Unified Communications Deployment in State and Local Governments Lags Behind

One would assume state and local governments are on the forefront of unified communications because they deliver a range of field-based services, from trash collection to child welfare. The productivity of caseworkers and other remote employees is thought to improve when they can access a variety of message types — voice, e-mail, text, fax, etc. — on the device of their choice, such as the desktop, smartphone or tablet.

But the reality is that state and local governments, as a group, are lagging behind on unified communications (UC). According to new research by CDW-G and O’Keeffe & Co., only 11 percent of state and local governments have fully deployed UC. CDW-G’s third annual survey on the topic, which was released this week, found that for medium- to large-size businesses, that number is 20 percent. Next was K-12 education (19 percent), higher education (17 percent), health care (16 percent) and federal government (14 percent).

Why is state and local government bringing up the rear? Budget constraints is one big factor, said Andy Dignan, senior manager of unified communications solutions at CDW. Another is that many state and local governments still need to upgrade their network infrastructure.

Go to Government Technology to read more about the unified communications survey.