An increasing number of schools are turning to unified communications (UC) as a way to organize their busy schedules. CDW-G Unified Communications Tracking Poll found that 45 percent of K-12 districts are implementing or have fully implemented UC, up from 31 percent in 2010. K-12 survey respondents cite increased productivity and reduced operating costs as top benefits of UC.
Among the UC features that K-12 staff find most useful are the ability to access work e-mail and voicemail via smartphones, send broadcast messages via e-mail and phone, and receive voicemail via e-mail. One respondent conveyed, “Teachers are able to conduct parent/teacher conferences outside the bounds of normal school hours and the physical school building. This allows the teacher to spend more time with the parents.”
The annual report surveyed 900 IT decision makers in education, government, healthcare, and business to determine where U.S. organizations are with UC adoption, the benefits driving adoption, the challenges hindering progress, and what organizations can do to successfully implement UC.
