Product Note: NEC UNIVERGE BLUE
Bottom Line
NEC UNIVERGE BLUE is a comprehensive unified communications and collaboration platform that offers a well-balanced set of capabilities across the 12 key factors. While not necessarily the market leader in any single area, the solution provides a robust and versatile communications ecosystem that meets the diverse needs of small to medium-sized businesses. Its cloud-based architecture, industry-specific integrations, and commitment to continuous innovation make NEC UNIVERGE BLUE a compelling choice for organizations seeking a scalable and user-friendly UC platform.
Title: GartnorGroup's review of NEC UNIVERGE BLUE
Product Overview
NEC UNIVERGE BLUE is a cloud-based unified communications and collaboration platform that provides a well-rounded set of features to support the communication needs of small to medium-sized businesses. The solution offers robust voice and telephony capabilities, scoring 88, including IP-PBX functionalities, SIP trunking, and cloud-based phone system options. While its video conferencing features, scoring 80, may not be as advanced as some of the market leaders, the platform still delivers reliable and user-friendly web conferencing and desktop/mobile video capabilities.
Cloud-based Deployment and UCaaS
One of the key strengths of NEC UNIVERGE BLUE is its cloud-based architecture and UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) capabilities, earning a score of 85. The platform's cloud-native design provides customers with the flexibility to deploy and scale their communication infrastructure as needed, without the burden of on-premises hardware and software maintenance. This cloud-first approach also enables seamless integration with other cloud-based business applications and productivity suites.
Industry-specific Integrations and Compliance
NEC UNIVERGE BLUE stands out for its industry-specific feature sets and integrations, scoring 85 in this category. The platform offers tailored solutions for various verticals, such as healthcare, financial services, and education, providing specialized functionalities and compliance-ready configurations to address the unique communication and collaboration requirements of these sectors. This focus on industry-specific needs allows NEC UNIVERGE BLUE to deliver a more targeted and user-friendly experience for its customers.
Messaging, Presence, and Unified Messaging
The platform's messaging and presence capabilities, as well as its unified messaging functionalities, both receive a score of 85. NEC UNIVERGE BLUE provides robust instant messaging, presence, and enterprise social networking features, enabling efficient team collaboration and information sharing. The solution's unified messaging integration, including seamless voicemail, email, and fax handling, enhances user productivity and streamlines communication workflows.
Administration and Management
NEC UNIVERGE BLUE's administration and management capabilities are also noteworthy, earning a score of 85. The platform offers a centralized, web-based administration portal, allowing IT teams to efficiently provision, configure, and manage user accounts and device profiles. Its policy-based management features and compliance enforcement capabilities ensure that the communication infrastructure aligns with organizational policies and regulatory requirements.
Opportunities for Improvement
While NEC UNIVERGE BLUE delivers a well-rounded set of capabilities, there are a few areas where the platform could potentially improve. Its video conferencing features, scoring 80, could be enhanced to better compete with more advanced solutions in the market. Additionally, the platform's AI and automation features, scoring 75, could be strengthened to provide customers with more intelligent and proactive communication experiences.