Unified Communications

Among U.S. businesses, nearly half expected their investments in unified communications technologies to grow relative to their overall IT budget in 2011. Although definitions of unified communications continue to evolve, it includes the core elements of email, web conferencing, unified messaging, video conferencing, audio conferencing and IP communications. CompTIA provides a number of resources for solution providers to understand and enter this growing field.

Channel Training Sessions

Channel training classes, presented by industry leaders, cover a practical, how-to approach to building a successful unified communications business. All classes can be taken in-person, and many can be taken online. For a complete channel training class schedule, see our channel training calendar.

• Executive Certificate in Unified Communications (Foundations)
• [+] Quick Start Session to Audio-Visual Integration Opportunities

  • Quick Start Session to Audio-Visual Integration Opportunities

    How does an IT services provider get started if they are interested in leveraging the opportunities presented by the convergence of AV and IT? This session seeks to answer this question by covering the information introduced in the Quick Start Guide to Audiovisual Integration Opportunities, a copy of which attendees receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to IT Partnerships for the Audiovisual Integrator

  • Quick Start Session to IT Partnerships for the Audiovisual Integrator

    Do you have a customer who needs help with online events or online education platforms? Or maybe you have a few customers who want to extend high-definition streaming video out to all types of mobile devices? Are you considering partnering with an IT service provider to be able to provide this type of solution to your customer? What criteria are you using to select a partner? This session seeks answers to these and other partnering questions by covering the information in the Quick Start Guide to IT Partnerships for the Audiovisual Integrator, a copy of which attendees will receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to IT Partnerships for the Telecom Agent

  • Quick Start Session to IT Partnerships for the Telecom Agent

    Do you have a customer looking to integrate their phone systems with video? Have you considered partnering with an IT service provider to provide a complete solution for that customer? Or perhaps you have a customer who wants to extend their soft phones out to notebooks and tablets? Who would make the best partner? How do you evaluate them? This session seeks answers to these and other partnering questions by covering the information in the Quick Start Guide to IT Partnerships for the Telecom Agent, a copy of which attendees will receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Telecom and IT Partnerships

  • Quick Start Session to Telecom and IT Partnerships

    What does an IT solution provider need to know to successfully partner with a telco agent? This session seeks to answer this question by covering the information introduced in the Quick Start Guide to Telecom and IT Partnerships, a copy of which attendees receive at the conclusion of the session.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

• [+] Quick Start Session to Unified Communications

  • Quick Start Session to Unified Communications

    Do you have a solid plan for delivering UC solutions to your customers? If not, this 45-60 minute presentation walks you through the requirements for getting a unified communications practice off the ground. Learn the actionable steps and best practices developed by experienced industry professionals. Session attendees also receive the CompTIA Quick Start Guide to Unified Communications.

    Find Channel Training Sessions through our Course Locator

Channel Training Guides

Channel training guides walk solution providers through understanding and selling unified communications solutions. Self-study guides range from quick-start introductions to an in-depth 10-week guide to building a unified communications practice.

Our basic training guides are available to download for free.
Our 10-Week Guide is available to CompTIA members only.

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Unified Communications

  • Quick Start Guide to Unified Communications

    Do you have a solid plan for delivering UC solutions to your customers? If not, this guide walks you through the requirements for getting a unified communications practice off the ground. Learn actionable steps and best practices as developed by experienced industry professionals.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Audio-Visual Integration Opportunities

  • Quick Start Guide to Audio-Visual Integration Opportunities

    What were once standalone audiovisual (AV) technologies – projectors, display devices, sound systems – have be- come interconnected, subsequently transforming how we collaborate and communicate. Connecting these technolo- gies – and the data that passes between them – relies on the networks and other technologies traditionally provided by the corporate IT department. This guide introduces AV as an upsell opportunity for IT services providers and describes the integration opportunities in vertical markets such as education and healthcare, and even in the con- sumer market (residential homes and small office/home office settings). Topics in this guide include technologies AV partners need to understand, growth markets and how to leverage traditional IT skills.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to IT Partnerships for the Audiovisual Integrator

  • Quick Start Guide to IT Partnerships for the Audiovisual Integrator

    As reliance on interconnected audiovisual (AV) technologies for everything from business collaboration to technical training has grown so has the convergence of AV and IT services. In addition to existing audio and visual work, as an AV integrator there are opportunities to push into IP-based video conferencing, telepresence, mobility and more. The challenge: You may lack the IT-oriented team members to push into those markets. The solution: Partnering up with the right IT service providers. This Quick Start Guide offers suggestions for choosing the right partners, including what to look for in a partnership and the key types of providers to engage and why.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to IT Partnerships for the Telecom Agent

  • Quick Start Guide to IT Partnerships for the Telecom Agent

    The worlds of telecom and IT services are converging. Chances are, you see IT services revenue opportunities all the time but as a Telecom Agent your team may not have the skill set to fulfill those customer needs. One solution: Partner up with skilled IT service providers to win more business. This Quick Start Guide offers guidance on what to look for in an IT services provider partner, such as their track records, financial health, and customer base. It also explores different types of IT service providers to engage and why, for instance the mobile expert who can collaborate with you to help customers extend soft phones to tablets or the video conferencing provider looking to marry phone systems with video.

    

• [+] Quick Start Guide to Telecom and IT Partnerships

  • Quick Start Guide to Telecom and IT Partnerships

    Gone are the days when your telephone was your telephone and your computer was your computer. The ongoing convergence of the industries built around these technologies reflects the converged functionality of the products themselves. In this guide, IT solution providers gain new information about successfully partnering with telco agents. Some of the topics presented are: Reasons for partnering with telco agents, decision factors in choosing a type of partnership, and the implications of a telco agent’s business model.

    

• [+] 10-Week Guide to Unified Communications

  • 10-Week Guide to Unified Communications

    This guide gives IT solution providers guidance and best practices to build their UC offerings and master the longer, more involved sales process. It includes actionable business templates and tools that cover sales, marketing, impact on technical staff, and adjusting business plans to fit the UC model. A self-study workbook is also provided.

    

CompTIA Research & Market Intelligence

CompTIA research benchmarks business attitudes, purchase plans and technology preferences so solution providers can plan their selling strategy.

Research is available to CompTIA members only.

• [+] Research Study: Partnering Trends between Telecom and IT Channels

  • Partnering Trends between Telecom and IT Channels

    Published Mar. 2013
    

    In a joint study, CompTIA and Channel Partners surveyed telecom agents and IT solution providers to gain a better understanding of the nature of their partnerships. The study examines the extent to which telecom agents and IT solution providers are partnering, what these relationships look like, keys to success, and future plans.

    

• [+] Research Study: 2nd Annual Unified Communications Market Trends

  • 2nd Annual Unified Communications Market Trends

    Published May 2012
    

    As companies pursue their strategies for mobility, cloud, and social tools, they will also be looking for a common thread that ties together their technology investments and allows their employees to work together more productively. Unified communications, while not a new concept, will nonetheless be a highly desired solution to this problem.