The Battle and The Bug

German news magazine Focus Online is launching a Unified Messaging Service (UMS) with Canbox Communications GmbH.

As technology becomes more advanced, a number of services which were once considered to be separate have started to combine into single services that cover a wider range of needs. Unified messaging is one such service, combining input from several different messaging sources and allowing it all to be accessed from a single point such as a cellular phone or an internet-ready PC. The number of services which are combined in unified messaging may vary from one service provider to the next, so it's important that you compare the options that are available to you carefully if you decide that you want this technology for yourself or for your business. In order to assist you in making the right decision, here is some additional information on what unified messaging is and how it can help you.

A Number of Services Unified messaging does just what its name implies: it takes a variety of different Messaging Services from a number of different sources and combines them into a single Messaging Service which with the intention of providing better communication options to the end user. Though these services may vary from one provider to the next, the most common services included in unified messaging and which are found in most unified messaging plans are voice messaging, fax messages, and often text messages from sources such as a cellular phone or e-mail account. Other types of messages, including video messages, may also be received by some unified messaging systems as well.

A Single Access Point Just as unified messaging allows for a number of different message types to be received by the same Messaging Service, it also allows for the convenience of the end user being able to check the status of their messages from a single access point. Often users will be able to receive all of their messages from their cellular phone or their home or work computer, or even in their e-mail wherever they might access it from. They will usually be able to check their voice messages from a standard telephone as well, and be informed if they have any additional messages which cannot be conveyed through the means that they are using at the time. Some systems may even feature text-to-voice technology which will allow text messages such as e-mails and faxes to be checked over the telephone as well.

Advantages of Unified Messaging There are a number of advantages which make unified messaging desirable, especially for businessmen or those who are constantly on the go. In addition to being able to receive a number of different types of messages in a single account and being able to access that account in a variety of different ways, many unified messaging systems allow users to respond instantly to the messages that they receive in the manner that is most appropriate to the message format. Users may also take advantage of a feature commonly known as "smart messaging", in which the unified Messaging Service will attempt to contact them at a variety of different points such as their e-mail, cellular phone, and home or business phone so that they will be aware of their incoming messages no matter where they might be.