The simplest description of Unified Communications (UC) is the ability to integrate audio, video and data from disparate sources and combine them using interface technologies to support collaboration among users in different locations. The integration of all UC components requires a supportive architecture. Keep these three primary points in mind when contemplating the integration of audio solutions:

• The core of the infrastructure is the call manager or web-based server that enables everyone to connect. 
• The infrastructure must support all of the media involved, as well as the presence that enables connectivity at all times.
• It must support the organization’s business objectives.

In terms of UC conferencing applications, there is some debate as to how this architecture should be built: from the call manager outward or from the end user’s perspective, with individual business objectives in mind? It’s an interesting dilemma because an architecture does have to be built from somewhere, and often, people architect based on business needs. This means building the architecture from the inside out to the end-points or end users. However, the end users should be the most important objective. 

Today’s tech-savvy end users demand a rich set of features. The end-points of every architecture diagram should address each user’s specific needs for peripherals support, such as: the ability to plug in data-sharing and remote collaboration tools (including smartphones, laptops, tablets, presentation peripherals, smart whiteboards, etc.). It’s also essential to factor in the different environments from which someone is calling (office, car, huddle room, board room, etc.), as well as the different skill sets of each user.