As we enter our final week of publication for this Network World blog, today we’ll look at how real time communications technologies such as WebRTC, Microsoft’s Skype for Business, and collaboration will factor into what comes next for unified communications.

WebRTC and other real time protocols including Object Real Time Communications (ORTC) that eliminate the need for plug-in software to function will have a lasting effect on unified communications. As noted in the 2015 WebRTC State of the Market Report, over half of businesses are already using WebRTC or plan to use it in 2015, and over three-quarters of respondents will use it next year and beyond. However, these protocols won’t replace UC platforms; rather they will complement UC solutions that are already available today.

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We’ve looked back at how VoIP and convergence have evolved over the past 15 years: in part one of this series, we outlined the early days of VoIP from 1995 to 2000, then tracked how VoIP evolved into unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) between 2010 and 2015 in the second part of this report. Today, we’ll look at three factors that will shape the future of UC&C’s evolution over the next five years including cloud, mobility, and video.

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In part one of this history lesson, we noted that by “Y2K”, VoIP was alive and well in the long distance carrier market, beginning its journey into replacing legacy PBX voice systems with an IP-PBX. Supplemented by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), the IP PBX brought new capabilities to enterprise voice services including features such as the ability to integrate directories, softphones, and presence management.

The session border controller (SBC) was born, initially to offer voice carriers a meet point for VoIP calls as a means to set up and tear down calls. The SBC soon evolved into a gateway device to allow interoperability between calls that used different signaling protocols that included SIP, H.323, and MGCP. SBCs eventually added performance monitoring and management, also helping to solve VoIP security concerns with techniques such as stateful packet inspection. As enterprises added IP communications systems, the SBC found its way into corporate networks as a useful interface between the enterprise and carrier VoIP and IP networks.

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Lifesize, a division of Logitech, has announced a new WebRTC powered app that provides a calling platform for anyone using Google Chrome. The Lifesize Cloud Web App gives access to the Lifesize Cloud collaboration services including HD video, chat and screen sharing for all.   Because WebRTC uses native browser support, app enables connectivity without requiring any software downloads. At launch, the app works with a Chrome browser with the capability expanding to other browsers, including Internet Explorer and Firefox in the near future.

Lifesize also announced that its cloud service, now offers a voice- and content-only web conferencing mode, eliminating the need for third-party web conferencing services; the new addition offers provides screen collaboration with up to 40 participants.

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Adobe Connect announced that its upcoming Version 9.5 release scheduled to roll out this fall will add new features including support for HTML5 and local MP4 conversion. The new release also included some additional reporting capabilities.

Support for HTML allows users to import HTML5 learning content from Adobe Captivate and Presenter into an Adobe Connect virtual classroom; instructors who have moved from Flash eLearning content to HTML5 can continue to import their courses.

On a request from customers wanted to convert their recordings themselves without having to use a paid service, Adobe Connect 9.5 will enable local conversion of Adobe Connect recordings (including recordings made prior to the 9.5 upgrade) to MP4 files. The MP4 conversion process enables users to control the quality and size of the output, including four presets to set the quality from mobile to full HD.

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At the end of this month this Network World blog will retire, so we’d like to dedicate part of the remaining editions to look back over the past 15 years- and look forward to the evolution of real time communications.

When we started this blog 15 years ago as a digital newsletter, VoIP was old enough to go to kindergarten, with about the same coping skills as a five year old human—functional but not yet ready to take over the world. After all, VoIP got its start in 1995 as a technology that offered computer-to-computer voice calls using a microphone and speakers. There was no “signaling” per se on those first calls; users would call each other on the PSTN to establish a voice-over-data call between their computers. Over time, H.323 and associated ITU-T standards would set the foundation for voice codecs and signaling protocols.

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Apple and Cisco announced a partnership to create a fast lane for iOS business users by optimizing Cisco networks for iOS devices and apps, integrating iPhone with Cisco enterprise environments, and providing unique collaboration on iPhone and iPad.

In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “iOS is the world’s best mobile platform, and nearly every Fortune 500 and Global 500 company today has put iOS at the center of their mobile strategy. iPhone and iPad have become essential tools for the modern workforce and are changing the way work gets done. Together with Cisco, we believe we can give businesses the tools to maximize the potential of iOS and help employees become even more productive using the devices they already love.”

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ShoreTel has announced the launch of ShoreTel Connect featuring a single platform and user interface that provides business communications from the cloud, onsite or a hybrid combination of both. The service is available using three deployment options. In separate announcements, ShoreTel also introduced new features and upgrades for contact center environments.

With ShoreTel Connect ONSITE, customers own, maintain and control their platform including IP PBX telephony services, ShoreTel desk phones, and applications such as a client app, mobility application, a collaboration suite, and a browser-based administration portal. ShoreTel Connect CLOUD is a fully hosted and managed end-to-end UCaaS solution, offering the same services and features as the premise-based solution. ShoreTel Connect HYBRID provides onsite customers with cloud-based applications delivered via the cloud such as ShoreTel Fax and ShoreTel Scribe (voicemail transcription.)

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ADTRAN has launched its Virtual Network Function (VNF) solution suite, offering telecom and cable service providers a way to transition customer premises equipment (CPE) solutions to virtualized, software-based networks. The move comes as carriers are shifting away from legacy computing platforms, copper-based delivery, and TDM voice infrastructures-- moving toward IP services delivered over fiber that are supported by virtual, software defined network elements.

The solution suite includes a customizable set of VNFs, designed to help service providers improve the efficiency, performance and costs of a typical network function virtualization (NFV) deployment.

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We sat down recently with Richard McBee, the Chief Executive Officer at Mitel to get his take on where the unified communications (UC) industry sits today and to ask for his insights about forward-looking trends. At the mid-year point for 2015, Mitel showed modest overall revenue growth compared to the same period in 2014, but it did show impressive growth results for its mobile business and cloud business units. Mitel was also positioned as a leader for UC in Gartner’s magic quadrant in a report released earlier this month.

Earlier this year, Mitel acquired Mavenir- helping the company achieve year-over-year revenue growth of 35% according to McBee. Mitel’s cloud business also grew 21% by adding 235,500 new cloud seats in the quarter, bringing its total cloud installed customer base to over 1.6 million users.

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Truly Wireless has partnered with Bandwidth to offer business users managed calls on their smartphones, moving away from the company’s previous cloud-based communications provider to now integrate with Bandwidth’s network and platforms. Truly Wireless provides a voice platform that is specifically built for a 3G/4G wireless network, enabling business-grade communications services on any smartphone with a cellular connection. Bandwidth owns an all-IP voice network and it has partnered with others including Google, Skype, and Republic Wireless to offer communications features and services.

Enterprises using Truly Wireless can download an app onto any iOS or Android device, sign in with their business account and use the native business-centric calling features. The Truly Wireless team selected Bandwidth to provide core voice technology based on a tested success rate close to 100%, along with Bandwidth’s direct-to-carrier APIs. Truly Wireless offers four tiers of services, with different feature packages starting at $9.00 per user per month.

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The 2015 Webtorials State-of-the-Market Report covering WebRTC was released today, providing insights and qualitative analysis on how IT professionals are using WebRTC today and how they plan to use it in the coming year. The survey, fielded in March 2015, asked 191 IT professionals about WebRTC plans and perceived trends. Data was collected to highlight the perceived benefits and barriers to introducing WebRTC, as well as to show who IT managers will seek out for WebRTC support and services.

One significant difference compared to 2014 results for a similar survey was a decrease in the number of respondents who had heard of WebRTC but still had no plans to use it. Unlike 2014 when near-term support for WebRTC remained the greatest among small businesses and larger enterprise, support for WebRTC in 2015 is more evenly spread based on business size, with an uptick in support among mid-sized organizations.

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FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler recently proposed a set of guidelines that start the update process to regulate telephone companies as they make their transition from a legacy TDM voice infrastructure to IP-based real time communications platforms. Wheeler recognizes -- as we pointed out a year ago in this blog that the when it comes to the transition from PSTN to VoIP, the industry has far more regulatory questions than answers and that a public policy debate is much needed. Wheeler’s rules will be up for consideration at the Commission Open Meeting on August 6.

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8x8, a cloud-based unified communications and contact center solutions service provider, announced a new set of analytics as part of its Virtual Contact Center (VCC) portfolio. VCC Analytics features are included in a new VCC release.

The cloud-based analytics are designed to offer operational insights and workflow optimization capabilities to improve agent performance offering four separate top line views identify relationships and trends that competitive offerings cannot uncover today with existing dashboards. VCC views show performance across all groups and queues so managers can to monitor agent performance and see when increased call volumes start triggering abandoned calls.

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Dell Software has announced a new release of its Unified Communications Command Suite, which adds analytics reporting for Office 365 for Exchange Online and Cisco Unified Communications Manager to Dell’s cross-platform analytics and diagnostics solution. UC Command Suite works with various UC communication platforms, providing information and analysis such as usage trends and chargebacks along with which offices, departments, and cities are using specific platform features so businesses can determine where to increase investment and where to eliminate platforms not being used.

With the new release 8.1, Dell offers analytics and diagnostics across both Microsoft Exchange and Lync—a valuable feature set given the increased adoption of Office 365, and with Exchange 2016 on the horizon. The new Office 365 native support provides insights into email usage and trends to help enforce communication policies.

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Today, we’d like to highlight some recent insights on unified communications (UC) from Gary Audin at Delphi Inc. as he discusses the pros and cons of cloud-based UC solutions. In a second piece, Daniel Teichman a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Sonus Networks, writes about the real-time service quality implications when deploying enterprise voice services using SD WAN.

In his note about Unified Communication (UC) in the cloud, Audin offers a dozen reasons organizations may want to stay with an on-premises system. Audin’s analysis also offers a matrix that addresses the features, pros, and cons of a hybrid solution that incorporates both premise-based and cloud systems.

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Unify announced the availability of its collaborative Platform-as-a-Service (cPaaS) based on the Circuit SaaS solution. Circuit, formerly known as Project Ansible, is an enterprise WebRTC based team communication and collaboration cloud service by Unify. The Circuit platform provides mobile collaboration and communication, high-quality voice and video, real-time document editing and management, messaging and file sharing into a single view.

Unify’s addition of the new collaboration platform is designed to help developers create extensions within the Circuit application to integrate business, document and messaging solutions. Developers can use Circuit’s WebRTC services such as HD video and audio conferencing in any application or web page. Circuit APIs are available for free to all independent developers, ISVs and system integrators who register for access.

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Ingate Systems has upgraded its portfolio with enhancements to its SIParator/Firewall hardware and software line of Enterprise Session Border Controllers (E-SBCs). These updates are designed to offer new functionality and support growth, and are accompanied with a new licensing and pricing structure intended to simplify product selection.

With the new release, the SIParator/Firewall S52 E-SBC replaces the S51, S56 and S66 with one hardware platform designed for mid-sized enterprises. For smaller organizations, the SIParator/Firewall S21 has been upgraded to support up to 400 sessions; the previous version supported up to from 50 sessions. The S52 manages up to 2,000 concurrent calls. A software-based SIParator/Firewall E-SBC for virtual machines can be licensed for up to 2,000 concurrent calls.

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Oracle Communications has released four new products as part of its network function virtualization (NFV) portfolio designed for communications service providers (CSPs.) The latest NFV additions include the Oracle Communications Session Border Controller, Oracle Communications Converged Application Server, Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper, and Oracle Communications Policy Management.

The Oracle Communications Session Border Controller helps CSPs provide secure and reliable fixed line and mobile services, with the latest release offering a virtual network function (VNF) capable of running on a variety of hardware platforms. It is designed to help service providers more quickly respond to changing traffic volumes and introduce new applications and services more quickly by automating the building and deployment of session border controllers.

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Mitel announced a series of enhancements to its MiContact Center portfolio at last week’s Call Center Week conference held in Las Vegas. Mitel intends to use these enhancements to expand its position in the growing contact center market.

Upgrades to Mitel’s MiContact Center include:

• A new release of MiContact Center Solidus, providing multi-language multimedia capability, along with support for multiple email SMTP servers. This release also offers an improved integrated interaction workflow designer, searchable chat/email history and social and enhanced blending for common agent handling of all media types.

• Expanded scalability of MiContact Center Enterprise Edition, replay capability, and multimedia-based customer service support for multimedia agent forecasting and multimedia agent scheduling.

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