Microsoft Corp., which agreed to buy LinkedIn Corp for $26.2 billion in cash on Monday, is clearly strengthening its real-time cloud-based unified communications (UC) suite for enterprises with the purchase of the professional networking site even though its earlier acquisitions of similar companies like Lync, Yammer and Skype indicate that integration will hold the key to a successful outcome.
UC tools from companies like Cisco Inc, Avaya Inc, Google Inc, Facebook Inc and Microsoft offer integrated data, video, and voice, allowing users to access a variety of communication applications such as e-mail, SMS, video, fax, voice, and others through a single user mailbox. UC also allows for scheduling, workflow, instant messaging and voice response systems, and provides the integration through multiple devices, be it your desktop, laptop, cellphone or even a wearable.