ALE's upgraded Alcatel-Lucent OpenTouch Suite for SMB eases collaboration and productivity

• OpenTouch Suite for SMB delivers new voice communications capabilities that promote collaboration, efficiency, and productivity 
• New DECT phones help keep people connected even in the most adverse environments
• New integrated solution helps improve staff productivity and reduce costs, while delivering an enhanced guest and user experience

ALE, operating under the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise brand, is helping small and medium businesses to offer employees a simplified user experience and improved onsite mobility, while creating business continuity with its latest update of Alcatel-Lucent OpenTouch Suite for SMB.

The latest enhancements to OpenTouch Suite for SMB promote increased productivity and efficiency via expanded communication and collaborative tools, and help employees access the company environment anytime, anywhere via mobile applications.

The core of the OpenTouch Suite for SMB is the Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Office RCE release 10.3 converged communication server, which has the following new capabilities:

Voice communications

• The 8018 DeskPhone provides a high-end business-grade feel and design at an affordable cost, with advanced user-friendly telephony features and a full-duplex speakerphone.
• Office employees can transfer calls seamlessly between smartphones and deskphones using near field communications (NFC) technology.
• The IP Softphone is now available for Android tablets and smartphones, enabling enterprises to deploy a consistent softphone platform across all major business systems and devices.

Enhanced onsite mobility

• The entry-level 8212 DECT handset offers SMBs a competitively-priced, cordless, compact, modern design phone with support of both IP and TDM.
• The industrial grade 8262 DECT handset with a ruggedised body and shock-proof screen is ideal for harsh environments, such as construction, manufacturing, and the oil and gas industry. It also offers an integrated man-down, no movement, pull cord and emergency capabilities, so employees stay connected with the rest of the organisation even in a physically adverse work environment. 
• Call history is now available and accessible anytime on the DECT handsets.

Business continuity, additional compliance, and better security

• Support of SIP trunking adds cost benefits.
• Security updates minimise vulnerabilities and maximise uptime. 
• Maintains evolving market standards for Request for Comments (RFC) parameters to assure compliance and interoperability.

Make communications more effective by going visual

Mark McCrindle, Social Researcher, McCrindle Research, speaks at a keynote
during the Tableau on Tour roadshow in Singapore.

Mark McCrindle, Social Researcher, McCrindle Research, says visualisation is one of the best ways to communicate today. In his keynote at the Tableau on Tour conference in Singapore, McCrindle said: "Great content, poorly presented, doesn't have an impact.

"We live in a visual world, we are visual people...We process visuals far more quickly, that's why safety messages are always in visual form."

According to McCrindle, Excel spreadsheets may convey data, but visuals do it more effectively. He praised the visuals available from the Department of Statistics (SingStats) in Singapore - "(they've) got more infographics than I have ever seen on any statistical website in any country" - and shared some of the infographics from the SingStats site during his keynote.

McCrindle also pointed out that communication is changing as different generations speak a different language. Generation Z in particular is extremely mobile, digital, and visual in terms of information is processed, he said. Interactive data is the type of data that they respond to, he noted.

"In this decade we have entered the great screen age, and this has changed the way we process information," he said. "If we want to connect with a global, mobile, social generation we have to find new ways of communicating."

Other factors that contribute to effective communication include relevance and responsiveness to change. "It's data storytelling," he explained.

A selection of slides from McCrindle's presentation:

The visual element in 'research', 'insight' and 'foresee'. 

Some of the visualisations available on Singapore's Singstats website.

The three symbols that Gen Z are most afraid of.

An example of a visual sign which is now outdated, and hence irrelevant for visual communication. The stylised figure of a swimmer with hands up in distress can also be read as the popular social media acronym LOL, or 'laugh out loud'.

Interested?

View infographics from the Department of Statistics, Singapore
View visualisations made with Tableau Public
Get a free trial of Tableau

Read the TechTrade Asia blog posts about building a Smart Nation and empowering users with data visualisation

Hashtags: #data16, #smartnation

How leaders foster an open workplace

Workplace engagement prospers when open communication and relationships are strong. Forrest Bell, an outsourced sales and marketing firm based in the UK, highlights that being open in the workplace means having the capacity to talk freely, (yet respectfully and constructively) about needs, opinions and concerns as well as being able to listen receptively to (rather than just hear) new ideas, questions and feedback.

The firm believes that having a culture of openness is hugely beneficial in the workplace because it helps to build trust and advance initiatives, activity and projects that involve more than just one person. It also ensures transparency and simplifies how things are done in an ever-changing business environment.

Forrest Bell has listed key techniques that a good leader can use to encourage openness within their team:

Don't assume people hear what you say
Forrest Bell believe that it's totally acceptable to ensure the other person got your message clearly by asking something like "So what do you think of that idea…" or "Any initial thoughts on how we proceed with this…"

In return, don't assume you hear what the other person said. Forrest Bell recommends checking with the other person to validate what you think you have heard using phrases like "Let me make sure I've got this right…" or "So what I'm hearing you say is…"

Be honest, but do it skillfully and tactfully
Blunt, straight-talking managers frequently close down relationships leading to loss of productivity and motivation. Instead, Forrest Bell recommends that the leader ensures they express their message in a manner that people will be receptive to by using techniques such as making the audience the starting point of conversation, asking for feedback on an idea and if there are any issues to address. Never blame or accuse but instead encourage a problem-solving exercise.

Encourage employees to express their needs
It's better for employees to open up and articulate their needs as opposed to keeping them under wraps and trying to meet them at the expense of others. This can be done via proactive feedback in 1 on 1 sessions or in a group setting such as monthly meetings. Forrest Bell believes it's important to give thanks and recognition every time. Forrest Bell's Managing Director Rebecca Bell strongly believes in this exercise and often runs 1 on 1 meetings, breakfasts or dinners with the team to make it possible for them to express their needs.

Remove judgment
Forrest Bell believes that in most cases what the other person is saying is true for them. The firm suggests not judging prematurely or saying something without thinking, even if you disagree or know what they are saying is inaccurate. Let them finish and then talk it through. This will maintain trust and ensure they come back to you next time rather than going to someone else.

'Walk the job' on a regular basis, but don't encroach on people
Forrest Bell advises leaders to stop by and ask their team how they are or if there is anything they can do because this shows them that they genuinely care. One of the mottos of the company that is regularly used in passing is that, 'People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.' If something is on their mind they will be more than likely to bring it up and then you can schedule a time to talk it through. However, invading their workspace and talking specifics will appear blunt and micromanaging – even if you have good intentions.

posted from Bloggeroid

EU-ASEAN Business Council welcomes Joint Communication on EU-ASEAN partnership

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission have adopted the Joint Communication The EU and ASEAN: a partnership with a strategic purpose. The Joint Communication aims to boost EU-ASEAN relations, providing a clear framework for sectoral cooperation.

Key proposals and commitments in the Joint Communication include:

· Taking trade relations with ASEAN to a different level and working towards an ambitious region-to-region free trade agreement (FTA) building on bilateral agreements between the EU and ASEAN member states;

· Stepping up cooperation on connectivity by exchanging lessons learned and by mobilising the financial means and expertise to support ASEAN efforts, including on the single market and through negotiating a civil aviation agreement;

· Strengthening collaboration on climate change and initiating a new, dedicated EU-ASEAN policy dialogue on environment and sustainable development;

· More than doubling EU financial support for ASEAN integration (to 170 million Euros) which comes on top of the 2 billion Euros for ASEAN member states;

· Implementing an extensive package of new initiatives in the area of non-traditional security (maritime security, disaster management and crisis response, transnational crime, training courses on preventive diplomacy, crisis management, mediation, the rule of law and election observation).

The Communication dovetails closely with EU-ASEAN Business Council’s policy priorities. EU-ASEAN Business Council Executive Director Chris Humphrey said: "This is testament to the importance of the ASEAN region as a key driver of the global economy. ASEAN and Europe are natural partners and are undertaking their own processes of economic integration. Europe is the largest investor into ASEAN, and is the region's second largest trading partner. This new commitment will build on the already strong trade and investment relationship. The EU-ABC looks forward to working closely with the European Commission to make the commitments in the Joint Communication a reality".

Microsoft introduces Skype for Business

Microsoft is bringing Lync and Skype together with Skype for Business. In a blog post announcing the move, Gurdeep Pall, Corporate VP for Skype at Microsoft, said that the company is "bringing together the familiar experience and user love of Skype with the enterprise security, compliance and control from Lync to create the most loved and trusted communications platform for doing things together".

In the first half of 2015, the next version of Lync will become Skype for Business with a new client experience, new server release and updates to the service in Office 365. "We believe that Skype for Business will again transform the way people communicate by giving organisations reach to hundreds of millions of Skype users outside the walls of their business," Pall said.

Skype for Business will feature Skype icons for calling, adding video and ending a call, as well as the Skype call monitor, which keeps an active call visible in a small window even when a user moves focus to another application.

The new application will also improve on existing Lync capabilities, including content sharing and telephony. "Lync already offers instant messaging and audio calling with Skype users. Skype for Business adds video calling and the Skype user directory making it possible to call any Skype user on any device," shared Pall.

Current Lync Server customers can update from Lync Server 2013 to the new Skype for Business Server in their data centres, while the update will be transparent to Office 365 customers.

To learn more about how Skype for Business will help people be more productive, read the Skype Garage Blog or the Office Blog. An introductory video to Skype for Business can be viewed here.

*Images from the Office Blog.

Real-time collaboration tips for communications nirvana

Source: Tata Communications. Bartolo.

Today’s employee is expected to leverage on information to be more productive and make better decisions, but the sheer volume of information available and the lack of tools which can easily locate and make use of that information are twin challenges that need to be addressed, says Anthony Bartolo, Senior Vice President, Unified Communications & Collaboration, Tata Communications.

“While enterprises don’t lack tools for communication, very often, the problem is fragmentation at the level of the individual desktop. No single application or platform encompasses all needs: search, knowledge management, workflow and collaboration. In addition, where collaboration tools do exist, they frequently stand alone or are proprietary tools,” he explained.

Unstructured data remains locked up in documents like emails and images that cannot easily be located or used, Bartolo added. “Whether it involves locating a document or an excerpt, searching for information is often a deeply frustrating process,” he said.

There is a lot of potential for solutions that help workers become more productive with access to the right information, in the right context and at the right time, Bartolo observed. “The potential for ubiquitous real-time collaboration inside enterprises as well as with customers and partners, using voice, video calling, instant messaging and data, remains vast,” he said, listing several examples:

i) Global collaboration: collaboration platforms allow enterprises to bring together internal teams and to work together more effectively with their partners and customers, regardless of location constraints

ii) Bounded co-creation: companies can solve more challenges and do so rapidly, by integrating trusted partners, customers, collaborators, contractors and freelance workers into tightly-knit, ad hoc teams

iii) Workflow collaboration: giving employees the ability to discover internal experts and partners who can improve their performance by sharing knowledge on the go

iv) Sharing tacit strategic knowledge: by allowing access to recordings of past meetings and presentations, companies can make life easier for team-mates, new employees and newly promoted employees alike

v) Sharing tactical knowledge: for example, by popularising wikis containing employee-generated guidelines, workarounds, what-if scenarios, hints and tips

vi) Recognition: widely-used collaboration platforms can be used to recognise and thank colleagues and partners for their work

vii) Recruitment: social media is a great external recruitment tool. Social collaboration platforms inside the enterprise can help managers and HR executives to identify candidates for staff projects or promotion

viii) E-learning: in the academic world, universities are starting to capitalise on the potential of massively open online courses (MOOCs), to extend teaching activities far beyond campus-based lecture halls. Enterprises can do the same, developing their own collaborative learning courses, free from the constraints of time zone and location
“All these elements together create my kind of communications nirvana,” said Bartolo. "While we do not have the tools to achieve all this today, it truly is within reach now."

Find out more about turning communications nirvana into reality here.

Browsers poised to increase business productivity with WebRTC

If you've visited websites on the Internet on your phone or your computer, you very likely have used a browser. Common ones include Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla's Firefox, as well as Safari on the iPhone.

While they were built to visit websites, some companies believe that they can do a lot more, and simplify our lives in the process. According to Tata Communications, the right functionality added into browsers would allow any business to add new features that would help employees become more productive.

"Despite some welcome advances, the majority of us are still struggling with parallel and separate communication platforms. Most startling of all, integration with workflow internally - and especially externally - remains the exception rather than the rule," said Anthony Bartolo, Senior Vice President, Unified Communications & Collaboration, Tata Communications, listing instant messaging, telephony, video conferencing, voice-mail, email and text messaging as some of the platform examples.

New browser-based functionality such as WebRTC could provide a shortcut to creating communications features that will work on any device, allowing access to the shared information anywhere, said Bartolo. 

Made publicly available, or 'open sourced' by Google in May 2011, WebRTC is today an industry-wide effort to transform browsers into hubs for real-time* communication. WebRTC is already found in the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox. 

Businesses can make use of WebRTC to allow employees to call each other via video or voice, or conduct instant chats from within their browsers. There would be no need to source for, or install separate software as is required today, and employees would be able to collaborate in the way that works best for them.

"If enterprises want collaborations to succeed, they need to listen to their employees and understand their needs and to experiment persistently. Like a start-up, IT departments developing collaboration tools for the enterprise need to launch minimum viable products and watch to see what works and what doesn’t. Increasingly, the reduced costs associated with API-based development will allow enterprises to work this way," Bartolo predicted.

While WebRTC is still in its early stages, software developers are taking notice, Bartolo said. "I am confident that open, well supported, APIs are the missing link enduring developers to focus on what really matters: building collaborative tools."

To find out more about the world of communications – past and present – and how APIs are about to become the game-changer, download a white paper from Tata Communications here. 

*Responses to real-time communications occur immediately, similar to a face-to-face conversation, against relatively delayed communications such as email or postal mail, where responses will not be received until after the message is opened.