<p>With the sales team at one end of the video link and the account manager poised to do a system demo, this client presentation is going to be a breeze. You can even see the technical architect at her desk, ready to respond via instant messaging in case the team needs her input. The client logs on, and everything is set. But it doesn't start well.</p><p>The video is pixelated, the audio has an annoying delay, and the screen sharing software seems to have crashed completely. Even though your unified communications (UC) tool says the technical architect is available, it's taking ages for her messages to get through.</p><p>After 20 minutes of trying, the client calls off the meeting. UC could have been a slick way to showcase your company's products and services, but poor video and audio quality have a negative effect on your brand and it can cost you sales. No network professional wants their network to be the reason why the company doesn't hit its targets this year, which makes investing in quality monitoring products a must.Monitoring for UC performance</p><p>Monitoring your UC environment is critical if you want to ensure that your users get a good quality experience when they collaborate over voice and video. Standard application performance monitoring (APM) and application-aware network performance monitoring will help you do more than simply monitor performance. The tools available can track configuration changes, provide reports, and help you identify problems before your end-users even notice that anything is wrong. With remote troubleshooting capability, your engineers will be off the road for longer, saving money. Other business case benefits include full auditing capabilities and cost savings through proactive, automated testing after deployments, upgrades, and changes.</p><p><a href="http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/unified_communications/unified-communications-101-uc-monitoring-tools.html">Keep reading...</a></p>