Yesterday, at a client vendor presentation, I was reminded once again how confusing Unified Communications (UC) licensing models can be to clients trying to understand their options.

Therefore, in today’s installment, I am going to spend some time explaining a two phase approach you can take to better understand your organization’s users’ needs, and how they align with different UC license structures.

Phase 1: User profiling, quantification, and applying a growth factor

First, start by categorizing your users into well-defined groups based on their needs. Afterwards, quantify how many users are in each group.

Below is a sample of questions you should consider when defining your work groups:

• Do you have employees that are office centric (non-mobile)? An example of this may be employees within the accounting department.
• Do you have employees that frequently move throughout your building or a number of buildings in a campus environment? An example of this would be IT or Maintenance staff.
• Do you have sales staff that are required to travel? This profile group is often termed “Road Warriors.”
• Do you have senior staff that collaborate with colleagues, vendors and/or clients on a regular basis? This profile group is often termed “Knowledge Workers.”

Continue along this process until you have identified all types of staff working in your organization with special attention to mobility requirements and collaboration activities. After profiling and quantifying the number of staff per group, apply a growth factor to estimate the number of employees over the next 1-5 years. It is important to apply this growth factor because it will enable you to obtain a more accurate quote from your vendor. This will prevent having to ask for additional funds for more licenses which can lead to delays, and possible criticisms from your peers/management in not obtaining an adequate supply in your initial purchase.

Phase 2: Understanding UC licensing models

Once you have completed your profiling, become familiar with the manufacturers different licensing models and what features are offered with each unique license. If you are already committed to a particular manufacturer’s platform, it’s best to understand their licensing structure. I will explore some of the unique approaches to UC licensing provided by the top Unified Communication (UC) providers: Cisco, Avaya and Microsoft.

If you are a “Cisco Shop,” a key component of Cisco’s UC licensing model is based on the number of devices an individual requires. For example, support staff might only have basic needs such as a desk phone with UC access from their computer, therefore a less expensive Enhanced User Connect License (UCL) is all that is required. Whereas, a senior manager/director that sometimes works from home and wants the same experience across all devices (iPhone, iPad, and desk phone) would require the Unified Workspace Licensing (Standard or Professional). This license offers mobility functionality and will support up to 10 devices for a single user. Both the Standard and Professional workplace license offer mobility functionality and will support up to 10 devices per a single user. The key difference is, the Professional license allows users to host WebEx sessions.

Avaya’s license model is slightly different with a 3 step approach that builds on an entry point license known as the “Foundation Suite.” This license is most suitable for most office type workers. The next license level, “Mobility Suite,” is suited towards users that are considered to be mobile (“Road Warrior” profile) or virtual users. This license includes a strong package of mobility applications required for such a user. The “Collaboration Suite” provides audio, web, and video conferencing in addition to the features and capabilities of the Foundation and Mobility Suite. This license would align nicely with the user that fall under the “Knowledge Worker” profile.

Lastly, the Microsoft Lync licensing works as follows:

• Lync Standard Client Access License (CAL) allows for Instant Messaging, Presence and PC to PC audio and video. This is a good entry point for UC licenses.
• Lync Enterprise CAL builds on the Standard CAL and provides the user with audio, web and video conferencing. This license would be more appropriate for “Knowledge Workers” because of the expanded collaboration elements.
• Lync Plus CAL adds voice telephony services. This removes the need for a traditional PBX, allowing you to run IP phones and connect to the PSTN through gateways.

As you can see, it can become quite complicated familiarizing yourself with the various manufacturers’ licensing models that are available in today’s market. In our practice, we spend a significant amount of time helping clients align their needs to the correct license.

Stay tuned for my next post on Assessing Your Infrastructure.

Emily Nielsen,
UC Specialist & President of Nielsen IT Consulting Inc.

UC Strategic Planning Blog Series – Table of Contents

Having a plan is the first step to leadership. Follow our eight week blog series to learn key actionable items that are crucial to developing an effective UC Strategy for your company.

• Part 1a: UC Considerations
• Part 1b: UC Considerations Continued
• Part 2: The Importance of a Unified Communications Strategic Plan
• Part 3: The Discovery Process
• Part 4: Defining Your Vision
• Part 5: Identifying Corporate Requirements
• Part 6: Identifying UC Applications
• Part 7: Infrastructure Assessment
• Part 8: Final Thoughts