<p>Purchasing UC systems is easy. The tough part for IT is selling UC to corporate management, and again to the employees who will use it.</p><p>Network communications is constantly evolving, with unified communications (UC) the latest incarnation. In some ways UC is entirely predictable, and in others it's a frustrating work in progress. These days, IT faces major challenges, and while the prospects of deploying UC appear exciting, the realities of moving it forward with a do-more-with-less budget are daunting.</p><p>Management demands greater accountability, and IT no longer has carte blanche for introducing new technologies. UC is particularly problematic, because it may not solve a specific problem that is costing the business money or creating pain points. Rather, UC provides a platform that integrates a set of communications applications to support a wide range of business processes. That's a pretty generic value proposition, requiring a creative ROI analysis that management may or may not buy into.</p><p>How do you get the green light from corporate management for your UC project? You need others in the organization to share in your vision for UC. That may lead you to call on new skills that may be outside your comfort zone. Aside from having a firm grasp on the underlying technology, you'll need to wear the hats of both buyer and seller.</p><p><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/becoming-a-unified-communications-salesman/d/d-id/1113383">Keep reading...</a></p>