SlideRocket by VMware has announced an integration of its online presentation tools with Google Drive, Google’s cloud storage and collaboration service. SlideRocket, a full set of content authoring tools, now works with Google Drive to help people create, collaborate and share stunning, media-rich presentations from their Google Drive.

“Together with Google, VMware is helping individuals and businesses embrace new technologies for collaboration in the cloud era,” said Chris Norton, regional director, Southern Africa at VMware. “People are turning to the cloud for a better way to collaborate and tell their stories. Google Drive and SlideRocket let users upload, store and create presentations with dynamic content, analytics and seamless collaboration that takes advantage of this new way of working.”

With SlideRocket, users can collaborate to create and deliver dynamic presentations to any type of audience. Incorporating real-time data from sources like Google spreadsheets, Twitter live feeds, Flickr and YouTube, SlideRocket presentations update automatically and dynamically with the most current information coming straight from the original sources.

“Giving Google Drive users the ability to build and collaborate on great presentations from anywhere using SlideRocket is a huge leap in productivity for our users,” said Scott Johnston, group product manager at Google. “We’re excited to have SlideRocket as a Google Drive launch partner.”

Google Drive users now have direct access to all SlideRocket features and applications. They can easily share presentations with other Google Drive users and any audience at any time. Google Drive users can initiate presentation creation with SlideRocket through Google Drive and are automatically provisioned to use SlideRocket whenever they are invited to collaborate on a presentation. From within a SlideRocket presentation, users can collaborate with Google Drive users and manage presentations and applications from a single location to access documents and materials—presentations, spreadsheets, PDFs, photos, videos and presentation resources on the web.

Additional Resources:
Users can install SlideRocket from the Chrome Web Store
Watch SlideRocket’s Presentation News Release
Read SlideRocket’s blog post announcement

Industry’s Broadest Wi-Fi Portfolio Gets Stronger with the Highest Performance, Highest Capacity Three-Stream and Most Affordable Entry-Level 802.11n APs for Carriers and Enterprises

Ruckus Wireless have announced the industry’s highest capacity three-stream (ZoneFlex 7982) and most affordable dual-stream (ZoneFlex 7321) 802.11n Smart Wi-Fi access points for carriers and enterprises requiring increased wireless performance, capacity, unparalleled ease of use and greater business value — particularly within high-density environments.

Available immediately, the Ruckus ZoneFlex 7982 and ZoneFlex 7321 enhance the high and low ends of the Wi-Fi market, making Ruckus the industry’s leading supplier of enterprise and carrier-class Wi-Fi with the richest collection of indoor and outdoor solutions in performance, design, and price point.

“The new ZoneFlex 7982 and 7321 Smart Wi-Fi access points were developed for enterprises and telecom operators face similar pressures from myriad of new users armed with wireless-only mobile devices, accessing a richer mix of multimedia traffic,” says Michael Fletcher, Sales Director for Ruckus Wireless Sub-Saharan Africa. “Meanwhile, mobile wireless usage is continuing to shift indoors. Within enterprise environments, the majority of Wi-Fi use is inside buildings during working hours. And for operators, network analysis has shown that the majority of mobile data usage, close to 80%, is indoor and nomadic, rather than truly mobile.”

Delivering consistent performance and maintaining stable connections within such high-capacity environments – and to smart mobile devices that constantly change their location and orientation – have become major concerns. The simple variation of a device’s orientation can account for up to a 5x performance degradation among Wi-Fi products unable to adapt to such changes.

The Best Wi-Fi Money Can Buy
Designed to solve these growing problems, the ZoneFlex 7982 and ZoneFlex 7321 integrate a unique collection of technologies not found in any other Wi-Fi system. These unique capabilities increase signal gain, mitigate RF interference and allow each ZoneFlex AP to adapt to the changing nature of Wi-Fi signals from each connected mobile device.

The Ruckus ZoneFlex 7982 is the only three-stream 802.11n access point to combine dynamic polarization diversity with adaptive antenna arrays and transmit beamforming technologies to give customers up to a 4x improvement in Wi-Fi performance, signal gain and reception.

The ZoneFlex 7321, the industry’s most affordable dual-stream 802.11n access point, is well suited for emerging markets and single AP deployments – not only where the demand for mobile Internet services is also rising but where tighter economic constraints on network investments dictate a balance toward lower cost over sheer performance.

Raising the Bar at the High End
Designed for high-capacity environments, the ZoneFlex 7982 is the only dual-band, three-stream 802.11n access point equipped with a patented, dual-polarized adaptive antenna array. This allows the simultaneous operation of adaptive antenna selection and transmit beam forming, to deliver up to 9dB of signal-to-interference and noise (SINR) improvement and up to 15dB of interference mitigation.

Ideal for high-traffic locations such as hotspots, airports, stadiums, schools, hotels and public venues, the ZoneFlex 7982, based on the latest generation Atheros three-stream high-performance chipset, is capable of supporting up to 500 concurrent clients, offering a 2x to 4x increase in performance and range, and a 4dB improvement in receive sensitivity over alternative access points.

In competitive three-stream testing by Ruckus, the ZoneFlex 7982 performed up to four times faster than other three-stream products at all distances. The tests were conducted in a university environment, measuring aggregate TCP throughput in real-world, non-line of sight conditions across the 2.4 and 5GHz bands simultaneously to a three-stream Apple MacBook Pro located at 30, 60 and 120 feet.

To ensure enhanced mobile device performance, the ZoneFlex 7982 is the only three-stream 802.11n AP that dynamically sends and receives Wi-Fi signals at different angles (polarizations). When used with maximal ratio combining (MRC), a method where more receivers are used to gather signals from each channel and add them together to get the best result, the use of polarization diversity can yield an addition 4dB of effective receive sensitivity. By combining MRC with polarization diversity, the ZoneFlex 7982 is able to capture the full signal of mobile devices even as they vary their orientation. This gives carriers and enterprises the unique benefit of stable connectivity at higher speeds delivered to mobile and moving devices at greater distances – particularly important for tablets and smartphones that tend to remain in constant motion.

Raising the Bar at the Low End
Within an ultra lightweight (7oz./198gm.) and compact footprint (5”Lx 5”Wx1”H/ 13cm L x 13cm D x 2.8cm H) the ZoneFlex 7321 supports up to 256 concurrent users and brings a new level of price/performance to the value end of the Wi-Fi market. The industry’s most feature-rich and affordable entry-level 802.11n AP, the ZoneFlex 7321 is dual-band selectable, making it ideal for smaller, single AP deployments such as hotspots, SMBs and remote offices as well as in emerging economies requiring more affordable, robust solutions.

Unique in its class, the 7321 supports transmit beamforming and capacity-driven channel selection to deliver high performance and extended range with up to4dB improvement in signal gain.

ChannelFly, supported on all Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi access points, is a capacity-driven channel selection technology that learns the channel capacity environment in real time to ensure the best channel selection and interference mitigation in areas with Wi-Fi congestion. With ChannelFly, maximum throughput is delivered to clients at all times through innovative network-wide channel plans that maximise spectrum re-use, and two-stream client performance is greatly improved.

Both ZoneFlex 7982 and 7321 support standard 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) and can be deployed as either standalone wireless routers or as part of a centrally managed Smart WLAN.
In addition, both products support a variety of advanced features including bandsteering, airtime fairness, and predictive, capacity-drive channel selection (ChannelFly). When used with ZoneDirector, the ZoneFlex 7982 and 7321offer a wide range of value-added applications such as SmartMesh networking, client load-balancing, time-based broadcasting, dynamic per-user rate limiting, guest networking, hotspot authentication, wireless intrusion prevention and dynamic pre-shared keys.

More than half of businesses that have already adopted or are planning to adopt virtualization technology have no intention of implementing the relevant security for their virtual environments. This alarming figure came to light following a recent survey on virtualization by O+K Research. The survey was conducted among IT professionals working in medium and large businesses that already have virtual infrastructure in place or plan implementation in the near future.

Conducted in March 2012, the survey reveals that the level of virtual infrastructure adoption is high. In particular, 62% of European companies are currently implementing or have already implemented server virtualization, 35% plan to implement a virtual desktop infrastructure and 33% plan data storage virtualization. The survey also indicates that experience of using virtualization technologies is considerable: in Europe this figure is slightly less than two years.

42% of European professionals working in IT believe that the security risks in a virtual environment are lower or significantly lower than those for physical infrastructure. The more justified perception of virtual security risks being at least equal to those in a physical environment is shared by 36% of IT pros.

The level of adoption of specialised security technology in virtual environments is alarmingly low. 55% of European companies are either not interested in agent-less security solutions for virtual infrastructure or interested, but not planning to adopt it. Only 18% of European companies have confirmed the implementation of such security for their virtual infrastructure.

The low adoption level of virtualization-specific security solutions cannot be explained by their complexity. As an example, the recent Kaspersky Security for Virtualization solution from Kaspersky Lab is fully compatible with the VMware platform and is easy to deploy thanks to its agent-less approach. The solution is installed as a security appliance for each physical host, and automatically protects all virtual machines running on it. There is no need to install and maintain the security solution on a virtual machine itself. At the same time, Kaspersky Security for Virtualization can be integrated into the wider IT security infrastructure where physical and virtual machines as well as mobile devices are protected and centrally managed by Kaspersky Lab’s solutions.

“This survey shows that the perception of virtual security risks among businesses worldwide is alarmingly unsound. We believe that virtual infrastructure has to be treated with the utmost attention in terms of security, and failure to do so could result in significant damage,” warns Konstantin Voronkov, Senior Product Manager of Virtualization Solutions at Kaspersky Lab. “We also see that most companies are simultaneously facing security issues in both virtual and physical environments. That is why Kaspersky Security for Virtualization provides specialised agent-less security for virtual environments and integrates with Kaspersky Security Center, the management console designed to handle security challenges across the entire corporate infrastructure.”

You can learn more about Kaspersky Security for Virtualization at: http://www.kaspersky.com/security-virtualization
Learn more about security for virtualization at Kaspersky Lab’s ‘Be Ready for What’s Next’ website: http://www.kaspersky.com/beready?sitepref=global

The East Africa Outsourcing Summit will be held in Nairobi from 5 to 6 June 2012. The event is hosted by international business-to-business conferencing company, Kinetic Events in proud partnership with the Kenyan ICT Board.

Over the past decade the Information and Communications Technology sector has been among the major catalysts for economic growth within Africa. The sector has seen on average an estimated annual compound growth rate of 40% within the last five years. In particular, East Africa’s business sector showed significant improvement in 2011.

In a recent Global Competitiveness Rankings report, Kenya has moved up four places in ranking to 102nd with its innovative capacity at an impressive 52nd. The economy is largely supported by its financial markets, developed by international standards.

In Kenya, the ICT and mobile sectors have improved on average by over 20% annually over the last 10 years. The East African ICT sector continues to attract global attention as a potential driver of fundamental change more specifically within business process outsourcing.

With a global spotlight on East African business process outsourcing, The Kenya ICT Board is aiming to move the ICT sector forward with various key initiatives already in place. It is evident that opportunities in BPO and contact centres within the country are now in ideal condition to fully deliver on their promise.

The summit will act as a platform for both existing and potential players in the out¬sourcing space in East Africa to network and gain insight from the major outsourcing regions. With a focus on global trends to underpin what it takes to achieve the market penetration and recognition, Kenya needs to develop as an outsourcing hub, which will support the development of a strong information technology industry.

The strategic summit will explore the alignment of people, process and technology; offering insight into the solutions available to contact centres today, assisting companies in the negotiations and selecting the tools best suited to their needs. Attendees will be able to engage in interactive conference sessions and educational workshops designed for quality time and interaction with peers.

For more information, to apply to attend, for comment or photographs, visit www.eaosummit.com or contact Shaunei Meintjes on +27 21 555 0866 or shaunei@kineticevents.net. Follow @ITLeadersAfrica and @KineticEventsSA on Twitter for daily updates and news feeds.

Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content and threat management solutions, has announced that it has won the ‘Best Antivirus Software’ award from leading Malaysian ICT magazine PC.com for the fourth consecutive year.

The PC.com Readers’ Choice award is voted upon by readers and recognises the users’ favourite vendors in all areas of IT. Commenting on the award Harry Cheung, Managing Director of Kaspersky Lab APAC, said: “Malaysian consumers have embraced Kaspersky security solutions and their continued support inspires our brand to keep improving in terms of protection, accuracy of detection, speed, user-friendliness and more by combining the power of the cloud and the PC with hybrid protection. We do this so that our users are always protected against threats and so that we will always be their number one choice.”

Kaspersky Lab currently holds approximately 60% of the personal information technology software market in Malaysia and is looking to increase its market share in 2012. According to Mr. Selva Rajan, the publisher of PC.com magazine, the recognition comes as no surprise. Kaspersky Lab is famed for its impressive performance in delivering cyber protection and has built up a strong base of dedicated and appreciative users who have voted it as their ‘Best Antivirus Software’ for the fourth consecutive year.

“Congratulations to Kaspersky Lab on its achievements in meeting the needs and demands of Malaysian consumers when it comes to antivirus software. Kaspersky’s commitment to achieving its goal of being the region’s top security solution is one that other brands should emulate,” said Selva Rajan.

Leading Telecommunications Services Provider, Airtel Nigeria (http://www.airtel.com) has been ranked the best operator for good quality of service by the Nigerian Communications Commission based on the Commission’s Audit Report for March and April, 2012.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/airtel.jpg

According to the results published on the NCC’s Corporate Website, Airtel Nigeria recorded impressive performances when compared with the commission’s target on four crucial parameters namely Call Set-up Success Rate (CSSR), Call Completion Rate (CCR), Drop Call Rate (DCR) and Traffic Channel Congestion (TCH).

The tests showed that of the four major GSM operators in the country, Airtel recorded the best performances in Call Completion Rate (CCR) and Traffic Channel Congestion (TCH) in the period and high ratings on CSSR, an indicator that measures the ease in which calls are established or setup just as it rated the company high on DCR, a metric that captures an operator’s ability to retain call conversation when it has been established or set up.

Speaking on the NCC’s QoS result, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Rajan Swaroop described the report as an eloquent testimony to the company’s commitment to the improvement of quality of service, adding that the company is extremely passionate about building a robust and resilient network that will empower more Nigerians to fulfill their telecommunications needs.

“We began the journey of building a network with the best quality of service about 18 months ago. I am glad today that our efforts have started yielding positive results. But this is just the beginning; we will not relent in actualizing our vision of being the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians. We will continue to delight telecoms consumers with a robust network and innovative products and services,” he said.

This year, Airtel has embarked on several improvement initiatives including coverage expansion, capacity and quality enhancement.

Airtel Nigerian recently launched the largest 3.75G network in Nigeria with coverage in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Distributed by the African Press Organization on behalf of Bharti Airtel Limited.

Colour is surprisingly absent in classroom handouts, according to a survey commissioned by Xerox of students aged 8 to 18. In fact, seven in ten noted that very few or none of their handouts have pictures (72%) or charts or graphs (69%) in colour.

Colour has been shown to have an impact on comprehension, and students agree. A majority who receive copies at school believe that words or pictures in colour would help make schoolwork more interesting (77% agree, including 26% who strongly agree) and homework more fun to do (70% agree, including 25% who strongly agree).

The surveyed students indicated that colour materials are particularly effective for more complex subjects, with 58% saying they would learn more in science if materials were in colour.

This survey was conducted online in November 2011 in the US by Harris Interactive on behalf of Xerox, among more than 1000 students.

“With shrinking budgets, colour printing does not have to be cost prohibitive,” says Leah Quesada, vice president, marketing, enterprise business group, Xerox, represented locally by Bytes Document Solutions. “There are affordable options like the new ColorQube 8570 and 8870 Colour Printers, which creates documents inexpensively on a wide range of media, including recycled paper. With the right tools in place, colour can be maximised in the classroom to the benefit of the students.”

To help schools affordably manage their print costs, Xerox offers the Hybrid Colour Pricing Plan, which automatically analyses the amount of colour used in a document and charges accordingly.

Amidst new communications technologies that are making our world smaller and enriching our personal lives, it is easy to forget that the energy spurring on this progress is not available to billions of our planet’s inhabitants.

“This population does not fixate on status updates, RSS feeds, or texting while driving, as there are few personal cars to drive, and rarely a network to which to text. There is only a daily struggle to eat, develop their families, and improve their lives – without any meaningful access to energy and all of its benefits,” says Gys Snyman, vice president: Energy Efficiency at global specialist in energy management, Schneider Electric South Africa.

Meanwhile, dependence on carbon-based economic growth is driving the most climate pressure exactly on those benefiting least from new technologies. “If the electric utility system is one of mankind’s most significant engineering achievements to date, creating a new and sustainable energy model needs to be our next triumph, and it cannot come soon enough,” he adds.

“At Schneider Electric South Africa, we believe these two issues are linked. Access to energy for all frees the intelligence and creativity necessary for developing a new energy paradigm. Through technological innovation, social policy, medical research, and more, each generation has left a legacy of improvement for its children – until now. Now we have one lifetime to dramatically change the way we create, distribute, and consume energy. Succeed, and our contributions will set a standard for millennia. Fail, and we will be the shame of our grandchildren’s grandchildren.

“So while we text, tweet, and find friends like never before, let’s not forget that the planet’s energy system is a closed loop. When coal dug in South Africa drives energy consumption in China to make goods for Europe, resulting in particulate emissions over Los Angeles, we are clearly all connected in one energy system. Therefore, a new approach to energy is a new approach to our progress as a race. Spend less today, share more tomorrow.”

Solving the energy challenge requires a behaviour change and new technological approaches. And since a true solution requires more than the latest component, it’s no wonder new intelligent energy companies are uniting systems, data management, and energy visibility in ways that were unimaginable a decade ago.

According to Carl Kleynhans, country president at Schneider Electric South Africa, the company’s response to today’s energy challenges is EcoStruxure. “It is an architecture that delivers active energy management from power plant to plug, across all the domains of an enterprise: data centre management, power management, security management, building management, and process and machine management – integrated and optimised for maximum efficiency.

“EcoStruxure is not a product but rather an approach to creating intelligent energy management systems.”

The solution allows users to “see”, measure and manage energy use across an entire enterprise, with guaranteed compatibility between the management of power, IT, process and machines, building control, and security.

“The fact is, with the EcoStruxure architecture you can achieve up to 30 percent savings on capital and operational expenses across your entire enterprise. When you use less energy for the same or better economic results, you win, your customers win, and the planet wins.

“Keep the savings, reinvest it, or distribute it to your shareholders, but know that when you deploy EcoStruxure your efforts are shared with those suffering from energy poverty. For areas in India and Africa, for example, this translates to access to education, modern medicine, and improved quality of life for potentially billions,” says Snyman.

Considering that five members of the European Union, plus Japan and South Korea, all use significantly less energy per person than the United States, yet their economies are strong, Snyman makes a very real and valid point.

“Individuals, corporations and countries need to work together and learn from each other to make a difference today,” he concludes.

Bidvest company, Océ South Africa has announced that its VarioPrint 135 and VarioPrint 6320 devices have been named as the winners of the Buyers Laboratory LLC (BLI) new PRO Awards, honouring the best-in-class monochrome production print devices tested.

Both awards in the monochrome arena went to Océ, with the VarioPrint 135 winning in the light- to mid-volume production category, and the VarioPrint 6320 Ultra taking the trophy in the high-volume production category.

As the leading independent tester of hardware and software for the document imaging marketplace, BLI has unmatched expertise in evaluating production devices and the key aspects of their performance, says David Sweetnam, head of European Research and Lab Services for BLI. “In the highly competitive and complex world of production print, choosing the most suitable device for your workflow is a tough task. BLI’s comprehensive production test suite makes the task easier by revealing how these devices actually perform in real-world workflows, which is often a far cry from what a vendor’s brochure might lead you to believe,” he says.

BLI’s field evaluations entail three full days of intensive testing during which tens of thousands of impressions are printed, from 30,000 to more than 150,000, depending on the model. Devices are tested for productivity with coated and uncoated media in a wide range of weights and sizes and using various finishing options, simulating a wide variety of real-world job scenarios. BLI technicians evaluate image quality, including production of halftones, text and fine lines, plus density levels and variations in density, providing buyers with invaluable advice on best practices “pre-flight and in-flight” for achieving optimum output and productivity.

BLI also assesses media-handling capabilities in terms of the paper sizes, weights and capacities supported; media catalogue integration; and inline finishing support. In addition, the test includes an assessment of ease of use for setting up, submitting and managing jobs; loading paper and toner; switching out operator-replaceable consumables; and removing misfeeds.

BLI technicians have produced more than 22 million impressions, both in the lab and in the field, in the years since the firm began testing production devices and have learned what separates the best from the rest of the pack. It is the best in each category that BLI recognises with its inaugural PRO Awards.

“We are extremely pleased to have won both BLI PRO Awards and with the acknowledgment these powerful black & white systems, co-developed by Canon and Océ, are receiving. The latest awards follow hot on the heels of the prestigious iF Product Design Award that the Océ VarioPrint DP Line won. These awards underline the commitment of the compelling combination of Canon and Océ to continuously improve their products so that they meet a range of requirements spearheaded by the customers’ business needs,” says Dave Clark, managing director at Océ South Africa.

Océ VarioPrint 135 sets image quality benchmark for its class

Winner of the PRO Award for “Outstanding Monochrome Light- to Mid-Volume Production Device”, the Océ VarioPrint 135 gave a stellar performance in its intensive three-day test period during which 87,841 impressions were printed.

“The Océ VarioPrint 135 produced the best image quality in default settings of models tested to date, including smooth halftones and crisp text and fine lines,” says Sweetnam, commenting on the unit’s selection as a PRO Award winner. “In fact,” adds Sweetnam, “in the two years since BLI began its field testing of production units, the VarioPrint 135 is the first device to receive the rarely-awarded five-star rating for image quality, as well as for an unprecedented five out of six image quality sub-categories.”

Equally impressive are the unit’s paper-handling capabilities, with WYSIWYG loading for all trays and a seamlessly integrated media catalogue, that facilitates setting up custom media, switching between media, and managing changing media demands over the course of a day. The machine is also much less prone to error than competing units and offers excellent queue management capabilities, the same job scheduler screen display as on the Gemini series products, and a new WYSIWYG pre-flight job-ticket adjustment capability.

Capable of running 24-hour shifts with no downtime, thanks to its multi-stacker tray design and uninterrupted paper and toner refill, the fully configured Océ VarioPrint 135 can run unattended for nearly three hours, producing 23,600 double-sided A4 impressions (two-up on A3) before requiring attention, which is significantly more than most competitors.

“The VarioPrint 135 delivers users a level of production efficiency, workflow intelligence and consistent quality output that is unmatched in the production printing marketplace today,” says Clark. “We are pleased to be recognised by BLI for our dedication to successfully deliver the next generation of monochrome digital presses without sacrificing performance and reliability.”

Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra allows super-fast duplexing

Winner of BLI’s PRO Award for “Outstanding Monochrome High-Volume Production Device”, the Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra, which produced 163,802 impressions in its evaluation, is the latest in the series of production devices using Océ’s patented Gemini instant duplex printing technology, which involves imaging both sides of the paper at the same time using dual-imaging organic photoconductor belt and fuser modules. With advertised maximum throughput speeds of 157 impressions per minute in simplex mode and 314 impressions per minute in duplex mode, it’s also the fastest in the family.

“With its single-pass duplex system, the Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra not only achieves super-fast duplex speeds, but also has the simplest paper path of models in the marketplace,” notes Sweetnam. “Unlike with rival devices,” he explains, “there is no need for reverse direction clutches, flipping of sheets or reverse collation of tabs or inserts, all of which help minimise the impact of media size, weight and type on image registration and reliability and reduce the occurrence of operator errors.” The benefit of this simple paper path was demonstrated during BLI’s extensive 10-million-page test of the 250-ipm VarioPrint 6250, the 6320′s sister product, in which the unit proved to be highly reliable and not a single job from the wide array of complex production-class jobs was produced incorrectly.

“Ease of use and operator productivity are also key strengths of the Océ platform,” Sweetnam adds, “with WYSIWYG media handling throughout, an excellent device control panel providing efficient job and queue management capabilities, and a unique scheduler function that allows operators to anticipate any need for intervention from across the print shop long before it will be required, helping to reduce device downtime.”

The unit’s very good output quality has a pleasing matte finish similar to that produced by offset/ litho presses. What’s more, the Screenpoint tuning capability in the print driver adds a selection of custom brightness and contrast settings that give the operator more control over output appearance than with the previously tested VarioPrint 6250.

“We are extremely proud that the Océ VarioPrint 6320 Ultra has received the coveted BLI PRO Award,” says Clark. “Rather than simply putting two print engines together, Océ developed a real perfecting press. Both customer feedback and the BLI tests prove that this was the right decision, with high marks for the image registration accuracy, media flexibility, intrinsic printer reliability and low energy use of the system.”

Contact centres are a logical starting point for any company implementing a unified communications (UC) strategy as a means of significantly increasing the efficiency of agents by reducing the time they spend finding answers to customer questions.

International research reveals that more than 10 percent of the calls handled in the contact centre require input from employees with the knowledge to field specific or technical questions from callers.

“Such calls waste time and reduce agent efficiency,” says Pommie Lutchman, CEO of contact centre solutions provider Ocular Technologies. “Bringing the contact centre into the company’s overall UC strategy empowers call centre agents to immediately check the availability of the employee with the specialist knowledge and obtain the required input at a few keystrokes or a mouse click.”

Where more complex customer issues are concerned, UC technology speeds up and simplifies the conference call process to a point where the agents may not have to call the employee with the required knowledge, conference the customer into the call and make an introduction before transferring the call.

“Instead, the agent could transfer detailed notes about the issue at hand to the knowledgeable employee with the call, shortening the transfer process and avoiding anyone having to repeat the information,” adds Lutchman.

The benefits of UC include reduced call handling times and reductions in the associated costs. However, Lutchman points to the value UC delivers to customers as the most important benefit.

“The real value lies in increasing first call resolution accompanied by a decrease in the amount of time customers spend on hold. This has a great impact on customer satisfaction and the old adage that a happy customer becomes a loyal customer applies. Satisfied customers conduct follow-on business and recommend the company to their family and friends. High customer satisfaction translates into profit growth.”

UC delivers benefits beyond employee productivity. Lutchman says the technology provides a means by which companies can move forward into a space where every customer-facing process improves markedly and the customer interaction results in enhanced customer loyalty. Typically companies will reduce problem resolution cycles and boost cross-selling and up-selling of products and services.

“Ultimately customers will be able to contact the right person with the right expertise at the right time, using their preference of communication channel whether it be Internet, e-mail or telephone,” adds Lutchman.

Contact centre applications can be fine-tuned to more efficiently access knowledgeable employees, pinpoint their availability, monitor and coach their interactions with customers and agents, track and report on the frequency of interactions with skilled, knowledgeable employees and the type and success levels of those interactions.

“Taking contact centre capabilities into the enterprise increases the company return on technology investment, significantly improves customer service and satisfaction, elevates customer loyalty and increases revenue, the ultimate goal of unified communications for any contact centre.”