used to connect 3 or more people together in a conference. In the future, Lync-Skype federation will support video.
Rather than traveling or using the phone to talk with people located far away, Lync makes it easy to use the Internet. Conference calls can be arranged through the Outlook calendar. Attendees do not need to have Lync. They can join with Lync Web App. The ability to have video is often important to be able to see reactions and body language.
As of Nov. 2013, Lync-Skype connections allow you to add a contact, see presence, and connect with peer-to-peer IM and peer-to-peer Voice. In the future, Lync-Skype federation will support video.
Alternative scenario: Jocelyn, the mayor of Moberly, MO, has been in negotiations with the local police department about wages. Since the two parties have not be able to reach an agreement, they are going to arbitration. Jocelyn and her staff connect with police department representatives and the arbiter, who is located in St. Louis, MO, by video.
President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/apr13/04-03obamalyncpr.aspx
Members of Congress: http://blogs.skype.com/2011/06/23/skype-is-in-da-house-2/
United Nations Refugee Agency: http://blogs.skype.com/2011/10/11/how-humanitarian-organisations/
Emergency.lu: http://blogs.skype.com/2012/04/09/skype-to-be-used-by-emergencyl/
UNHCR and Luxembourg partnership: http://www.fmreview.org/technology/bertout-debourcy-faisal.html
Cut telephony costs – based on City of Mantua. 65% of €315,000 x $1.37 per €1.00 / year / 500 employees = $560/user/year savings. Range is plus or minus 25%.
City of Mantua – http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server/City-of-Mantua/The-City-of-Mantua-Improves-Productivity-and-Communication-with-Microsoft-Lync/710000002553
Reduce Carbon Emissions – based on SEMARNAT. 300 metric tonnes / 3,000 users = .1 metric ton/user or 100kg/user – this is the high end of the range. The low end of the range is based on Leicester City Council with 550 metric tonnes / 15,000 users = .037 metric ton/user or 37kg/user.
SEMARNAT – http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/SEMARNAT/Mexican-Government-Reduces-Carbon-Emissions-with-Communications-Upgrade/4000008678
Leicester City Council – http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/Leicester-City-Council/City-Council-Makes-Significant-Savings-Replacing-Existing-System-with-Unified-Communications/710000001434
Reduce travel costs – based on bfu. 4800 CHF x US$1.10 per CHF 1.00 = $5,300 travel cost savings per month. $5,300 *12/ 150 employees = $424/user/year. Range is plus or minus 25%.
The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu) – http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Office-Communications-Server-2007/bfu/Swiss-Safety-Council-Expects-220-Percent-Return-on-Communications-Investment/4000003530
Lower real estate and facility cost – used Lync business value tool. Average square foot/EE = 250. Average facilities cost per square foot (US) = $21. 250 square feet x $21 x 15% potential reduction in real estate = $787/user/year. Range is plus or minus 25%.
250 square foot/EE from Sprint case study
$21 per square foot are annual lease rates from The Business Case for Telecommuting
15% reduction from Unified Communications Improves Business Outcomes, Lowers Costs, and Enhances Environmental Sustainability
Argyll & Bute Council – http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/Argyll-Bute-Council/Council-Meets-Budgetary-Challenges-Head-on-Through-Flexible-Working-Programme/710000000355
Business Value Assessment
At this stage a customer maybe unaware or unclear of how UC can help their organization. They are developing new business strategies and defining ROI goals however the value proposition for UC is vague or undefined. Alternatively, the customer may have components of UC with various vendors and have developed a limited or skewed definition of UC.
Business Value Assessment
UC Strategy Workshop
Alternative to Telephony cost savings – used Forrester TEI study “The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft Lync Server 2010.” The total for PBX eliminated or avoided cost savings (table 3) was $469,700 over three years for a composite 5,000 employee company. $469,700 / 3 years / 5,000 employees = $31/user/year. Low range = $31 x .5 = $16.
Alternative to Travel cost savings – used Forrester TEI study “The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft Lync Server 2010.” $3,750,000 / 3 years / 5,000 employees = $250/user/year. Low range = $250 x .5 = $125.
Other Government case studies and blogs
City of Mantua - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server/City-of-Mantua/The-City-of-Mantua-Improves-Productivity-and-Communication-with-Microsoft-Lync/710000002553
The cost reduction that the authority will achieve is estimated at approximately €315,000 per year, a saving produced mainly by the reduction in expenditure for telecommunication, which represents 65% of the overall savings. 500 employees
Leicester City Council - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/Leicester-City-Council/City-Council-Makes-Significant-Savings-Replacing-Existing-System-with-Unified-Communications/710000001434
Karen Dallyn, Public Sector Account Director at Risual, which handled the architecture and design of the solution, says: “The alternative solution was to replace the Siemens private branch exchange (PBX) with a traditional IP PBX. The deployment of Microsoft Lync 2010 was not only more cost effective, but also offered better functionality through a single client and seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook and the rest of the Office suite. It also supported the proposed building move and flexible working initiative for staff by giving them access to instant messaging, voice, and collaboration services at any council location or when working from home.”
Kamal Kotecha, Server Manager, Leicester City Council, says “Compared to a traditional IP PBX, Microsoft Lync 2010 worked out to be significantly less expensive, with better functionality provided through a single, integrated client. The savings made in not opting for a like-for-like PBX solution allowed the council to invest in the Microsoft platform.”
Ian Abell, Head of Technology Services, Leicester City Council, says: “By the end of 2011, our green IT programme had reduced carbon emissions by around 550 tonnes a year.”
Adelaide City Council - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010-Enterprise-Edition/Adelaide-City-Council/Pioneering-enterprise-network-telephony-helps-metropolitan-council-reduce-costs-by-75-percent-and-deliver-anywhere-anytime-working/710000001799
“Our biggest saving is in annual telephony maintenance charges,” says David Carroll, ICT Infrastructure and Operations Team Leader, Adelaide City Council. “Even factoring in the cost of our new VX gateways, our net annual phone costs are a quarter of what they used to be.”
“Now, all staff can work easily from home,” says David Carroll, ICT Infrastructure and Operations Team Leader, Adelaide City Council. “In addition, we’ve found it very easy to teach people how to federate, which means that with minimal effort, they can collaborate through Lync with staff in other government agencies.”
“The end result is they travel less,” says David Carroll, ICT Infrastructure and Operations Team Leader, Adelaide City Council. “Staff don’t have to move between offices to attend meetings, so business is transacted faster, staff save time, and the Council saves money.”
San Bernardino County - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Enterprise-CAL-Suite/San-Bernardino-County/County-Promotes-Superior-Service-Reduces-Cost-through-Smart-Technology-Decisions/710000000780
For example, County employees stationed at opposite ends of the county had to drive three hours one-way to attend weekly one-hour staff meetings. “Giving departments effective video-conferencing capabilities through Lync Server 2010 can result in a gain of six hours of productivity per employee per week because now they can easily participate remotely,” says Jake Cordova Division Chief, Information Services Department, San Bernardino County.
Scottish Borders Council - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/Scottish-Borders-Council/Council-Expects-1-Million-Saving-from-Unified-Communications-Over-Three-Years/275000000081
“Staff are already working smarter, travelling less, and finding it easier to work at home or remotely without losing contact with colleagues. They experienced immediate productivity gains of at least 20 minutes a day when adopting Microsoft Lync 2010,” says Gavin Innes, Infrastructure Team Leader, Business and Technology Solutions, Scottish Borders Council.
“By standardising on Lync 2010, we expect the council to save more than £1 million over three years,” says Gavin Innes, Infrastructure Team Leader, Business and Technology Solutions, Scottish Borders Council.
Argyll & Bute Council - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/Argyll-Bute-Council/Council-Meets-Budgetary-Challenges-Head-on-Through-Flexible-Working-Programme/710000000355
The savings achieved from deploying Lync 2010 stem partly from the rationalisation of office space. In Oban, for example, three offices have been closed, which has provided cashable savings on maintenance and leasing costs. The process will be on-going over the next two years.
Through greater use of videoconferencing for meetings and training, the budget for travel and subsistence for employees has been reduced by five per cent in the 2011–2012 financial year, with more savings to follow.
The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu) - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Office-Communications-Server-2007/bfu/Swiss-Safety-Council-Expects-220-Percent-Return-on-Communications-Investment/4000003530
“Fifty percent of our users responded that they would use audio conferencing to avoid travel twice per month. This travel reduction will save the organization about CHF4,800 each month. In addition, employees will gain an additional four hours a month that they currently spend travelling,” says Peter Schönthal Head of Information Technology, bfu
SEMARNAT - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/SEMARNAT/Mexican-Government-Reduces-Carbon-Emissions-with-Communications-Upgrade/4000008678
“With 5 percent of SEMARNAT employees avoiding driving to a meeting each day, we estimate we have reduced carbon emissions by more than 300 metric tons,” explains Vanessa Pantoja Ferzuli Data Services Manager, SEMARNAT
City of Växjö - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Services/City-of-V-xj/Swedish-City-Updates-Communications-Solution-and-Saves-750-000-Annually/4000008674
“It is only a matter of time before we can retire the PBX and no longer have to pay for licenses and maintenance,” notes Per Andersson IT Manager, City of Växjö. “We expect to save more than 2 million SEK [U.S.$300,000] per year by retiring the PBX system.”
Växjö estimates that twenty percent of its workforce travels for meetings and that half of these meetings could be replaced with online meetings. The cost savings for petrol, airline tickets, meals, and hotels is estimated to be more than 800,000 SEK (U.S.$120,000).
Växjö will also save money by reducing hiring costs and reducing costs at its contact center. The savings from these items are expected to exceed 2.2 million SEK (U.S.$330,000).
Travel has environmental impact, and the city expects to reduce its carbon emissions by 330 metric tons by helping employees drive less for work.
Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010-Enterprise-Edition/The-Australian-Communications-and-Media-Authority-ACMA/Regulator-creates-seamless-desktop-smartphone-collaboration-experience-with-unified-communications/710000001025
“Considered purely as a phone system, in our circumstances we have found Lync to be half the cost of a traditional PBX,” says Carsten Larsen General Manager Corporate Services and Coordination, Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA).
The Kennedy Center - http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server-2010/The-Kennedy-Center/National-Performing-Arts-Center-Delivers-Great-Performance-with-Communications-Solution-Upgrade/710000001818
“Retiring the PBX almost immediately saved us seven figures in cost avoidance in keeping the PBX infrastructure up-to-date and adding capacity as we grow,” says Alan Levine CIO, The Kennedy Center.
“Low-cost conferencing and collaboration has made a huge, huge difference for us. We have significantly reduced our use of third-party conferencing services, which directly lowers our costs,” says Alan Levine CIO, The Kennedy Center. “We also know people are traveling and not incurring international calling costs, because they can use Lync 2010 to connect with people.”
“People are embracing teleworking now that it’s so easy to do and transparent to others. A strong teleworking program, largely enabled by Lync Server, has helped us to attract and retain staff,” says Alan Levine CIO, The Kennedy Center.
Broader, better citizen services
New Hanover County (NC): http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Exchange-Server-2013/New-Hanover-County/County-Adopts-Hosted-Services-to-Boost-Employee-Productivity-and-Ease-Compliance/710000003005
Increased information-sharing
North Wales Police (UK): http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ukgovernment/archive/2012/09/03/north-wales-police-deploy-lync-to-save-lives.aspx
Cost-savings
City of Mantua, Italy: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Lync-Server/City-of-Mantua/The-City-of-Mantua-Improves-Productivity-and-Communication-with-Microsoft-Lync/710000002553
Increased productivity
Barack Obama 2012 Campaign: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/apr13/04-03obamalyncpr.aspx
Environmental benefits
City of Vaxjo, Sweden: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Microsoft-Services/City-of-V-xj/Swedish-City-Updates-Communications-Solution-and-Saves-750-000-Annually/4000008674
Slide Objective:
Explain how Skype connectivity gives Lync customers the best of both. It is an integral part of realizing the vision
#1 in Enterprise - Voice Microsoft leading in UC market, now shipping more enterprise voice lines than any other technology company.
Skype is Built for Consumers First: Simple, Self-Serve, Useful, and Fun
The magic of Skype is in its simplicity and self-service nature. It is available on virtually all devices for individuals to download and start communicating within minutes. It enables cost-effective calling to landlines and mobiles around the world, and it boasts a large and active online support community with user-generated content.
With an active community of hundreds of millions of users, Skype is both useful and fun.
Skype is for doing things together, whenever you’re apart.
Skype’s text, voice and video make it simple to share experiences with the people that matter to you, wherever they are.
With Skype, you can share a story, celebrate a birthday, learn a language, hold a meeting, work with colleagues – just about anything you need to do together every day. You can use Skype on whatever works best for you - on your phone or computer or a TV with Skype on it.
It is free to start using Skype - to speak, see and instant message other people on Skype for example.
That said, there are some things to be aware of as a business customer. The simplicity and self-service means that it cannot be managed like a business application. Moreover, services like Microsoft Premier Support and Microsoft Consulting Services are not available for Skype. Likewise, there are no volume licensing or similar purchase and distribution mechanisms. Skype purchases are all pre-paid via credit card or wire transfer. Only standard web-based click-through contracts are available, and, while Skype Manager is a useful portal for centralizing some cross-account management, it is designed for less than 20 users.
To meet the full range of businesses’ needs, an alternative is needed.
Microsoft offers another real-time communication software product, specifically designed for businesses: Lync
Businesses deploying real time communications tools are looking for solutions that deliver flexibility (e.g., in the cloud, on-prem, hybrid), enable Information Workers to be more productive, and provide IT with control and management capabilities to support their individual requirements. Lync provides all of this and more.
Microsoft Lync is an enterprise-ready unified communications platform.
Lync empowers IT administration flexibility and control via Active Directory and archiving and compliance tools, it is an extensible platform with application programming interfaces based on industry-standard technology, and interoperates with other systems and devices.
Lync offers the resiliency, scalability, and critical features necessary to enhance or replace traditional PBX systems.
Lync enables professional online meetings scaling to hundreds of participants.
Lync supports everyday productivity with deep integration with Microsoft Office, Exchange, and SharePoint.
Lync has the option of running as a hosted service or as an on-premises deployment and has many options for customized support, including Microsoft Services Premier Support and a large and growing partner community.
We’ve continued to see tremendous growth with Lync, Skype accelerates the path that Lync is on. With Skype part of the Microsoft family, new possibilities open up for extending unified communications scenarios to hundreds of millions of people, making rich experiences universal for business communications.
Connect Lync with Skype and get the best of both
Lync-Skype connectivity gives Lync customers the ability use the global reach of Skype to connect and collaborate with suppliers, customers, and partners while still relying on the enterprise richness of Lync. Microsoft stands alone in being able to deliver such a combination.
We will continue to invest in Lync to deliver the controls, manageability, and other enterprise-grade features our customers need
Lync (more information at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn342829.aspx)
Planning and design tools: Two tools, Topology Planning Tool and Topology Builder, to facilitate planning and design, and to reduce the chance of misconfiguration.
Topology Planning Tool automates much of the topology design process. You can export the results from the Planning Tool to Topology Builder, which is the tool that is required to install each server running Lync Server 2013. More information at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36823
Topology Builder stores all configuration information in the Central Management store. More information at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398339.aspx
Server-to-server authentication: In Lync Server 2013, authentication can be configured between servers by using the Open Authorization (OAuth) protocol. More information at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj204817.aspx
Role-based access control: Enables you to delegate administrative tasks while maintaining high standards for security. More information at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg425917.aspx
Simplified certificates: The Deployment Wizard can automatically populate subject names (SNs) and subject alternative names (SANs), reducing the possibility of including unnecessary and potentially unsecure entries (see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn342829.aspx).
Trustworthy SDL: Lync Server 2013 is designed and developed in compliance with the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Security Development Lifecycle (SDL). More information about SDL at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms995349.aspx. More information about Lync SDL at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn342829.aspx
Additional information about Lync administrative tools: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg195756.aspx
Skype (more information at http://www.skype.com/en/security)
Robust privacy settings: Skype’s privacy settings let you control who can contact you on Skype, and help you manage your conversation history. You can change your privacy settings to prevent nuisance calls or spam messages, as well as block and report any nuisance contacts. More information at https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA140/how-do-i-manage-my-privacy-settings-in-skype-for-windows-desktop
User profiles: When you create a Skype account, you can provide as much or as little information as you like. Some of the information you provide is displayed to your contacts. Your e-mail address is never displayed. More information at https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA390/who-can-see-my-profile-information-in-skype-for-windows-desktop
Digital certificates: A digital certificate is an electronic credential that can be used to establish the identity of a Skype user, wherever that user may be located. Just like a physical identity document, such as a driving license, a digital certificate must have certain properties in order to be used as a form of identification. More information at http://www.skype.com/en/security/#digital
User authentication: As each Skype user possesses a digital credential, it is possible for any Skype user to verify the identity of any other Skype user. Authentication is a critical step in ensuring secure communications. More information at http://www.skype.com/en/security/#digital and http://www.skype.com/en/security/#identity
Additional information about TLS and SRTP protocols: https://support.skype.com/resources/sites/SKYPE/content/live/DOCUMENTS/0/DO14/en_US/skype-connect-technical-datasheet.pdf
2012 Digital Government Strategy: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/egov/digital-government/digital-government.html
92% of employees who believe a video strategy can save taxpayers money: XXX
55% of federal workers who use smart devices for work bring their own: “The 2013 Digital Dilemma Report: Mobile, Security, Productivity – Can We Have It All?”
$8 billion in productivity savings if just 50% of federal employees used video conferencing: XXX
1.6 billion smart mobile devices will be purchased globally by 2016: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/102612-mobile-device-management-gartner-263724.html
Other statistics
62% of executives say they have or are planning to have a BYOD program: Using Peer-to-Peer communities to Drive BYOD Self-Support (Gartner — August 3, 2012)
60% of companies say most employees use personal devices at work: http://www.avanade.com/Documents/Resources/work-redesigned-research-findings.pdf
80% of Fortune’s “Best Places to Work” allow telecommuting for employees: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/11/the-work-from-home-tug-of-war/1979457/