Are you considering the switch to a Unified Communications (UC) platform for your enterprise? If so, you’re in good company. This all-in-one approach to business communications is being adopted by a growing number of technology-based organizations. Voice, data, audio/video conferencing, instant messaging, security, real-time presence and advanced collaboration applications all share the same powerful corporate network in a UC environment. It’s highly cost efficient and practical to meet today’s business challenges.

Unified Communications is often accredited with enabling enhanced productivity. The Microsoft Lync UC platform, for example, is a leading solution that offers integrated collaboration and communication features that can help your organization become dramatically more efficient. Adopting the Lync UC platform can be a path to business transformation and enhanced competitive advantage. Implementing Lync however is best done through careful planning. Take these steps to achieve the results you want:

Engage the right Partner

Implementing Unified Communications is a complex undertaking that involves fundamental changes to your enterprise infrastructure. All your communications are involved. Lync relies on your enterprise infrastructure and can expose deficiencies inherent in the network resulting in poor voice quality. That’s why you will benefit from engaging the services of an experienced Lync UC implementation and application integration business partner.

Selecting the right business partner with deep experience leading business transformation based on the Microsoft Lync UC platform can make all the difference.

Install the right monitoring tool

Ultimately, the Quality of Service (QoS) your users experience will determine the success or failure of your Lync deployment. One way to equip your network operations center for success is to provide the ability to analyze QoS on any voice session in your UC environment in real time by adding the Nectar suite of IP performance management solutions to your installation.

Nectar Converged Management Platform ™(CMP ™), the core of the Nectar solutions suite, enables support staff to quickly isolate the root causes of any quality issues affecting voice sessions in converged IP environments. The software improves service delivery across integrated voice, data, video and application solutions by providing critical performance information while also allowing users to manage, monitor and proactively troubleshoot converged networks. Best of all, the Nectar solution helps support staff reduce the time to problem resolution by 70% or more. And with the addition of the Unified Communications Diagnostics (UCD) module, the unparalleled diagnostic power of CMP encompasses Lync UC deployments.

Nectar has been selected by Microsoft to be a Microsoft Depth Partner, which signifies the power and technical expertise Nectar brings to Lync performance monitoring. Nectar CMP is qualified by Microsoft as being fully interoperable with Microsoft Lync Server 2010 and 2013, and is also the first solution to be fully compatible with the Lync SDN API.

The UCD module of Nectar CMP optimizes Lync UC service management with automatic correlation of all IP network session, content and topology data. The software allows operations staff to capture and recreate the entire “end-to-end” Lync experience with accurate root cause analysis. Quality problems can be identified, diagnosed and resolved 70% faster, without the need for traditional costly probes. In addition, the software provides sophisticated diagnostics with real-time and historic trend analysis data for improved network management and capacity planning. The end result is higher service quality, higher user satisfaction, and a more successful Lync business transformation.

If you want to ensure a successful business transformation with Lync Unified Communications, start by engaging the services of an experienced partner, then add real-time performance monitoring from Nectar. It’s how to gain the comprehensive insight needed for fast problem resolution, lower TCO and a superior user experience.

Watch UCD in action here.