UC Today - Out Loud

AI is reshaping the security operations center (SOC), shifting it from a manual, reactive function into a faster, intelligence-driven environment. For organizations dealing with alert fatigue and limited analyst capacity, AI is becoming a practical tool for improving how threats are identified and managed.In this UC Today discussion, Kristian McCann speaks with Morgan Adamsky, Principal at PwC, to explore how enterprises are operationalizing AI in the SOC. Adamsky brings a pragmatic perspective, focusing on how AI can be deployed responsibly. Her insights center on aligning technology with people and process, ensuring AI enhances rather than complicates decision-making in high-pressure environments.From Hype to Operational RealityTraditionally, analysts have had to manually review large volumes of data, often taking significant time to identify real threats. AI is changing that by rapidly surfacing anomalies and prioritizing potential risks, helping teams respond faster.Adoption, however, varies widely. Many organizations are still taking a “bolt-on” approach, adding AI into existing workflows. More advanced organizations are rethinking the SOC entirely, treating AI as a “force multiplier” and designing operations around it from the outset.This gap highlights different levels of maturity. While some are experimenting, others are investing in deeper transformation, a move Adamsky suggests will deliver greater long-term value, particularly as attackers also leverage AI to accelerate their efforts.Challenges remain. Organizations must integrate AI across the full security lifecycle, ensure outputs can be trusted, and train teams to use it effectively. As Adamsky notes, the human factor is still a key hurdle in scaling adoption.Building a Smarter, Safer SOCTo manage these challenges, organizations are introducing clearer boundaries between AI and human decision-making. AI can handle tasks like initial triage, but critical actions such as containment or shutting down systems typically require human validation.This human-in-the-loop approach helps maintain trust while still benefiting from automation. It ensures that AI supports, rather than replaces, human judgment in high-stakes scenarios.Adamsky also outlines what effective implementation looks like. This includes combining threat intelligence, vulnerability data, and network activity into a unified view. AI then helps identify patterns and surface meaningful insights, enabling more informed decisions.She also points to three priorities: faster vulnerability management, stronger third-party risk oversight, and preparing for breaches. The latter reflects a growing recognition that incidents are increasingly likely, making readiness essential.From Experimentation to TransformationThe discussion makes clear that incremental adoption is not enough. While bolt-on AI can deliver short-term gains, long-term success requires rethinking the SOC as a whole, with AI embedded across workflows.At the same time, core cybersecurity fundamentals still matter. Practices like patching, testing, and incident planning remain critical, but must now operate at greater speed to keep up with AI-driven threats.For security leaders, the focus should be on both technology and people. That means investing in tools while also upskilling teams and adapting processes to fully leverage AI.Ultimately, organizations that treat AI as foundational rather than optional will be better positioned to keep pace in an increasingly automated threat landscape.

In this session of UC Today, host Kristian McCann sits down with Simon Peters, Director of Channel Sales at Smarsh, to unpack one of the most pressing questions facing regulated industries in 2026: Is your compliance solution really secure — and is its AI even compliant?It's a wake-up call for compliance, risk, and IT leaders who assume ticking the compliance box equals airtight data protection. As global fines for compliance and data breaches continue to climb — including over $63 million in penalties in early 2025 alone — this conversation exposes the two blind spots most organizations still overlook.Peters explains how compliance and security aren't interchangeable, why third-party AI models can create new compliance gaps, and how Smarsh has built “compliant AI by architecture” — keeping all data, transcripts, and analysis inside customers' own sovereign environments.Key discussion points include:Why compliance ≠ security — and how most tools leave key data unprotectedThe hidden AI compliance gap: when “smart” systems leak sensitive data externallyHow Smarsh's regional AI architecture ensures zero data leakage and full audit readinessThe real-world consequences of breaches — from SEC fines to reputational damageNext steps:Visit Smarsh.com to download the “Compliance Must-Haves” checklist and the Seven Hidden Voice Data Risks guide.

In this episode of UC Today, host Kristian McCann sits down with Bill Dunnion, Chief Information Security Officer at Mitel, to unpack one of the most persistent challenges in enterprise security: getting cybersecurity onto the C-suite agenda before disaster strikes.In this candid conversation, Mitel's CISO Bill Dunnion explains why security still struggles to compete with revenue targets at the executive level, and what needs to change.Rather than framing cybersecurity as a technical issue, Dunnion argues the case for repositioning it as a core business enabler—one that directly impacts revenue, competitiveness, and customer trust. Whether you're a business leader trying to understand your true exposure or a security professional struggling to make risk resonate at board level, this discussion offers practical, real-world insight you can apply immediately. Key topics include:

Agentic AI is moving from a promising productivity tool to a security problem that enterprise leaders can no longer ignore. In the conversation below, Kristian speaks with Irina Tsukerman, President at Scarab Rising; Shlomi Beer, Co-Founder & CEO at ImpersonAlly; and Roey Eliyahu, Co-Founder & CEO at Salt Security, about what agentic AI is, where the risks are emerging, and how organizations can manage systems designed to act on their behalf.What makes the topic urgent is that agentic AI is not simply a chatbot with a smarter interface. These systems can make decisions, take actions, access data, and move across business systems with limited human oversight. That creates efficiency, but it also creates exposure, especially when companies are adopting the technology faster than they are building the controls around it.Kristian frames the discussion around a simple but important question: how do you secure systems that are meant to behave autonomously when traditional security assumptions are no longer enough? The answer, as the guests make clear, is that the companies moving fastest on agentic AI are often the ones least prepared for its consequences.Where The Security Risks EmergeThe first major theme in the conversation is that adoption is outpacing governance. Shlomi Beer says attackers do not always need to break through classic perimeter defenses; instead, they can manipulate external inputs, prompt chains, or other content that agents ingest and trust. In that environment, the attack surface is no longer just a network or an endpoint. It is the workflow itself.Roey Eliyahu adds a broader operational view. He argues that consumer-facing sectors, where support volume is high and repetitive tasks are common, are adopting agents aggressively because the business case is compelling. But once an agent is expected to act like an employee, it also needs the permissions of an employee. That is where the security problem begins to scale.Both guests point to the same underlying issue: the more useful the agent becomes, the more access it needs. And the more access it receives, the more dangerous it becomes if it is abused, hijacked, or allowed to make the wrong call. What begins as automation can quickly become a privilege problem, an observability problem, and a governance problem at the same time.A second theme is that organizations often leave the rules unclear because the technology is moving faster than internal policy. Irina Tsukerman says some companies rush into deployment because they want competitive advantage, while others delay formal controls because they do not yet understand the risks well enough.Why Governance Is LaggingBut the risks are not abstract. Irina points to predictable failure modes: an agent being hijacked, exposing customer information, or falling for a deepfake-style manipulation. Roey widens that lens by explaining that agents also create compliance exposure, especially in regulated sectors such as finance, insurance, and pharma. Even when the agent improves service, it still has access to sensitive data.The discussion also shows why the current security market can feel fragmented. Vendors often sell point solutions for one layer of the stack, such as identity, the model, or the MCP layer, but the speakers argue that this rarely maps cleanly to the real business risk. The problem is not one isolated component. It is the chain linking agent, prompt, data, API, and downstream action.The conversation turns to remedy, and here the emphasis is clear: start with visibility, then add guardrails, then add detection. Roey says readiness begins with full discovery and observability across agents, MCP servers, APIs, code, runtime, and configuration. Without that holistic view, security teams are trying to defend something they cannot fully see.Once organizations understand the full chain, they can apply business-s

Host Kieran Devlin (UC Today) sits down with Mike Frayne, CEO at Voss, for the 2026 Big UC Update. They unpack what's changed over the last 12 months—from AI adoption to platform consolidation—and why digital workplace management is becoming mission-critical as tool sprawl, data silos, and policy complexity accelerate.Voss started in UC automation—but in this conversation, Mike Frayne explains how the company is widening the lens: bringing migration, automation, analytics, and telemetry data into a single platform that helps organizations manage not just UC, but the broader Microsoft ecosystem too.AI is a major theme, but not as hype: Mike outlines why good AI depends on accurate, up-to-date telemetry, how Voss is building agents on top of that data, and why customers also need the freedom to build their own agents. The big watch-out? Agent governance—access control, policy compliance, duplication, adoption, and proving ROI—may be the next management frontier.Key points we cover:Voss's shift to a unified platform (not siloed products) to unlock richer telemetryExpanding beyond UC into Microsoft 365, security, auditing, and governanceAI enablement: internal acceleration + customer-facing agents built on trusted data“Take back control” via discovery, hierarchy, RBAC, and spend/licence optimization

In this interview, UC Today's Kristian McCann sits down with Bob Pruett, Senior Solutions Architect at Myriad360, to tackle one of the most underappreciated security risks in modern business: data leakage through everyday collaboration tools. Most organisations have firewalls, permissions, and email controls in place — but nothing for the conversation happening right now in Teams, Zoom, Slack, and Google Chat? Data leakage isn't a new problem, but the way it happens in 2026 looks almost nothing like it did five years ago. Key Topics:

Most enterprises have deployed Microsoft Teams Rooms and the core meeting experience is working. But beyond the meeting room sits a much larger opportunity, lobbies, huddle spaces, event venues, open collaboration areas, and most organisations are managing those with a disconnected patchwork of point solutions that wasn't designed to scale.Marcus Law sits down with Vic Bhagat, Senior Director of Alliances at Q-SYS, to explore what a genuinely high-performance workplace requires, what changes when you connect every space type through a unified platform, and what Microsoft's decision to build Experience Center One on Q-SYS tells us about where enterprise AV is heading.If you're responsible for a Teams Rooms estate and thinking about what comes next, this is the conversation to start with.

In this UC Today interview, host Kieran Devlin speaks with Volker Pfirsching, Partner and Head of Innovation Management (Europe) at Arthur D. Little. Together, they unpack a hard truth many CIOs are now confronting: the biggest barrier to digital transformation isn't access to technology—it's the way IT is organized.If you're navigating AI adoption, cross-functional delivery, and growing pressure to show outcomes (not activity), this conversation is worth your time. Digital transformation is accelerating—but many enterprises are still structured for a slower era. Volker Pfirsching explains why traditional IT silos create more coordination overhead than value, and what CIOs can do to shift from “service provider” to orchestrator of outcomes across internal teams and external partners.Key takeaways include:How siloed IT creates friction through handovers, delays, and misaligned priorities in end-to-end digital journeysWhat the hybrid network model looks like day-to-day, with business and IT fused into true product-centric teamsHow leading CIOs balance autonomy with enterprise guardrails to avoid an “IT Wild West” (security, architecture, governance)Why operating model change fails without culture change—and how to align incentives, roles, and leadership routines

Join Kieran Devlin, Host at UC Today, as he sits down with Tim Jalland, Solution Manager at VOSS, to unpack the rapid evolution of IT operations. As cloud environments like Microsoft 365 undergo hundreds of feature changes a year, static automation is struggling to keep pace. This session cuts through the AI hype to explore practical, outcome-driven solutions. Tune in to see exactly how intelligent automation fabrics can empower your IT team, prevent outages before users even notice them, and secure complex collaboration ecosystems.The landscape of unified communications is shifting rapidly, and IT teams need more than just basic automation to keep up. In this conversation, we explore how an intelligent operations layer changes the day-to-day reality for IT professionals.Key takeaways from our discussion include:The limits of traditional automation: Why the sheer volume of updates in platforms like Microsoft 365 requires a shift from static orchestration to dynamic, learning-capable operations.AI as an operational assistant: Moving past "AI as a feature" fatigue to focus on tangible outcomes, using agentic AI to proactively support IT teams rather than replace them.Breaking down IT silos: How unifying automation, analytics, and monitoring on a single platform allows for cross-stack intelligence—catching and correcting negative trends before monitoring dashboards even flash red.Real-world proactive fixes: Tangible examples of AI detecting service degradation before a user ticket is raised, and automatically correcting configuration drift to eliminate security risks.Related Stories:  The Intelligent Control Plane: Why Cloud UC and Microsoft 365 Operations Must Move From Automation to AutonomyPractical AI Use Cases to Transform Cloud UC and Microsoft 365 Operations

In this executive conversation, Marcus Law is joined by Dan Nadir, Chief Product Officer at Theta Lake, and Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst at Metrigy, to explore how generative and agentic AI are creating entirely new categories of governance risk.The discussion covers why monitoring isolated prompts and outputs is no longer enough, and why organizations need forensic-level analysis of interaction patterns over time. From behavioral drift and intent detection to the growing complexity of agentic AI, this conversation sets out what enterprises need to be thinking about — and doing — right now.Topics Include:why only 58% of organizations have a proactive AI governance strategyhow traditional DLP systems miss subtle data probing and intent-based riskswhat behavioral drift looks like in practice, how agentic AI blurs the line between human and machine accountabilitypractical steps CIOs and CISOs can take in the next 60 to 90 days.

In this interview, Christopher Carey sits down with Snorre Kjesbu from Cisco to unpack AI's real impact on the employee experience. Snorre makes the case that AI is an antidote to burnout, not a cause of it – freeing employees from busy work so they can focus on strategy, creativity, and the harder intellectual challenges.He also introduces the concept of “connected intelligence,” where collaboration is no longer just people-to-people but now includes people-to-AI and AI-to-AI interactions. The conversation covers how organisations are navigating AI adoption across their workflows, why cultural change is often harder than the technology itself, and what the next two to three years will bring – from AI agents becoming regular participants in meetings to IT teams gaining new superpowers through agentic AI and smarter manageability tools.

Join UC Today's Kieran Devlin as he sits down with Brad Hintze, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, and Joel Mulpeter, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Crestron. While the tech industry is understandably captivated by cloud-based software like Copilot and Zoom AI Companion, this insightful conversation shifts the focus to the physical foundation that makes these tools actually work. If you want to understand why true AI scalability requires robust, purpose-built hardware and edge computing, this session is an absolute must-watch for IT and AV leaders.In this engaging discussion, the Crestron team unpacks the reality of deploying AI across enterprise meeting spaces. They reveal why prioritizing purpose-built compute and intelligent audio over IP is the secret to avoiding the "garbage in, garbage out" trap of AI transcription and collaboration tools.Key takeaways from our conversation include:The Shift to Edge AI: Why relying solely on the cloud is inefficient, and how integrating Neural Processing Units (NPUs) at the edge enhances security, reduces latency, and processes complex tasks like facial and voice recognition directly in the room.AI as the Installer: How Crestron leverages computer vision, auto-measure technology, and ArUco markers to drastically slash room commissioning time from hours to mere minutes, democratizing broadcast-quality video across the business.Solving the Audio Challenge: An inside look at Crestron's scalable audio-over-IP processor, designed to minimize "time to audio" and deliver the crystal-clear acoustics that AI transcription tools demand to function accurately.Future-Proofing for 2027: Strategic advice for IT leaders on standardizing room platforms and investing in hardware with enough compute headroom to support the rapidly evolving AI software landscape.

Join UC Today host Kieran Devlin as he sits down with William Rubio, Chief Revenue Officer at CallTower, and Elka Popova, Vice President and Senior Fellow at Frost & Sullivan. As AI features rapidly light up across communications platforms, internal IT governance models are struggling to keep pace. This insightful session dives into the hidden vulnerabilities of "shadow AI" and the messy reality of multi-vendor environments. If you're looking for a practical approach to standardizing policy, monitoring data usage, and holding vendors accountable without suffocating innovation, this conversation is essential viewing.The rush to implement AI in Unified Communications (UC) and Contact Center (CCaaS) platforms is outpacing IT's ability to safely secure it. When different teams own different parts of a fragmented tech stack, compliance risks multiply, and traditional governance breaks down. William and Elka break down the real-world friction of enterprise AI adoption and share practical strategies for maintaining control.Key takeaways from our discussion include:The Threat of Shadow AI: How personal use of unauthorized AI tools and a lack of specialized AI skillsets within IT departments are exposing organizations to hidden data vulnerabilities.Navigating Multi-Vendor Sprawl: Why a "one size fits all" approach fails, and how to maintain unified, proactive governance across complex hybrid environments featuring platforms like Microsoft, Cisco, and Genesys.Building a Culture of Compliance: Moving beyond the annual "check-the-box" mentality to create dynamic, ongoing security protocols that secure buy-in from business leaders across the organization.Vetting Your Vendors: The critical questions IT and CX buyers must ask during procurement regarding technology roadmaps, industry-specific expertise, and global data sovereignty.

In the first episode of the UC Today AI & Productivity Show, Marcus Law hosts a roundtable on what AI productivity looks like in the real world — what's delivering value today, what's still not landing, and what leaders should focus on next.Marcus is joined by Tom Arbuthnot (Founder, Empowering.Cloud & Microsoft MVP), Mark Nixon (AI Business Solutions Go-To-Market Lead, Microsoft UK & Ireland), and Andreas Welsch (Founder & Chief AI Strategist, Intelligence Briefing).The discussion covers:

In this UC Today interview, host Christopher Carey speaks with Loopio CEO Zak Hemraj about Loopio's latest industry report on the impact of generative AI on the workforce - and one headline stands out: over 80% of teams are now using AI in their workflows, with more than half using it daily. Zak also highlights a surprise trend - financial services and banking, often viewed as cautious adopters, are among the most aggressive in embracing AI, driven in some cases by top-down executive mandates and structured governance.The conversation explores why “capacity” has become the top challenge even as AI reduces time spent writing, how productivity gains can be offset by rising demand, what separates top performers in how they apply AI beyond first drafts, and what comes next as enterprises push toward agentic AI - alongside growing security and risk concerns. 

Kristian McCann speaks with Ryan Holmes, Digital Workspace Solution Architect at New Era Technology, about how 3D visualization is helping enterprises plan AV refreshes with far more confidence than traditional 2D drawings.Traditional 2D plans can look polished on paper, but they often miss the messy reality of how people actually use meeting rooms. Ryan explains how New Era Technology's immersive 3D approach helps teams test room layouts, device placement, acoustics, lighting, and camera coverage before a single cable is installed.Points of discussion include:See why 2D drawings can hide real-world issues like poor sight lines, weak mic pickup, and glare.Learn how immersive 3D and virtual reality make AV designs feel like a true-to-scale room clone.Discover how the platform helps IT, facilities, contractors, and users work from the same visual reference.Hear how visual-first planning can improve room adoption, reduce redesigns, and boost meeting quality.If you are planning an AV refresh and want to get it right the first time New Era Technology.For more Unified Communications & Collaboration Tech News visit UC Today.

Despite billions being spent on AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot and Google Workspace, most employees still aren't ready to use them effectively: and it's becoming a productivity problem.In this interview, JP Gownder, VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester, breaks down the findings from Forrester's second AIQ report: "AIQ 2.0: Employees (Still) Aren't Ready To Succeed With Workforce AI."JP explains what AIQ, the AI Quotient, actually measures, why the numbers have barely moved year-on-year, and why the gap between AI deployment and employee readiness is actively hurting organisations rather than just slowing them down.Key topics covered:

Kristian McCann sits down with Dima Gutzeit, Founder and CEO of LeapXpert, to explore how enterprises can finally bridge the gap between conversation and execution. As businesses juggle countless communication channels, from Teams and Slack to WhatsApp and iMessage, Dima unpacks why so much valuable insight gets lost and how connecting conversations directly to workflows can redefine enterprise performance.Modern enterprises are awash with communication data—but most of it never gets used. In this conversation, Dima explains how organizations can extract real value by breaking silos, connecting insights to action, and embedding execution directly within messaging channels.Key discussion points:Why enterprise communication data often sits unused — and the hidden risks of “shadow IT.”How connecting messaging channels closes the gap between decision and execution.The impact of losing context when workflows live outside communication platforms.LeapXpert's new productivity innovations: Signals, Maxen, and Communication Workflows, designed to boost responsiveness and trigger intelligent actions from real-time conversations.To find out how you can turn your messaging compliance into a competitive advantage, visit LeapXpert.

Hybrid work has become the default — and that means the devices, meeting rooms, and collaboration platforms we rely on have to “just work,” every time, for everyone.In this UC Today Devices & Workspace Tech Roundtable, host Christopher Carey (UC Today) is joined by industry leaders to unpack what's changing across workplace technology: the rise of AI-powered meeting experiences, how IT teams can scale room management, what “employee experience = customer experience” really means, and why security and identity will matter even more as AI agents enter the workplace.Topics covered include:- Designing spaces and workflows for “always hybrid”- AI in meeting rooms (today's reality vs. near-future expectations)- Room reliability, observability, and user experience- Managing devices and collaboration at scale- Trust, identity, and security risks (including AI-generated threats)Watch for practical insights on what workplace and IT leaders should prioritize next.

In this insightful session, UC Today Host Kieran Devlin sits down with Will Morey, Managing Director of Channel at Gamma, to unpack the hidden costs of treating migration as a routine task. If you're an MSP or reseller feeling the strain of balancing new business with the heavy lifting of legacy tech upgrades, this conversation is a must-watch. Will breaks down the commercial risks of inaction and reveals how a managed service model can safeguard your profitability while keeping your customers happy.Managing migrations in-house might seem cost-effective, but the reality is often a messy, resource-draining distraction from your core business. Will explains why relying solely on your existing team to navigate complex, multi-vendor environments is a dangerous trap - and how partnering with experts can completely change the game. Key Takeaways From This Episode Include:The Hidden Cost of DIY Migrations: Why pulling your engineers off daily support and new logo acquisition to handle the PSTN switch-off is a massive risk to your bottom line.Navigating Multi-Vendor Chaos: How GammaEdge Migrate tackles the messy reality of legacy infrastructure through rigorous upfront analysis and tailored, customer-specific execution plans.Future-Proofing Your Base: Why customers are abandoning legacy UCaaS platforms for vendors heavily investing in R&D, AI, and advanced cybersecurity.White-Labeled Delivery: How you can outsource the heavy lifting to Gamma while remaining the sole face of the customer relationship, ensuring a seamless and branded experience.Stop letting complex migrations bottleneck your growth and learn how to turn a massive operational headache into a profitable, streamlined process.

Join Kieran Devlin, Host at UC Today, alongside an elite panel of unified communications experts and analysts—Mel Brue, Irwin Lazar, Evan Kirstel, Zeus Kerravala, Jon Arnold, and Craig Durr. The enterprise tech landscape is shifting faster than ever, and in this episode, we unpack exactly what that means for your business. From the identity crisis facing major tech conferences to the rise of autonomous AI agents driving real revenue, this candid debrief cuts through the hype to deliver the insights you need to stay ahead of the curve.Here's what we cover in this jam-packed session: 

In this UC Today interview, Christopher Carey speaks with Don McElligott, VP of Compliance Supervision at Global Relay, about how organisations are rethinking supervision in a multi‑channel, AI‑enabled world.The discussion explores why legacy keyword‑based approaches are struggling, how understanding context and intent changes risk detection, and why archives are evolving from passive storage into active governance platforms. Don also shares practical insight into review fatigue, platform‑based compliance, and what UC and compliance leaders should prioritise over the next 12 months.Topics covered include:Managing communications risk across modern UC environmentsMoving beyond false positives to catch real riskThe role of AI in compliance and supervisionArchive‑to‑platform thinking and governanceReducing review fatigue and improving oversight

Many people are being asked to make big career decisions with very little real insight into the jobs they are choosing. At the same time, employers are struggling to fill high‑growth roles, and education systems are under pressure to modernise career guidance.Christopher Carey speaks with Bharani Rajakumar, Founder at Transfr, and John Iaia, Global Head of Strategic Alliances for XR and Vision AI at Lenovo, about how immersive learning and VR career “test‑drives” can help close that gap.They discuss:• The structural mismatch between unemployment and hard‑to‑fill skilled roles• Why traditional careers advice and workforce training often fall short• How VR simulations let learners “do the job” before they commit to a pathway• Real‑world outcomes from schools, workforce boards and employers using Transfr• How Lenovo's XR ecosystem helps move from pilots to practical scale• The role of AI, human skills and vocational pathways in the future of workIf you are dealing with skills gaps, under‑used talent, or trying to make career education more practical and honest, this conversation is for you.Learn more:Lenovo ThinkReality & XR solutionsTransfr immersive career exploration & training

Kristian McCann sits down with Ryan Zoehner, CEO at Algo, and Bryan McCarthy, VP Global Partnerships at Algo, to explore how education providers can take unified communications beyond screens and extend it reliably across the entire campus.Schools have relied on copper wire PA systems for decades — and for a long time, they did the job well enough. But as campuses grow, those legacy systems are showing their age in two very specific and very costly ways.First, the infrastructure itself. Copper wire PA networks are fixed and rigid. Adding a new speaker to a new classroom, a new building, or even a newly partitioned space isn't a simple plug-and-play exercise — it means running new cabling, commissioning physical installations, and absorbing costs that quickly spiral when a district is managing multiple sites.The second problem is these systems are one-way by design. Typically, the only person who can broadcast across the campus is the principal or a designated administrator triggering from a central control point. A teacher in a classroom who spots a safeguarding concern, a member of staff in a corridor who witnesses an incident, a caretaker in a building on the far side of campus — none of them can initiate a communication to the rest of the school.=This is the problem Ryan Zoehner and Bryan McCarthy address head-on in this conversation. From classrooms and corridors to playgrounds, gymnasiums, and auditoriums, they unpack why schools are some of the most demanding communication environments in any sector — and how modern IP endpoints close the gap between UC platforms and the physical spaces where staff, students, and visitors actually live and work.​Watch the conversation to learn:Why education campuses are so challenging to keep consistently connected, with fragmented legacy PA, telephony, and security systems spread across multiple buildings and spaces.​ How integrating UC platforms with IP endpoints helps schools replace siloed phone and PA systems with a cohesive, district-wide communication layer—without needing to rip and replace everything at once.​ How UC-connected endpoints support everyday operations, from targeted classroom announcements and recess reminders to more efficient IT management through centralized monitoring and updates.How secure intercoms, two-way audio, and visual alerting enhance campus safety—from controlled door access to rapid, easy-to-trigger emergency notifications that staff can initiate from the UC clients they already use daily.Practical strategies for modernizing on a budget, including hybrid deployments that bridge existing analog infrastructure with new IP devices via paging adapters and open-standard SIP technology.​ What a truly future-ready education environment looks like: open standards, layered systems instead of disconnected silos, and centralized management at scale to support changing needs over the long term.For more Unified Communications & Collaboration Tech news, visit UC Today.

As regulations evolve, use cases multiply, and businesses demand more flexibility, many organizations are finding that a one‑size‑fits‑all UC approach simply doesn't work anymore.In this UC Today interview, Vivek Kar, Head of Employee Interaction Suite at Tata Communications, explains why multi‑platform collaboration has become the norm, how an ecosystem‑led UC strategy helps enterprises balance flexibility with governance, and what IT leaders should evaluate when expanding to platforms like Zoom and Google alongside existing environments such as Microsoft and Cisco.The conversation explores:Why enterprises are adopting multiple UC platformsHow regulation and voice governance are shaping UC strategyThe role of a single managed layer in reducing complexityCommon mistakes organizations make in multi‑platform rolloutsWhat IT leaders should prioritize to stay flexible without losing controlThis interview is essential viewing for IT, digital workplace, and UC leaders navigating the realities of modern enterprise collaboration.

In this session, Kieran Devlin of UC Today sits down with Chris Stapenhurst, Director of Product Management at Arctera, to unpack a critical shift in the financial services sector. If you are a compliance leader looking to reduce operational drag and gain global visibility, this conversation sets the stage for a more agile, cloud-first future.The era of managing sprawling data centers just to satisfy compliance boxes is coming to an end. In this insightful interview, we explore why banks and financial institutions are aggressively moving toward "pure SaaS" models. It isn't just about cost - it's about the agility required to survive in the age of AI and strict data sovereignty.Chris Stapenhurst shares his expertise on how Arctera is helping organizations break free from legacy infrastructure, allowing compliance teams to choose the technology that fits their needs rather than being bound by existing IT hardware. We discuss the reality of "sovereign regions" and how nimble cloud vendors are solving the residency puzzle faster than ever before.Key discussion points include:The Drivers of SaaS: How the democratization of AI and the need for operational flexibility are pushing firms away from rigid, on-premise hardware solutions.Agility & Sovereignty: How Arctera's unique approach allows them to deploy country-specific, compliant SaaS environments in a matter of months, solving the complex data residency challenge.The ROI of Cloud Compliance: Understanding the tangible return on investment achieved by reducing data center costs, electricity consumption, and the specialized IT headcount required to manage physical servers.Global Risk Visibility: Why a unified cloud platform provides a "single pane of glass" for global heads of compliance, eliminating the fragmentation of monitoring risks across hubs like New York, London, and Singapore.Next Steps: Ready to streamline your global compliance operations? Visit the Arctera website.

With a wave of retirements about to hit workforces, companies have to be prepared to keep avenues open for experienced workers who want to adapt to AI, and to teach junior workers so they can still learn the core skills that AI now performs.Key takeaways include:The day-to-day challenges this shift will bringWhat kinds of responses can HR leaders experiment with to protect and grow expertise amid rising retirements and AI reshaping on-the-job learning?What expertise will look like in an AI-enabled workplaceHow to frame the skills and expertise issue so people in the boardroom take action.Subscribe to the UC Today channel for more interviews with HR experts on trends shaping the future of work.

Join Kieran Devlin from UC Today as he sits down with Chris Stapenhurst, Director of Product Management at Arctera. If you are navigating the complexities of modern compliance and data governance, this conversation highlights exactly why the "build it yourself" model is becoming obsolete.As data volumes explode and regulations tighten ahead of 2027, the traditional on-premise data center is struggling to keep up. Chris Stapenhurst explains that AI is incredibly power-hungry - noting that large tech companies are even purchasing nuclear power stations to fuel data centers - and most firms simply cannot manage that level of hardware overhead on their own.In this insightful discussion, Kieran and Chris break down the critical role of elasticity in the AI era. They discuss why "building for tomorrow" often leads to wasted budget on unused capacity, and how SaaS models offer a smarter alternative.Key discussion points include:The Power of Elasticity: Understanding how cloud infrastructure allows organizations to "burst" up resources to meet immediate AI processing demands and shrink back down instantly, ensuring you only pay for what you use.Data Governance & Hygiene: How Arctera aggregates and normalizes content from disparate sources (whether on-prem or cloud) to create the clean, accessible data foundation required for accurate AI insights.Agility Through SaaS: The compliance advantage of a SaaS model, which delivers seamless quarterly updates to address new regulations without the costly downtime and IT resource drain associated with upgrading on-premise systems.Next Steps:Are your infrastructure and compliance strategies ready for the next wave of AI regulations? Visit the Arctera website to learn more about their cloud-native solutions.

AI is no longer experimental. From Microsoft Copilot to Zoom AI Companion, AI is now embedded across enterprise collaboration platforms - and leaders are under pressure to deploy it at scale.But here's the challenge: the pace of innovation is outstripping traditional governance models. New behaviors are emerging. AI-to-AI interactions are happening. Shadow AI is spreading. And regulators are watching closely.In this exclusive UC Today interview, Rob Scott sits down with Devin Redmond, CEO of Theta Lake, to unpack what modern AI governance really looks like - and why moving from guardrails to scalable governance is now mission‑critical for CIOs.In this conversation, we explore:Why AI has moved from pilot projects to production pressureThe innovation paradox facing today's CIOsWhy blocking AI often increases enterprise riskWhat real AI governance maturity looks like#How to monitor human‑to‑AI and agent‑to‑agent interactionsWhy regulators are intensifying scrutinyWhat CIOs should demand from their AI vendors

Join our host Kristian McCann and CEO of UC Today Rob Scott as they wrap up the final episode of the Microsoft Teams Show. Alongside Tom Arbuthnot, and our panel of regular guests, Kevin Kieller, Satish Upadhyaya, Amanda Sterner, and Ryan Herbst, the team reflects on seven years of Teams' evolution—from Skype for Business to a hub for AI-driven collaboration.In this final episode, the panel examines Teams' journey, milestones, and the rapidly growing role of AI in workplace collaboration.Key Highlights:Teams Evolution: From Skype for Business to Teams Phone, breakout rooms, and Teams Rooms, the panel discusses how user needs and adoption have shifted over time.AI and Copilot Integration: The team explore how AI agents and Co-pilot are reshaping workflows, knowledge management, and team productivity across enterprises.Competition and Innovation: The show discusses how competitors like Zoom, Slack, and Cisco have influenced Teams' features, adoption, and strategic positioning.Future of Collaboration: Our panel give predictions for voice-driven AI interfaces, immersive meetings, and the next frontier for Teams in a post-pandemic, hybrid workplace world.Next Steps: Stay tuned for upcoming UC Today shows on AI, productivity, and employee experience.

Join host Kieran Devlin from UC Today for this video on The Rise of Digital Sovereignty and What It Means for UC Tech Dominance. He is joined by an all-star panel of industry experts: Jon Arnold (Principal, J. Arnold & Associates), Craig Durr (Chief Analyst), and Dom Black (Director of Research, Cavell Group).In this episode, the panel tackles the "elephant in the room" for 2026: Digital Sovereignty. With France standardizing on state-backed platforms and moving away from US giants like Microsoft and Zoom, are we seeing the end of the global UC monolith? The group also dissects Zoho's latest strategic moves in the SaaS market and provides a temperature check on the device landscape following a record-breaking ISE.Is your enterprise data actually safe, or just "compliant"? This month, we dig deep into the geopolitical shifts forcing IT leaders to rethink their cloud strategies.What is discussed in this episode: Digital Sovereignty Is Escalating Governments are starting to redraw the rules around where data lives and who controls it. Could regulation quietly force enterprises to rethink their entire collaboration stack?Zoho's Quiet Power Play While others chase AI headlines, Zoho is reshaping SaaS economics in a way that could ripple through the entire channel. Is their strategy about to disrupt how software risk and pricing are handled?ISE 2026's Biggest Signal Something fundamental has changed on the show floor. Meeting rooms are evolving fast, and the companies controlling workplace data may end up owning the future of the office.

In this episode of UC Today, host Kristian McCann sits down with Jim Johnstone, CISO at Yorktel-Kinly, to explore the new realities of AV security in the modern enterprise. As AV systems evolve from isolated room setups to deeply integrated network components, the line between facility tech and IT infrastructure is disappearing. But has security thinking kept pace? Johnstone unpacks the transformation of AV systems and why organizations need to elevate their approach from project-based oversight to lifecycle governance.In this in-depth conversation, you'll discover:

Join Kieran Devlin from UC Today as he sits down with William Rubio, Chief Revenue Officer at CallTower, for a comprehensive "Big UC Update." If you are navigating the complex world of Unified Communications or trying to figure out where AI actually fits into your business strategy, this conversation sets the stage for what's working in 2026.In this candid session, Kieran and William explore the "colossal" year CallTower has had and what lies ahead. They move beyond the standard corporate pitch to discuss the "CallTower Dedicated" culture and the specific technologies that are solving real-world headaches for international businesses today.William breaks down CallTower's philosophy of "enabling people to connect," highlighting their agnostic approach to the big three - Microsoft, Cisco, and Zoom. The discussion gets specific on new innovations that are changing how employees communicate, shifting from general connectivity to seamless mobile integration. Key discussion points include:The "Dot Dot Dot" Ecosystem: How CallTower integrates over 30 applications - including CCaaS leaders like Genesys and Five9 - to create a turnkey solution that works identically in Germany, Brazil, or Canada.Product Innovation: A look at their game-changing WhatsApp integration for Microsoft Teams and the Dual eSIM technology that allows seamless, compliant separation of business and personal calls on a single mobile device.The AI Reality Check: William discusses the pressure boards are putting on CIOs to "implement AI," and how CallTower is helping clients take a practical, "build the house before the city" approach to avoid failed, massive projects.Market Outlook: Predictions on the inevitable consolidation of AI startups and the critical need for vendors to fill the education void for end-users.Connect with CallTower:Visit CallTower's website to learn more about their global coverage and "Connect" provisioning platform.

In this UC Today interview, host Kristian McCann sits down with Kath Fidler, HR Consultant at FlexHR, to explore how different generations are embracing — or hesitating about — AI in the workplace. Fidler unpacks the generational trends shaping how employees interact with AI, the fears that fuel resistance, and the leadership strategies that can turn hesitation into curiosity.In this video, you'll learn:

In this UC Today interview, host Kristian McCann sits down with Kath Fidler, HR Consultant at FlexHR, to explore how different generations are embracing — or hesitating about — AI in the workplace. Fidler unpacks the generational trends shaping how employees interact with AI, the fears that fuel resistance, and the leadership strategies that can turn hesitation into curiosity.In this video, you'll learn:

Christopher Carey sits down with Oliver Woehler, XR Sales Lead EMEA at Lenovo, and Laura Keresztyén, Sales Associate at Arthur, to unpack what's changed — and why the timing suddenly feels different. ISE 2026 was packed with partners and customers swarming the demos, and Lenovo is using the show to put a spotlight on a new global partnership that's designed to make enterprise XR easier to buy, easier to deploy, and easier to justify.But the real hook is what they're building on top.Because nobody is buying headsets “because headsets.” The question buyers keep asking is the same one we heard across ISE this year: what's the use case, what's the value, and how fast can we prove it?Oliver and Laura lean into that tension, and then take the conversation somewhere more interesting — where immersive collaboration stops being a novelty and starts becoming a productivity lever.Laura shares how Arthur is bringing people and AI into the same virtual workspace, and why the last two years have created what she calls a perfect match between AI and VR. The AI isn't just a chatbot on the side; it's showing up as an active participant in the room — shaping agendas, keeping teams on track, organizing ideas, and pushing meetings toward actual next steps.Then the discussion widens to the “where the ROI lives” territory: training and digital twins. They tease why training is often the quickest win, how personalization changes when AI is in the mix, and why digital twins get far more powerful when you can bring people inside them to walk, annotate, brainstorm, and even interact with complex systems in ways 2D screens can't match.If you're still on the fence about XR at work, this is the interview that will make you rethink what “ready to scale” looks like in 2026.Catch the full video — before your competitors do.

Kristian McCann speaks with Avi Pardo, Co-founder and CBO at LeapXpert, to unpack why messaging governance has become one of the most urgent issues in public sector UC.Consumer messaging tools weren't built for compliance — but that hasn't stopped government employees from using them every day. In this video, Avi Pardo explains why now is the time for IT and UC leaders to get ahead of the governance gap.Key discussion points:Why messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal have become the public sector's biggest governance blind spot — and how it happened.The critical role of compliant communication under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the risks of leaving messages unrecorded.Common architectural mistakes UC and IT leaders make when trying to block or control consumer messaging.How Microsoft Teams integrations can bridge the gap between consumer convenience and enterprise-grade compliance.Why modern governance technology can now deliver control without adding friction for employees or external parties.Next steps:To learn more about regulated messaging in government and enterprise environments, visit LeapXpert website for details on compliant messaging solutions.

Join Kristian McCann from UC Today and Kevin Kieller from Enable UC as they kick off February 2026 with an in-depth look at Microsoft Teams' latest security enhancements and market momentum. Special guest Oleg Danyliuk, CEO of Duanex, shares his company's five-year journey dual-licensing Slack and Teams—and why Teams is finally winning him over.This month's topics:

In this episode of UC Today, host Kristian McCann sits down with Jim Johnstone, CISO at Yorktel-Kinly, to explore the new realities of AV security in the modern enterprise. As AV systems evolve from isolated room setups to deeply integrated network components, the line between facility tech and IT infrastructure is disappearing. But has security thinking kept pace? Johnstone unpacks the transformation of AV systems and why organizations need to elevate their approach from project-based oversight to lifecycle governance.In this in-depth conversation, you'll discover:

In this insightful talk, UC Today's Kristian McCann sits down with Roberta Terranova, Chief People Officer at Wildix, to discuss the trends HR leaders have to contend with in the coming year. From AI adoption and workflow optimization to data-driven culture and remote leadership, Terranova shares real-world lessons on navigating the intersection of people, process, and technology as AI redefines the workplace. Key discussion highlights include:

In this UC Today interview, host Kristian McCann sits down with Mick Heys, Vice President at IDC, and Nathan Budd, Senior Director of Consulting at IDC, to explore the IDC's latest research in collaboration with Shure that tangibly links collaboration effectiveness to productivity and ROI from tech investments.Together, they unpack how organizations can move beyond simply buying technology to understanding its measurable business impact. If you're looking to sharpen your collaboration strategy, quantify productivity, and avoid the hidden cost of inaction, this discussion is one to watch.As hybrid work matures, IDC's research shows that collaboration is no longer a soft skill — it's a strategic differentiator. But many organizations still fail to connect technology investments with real business outcomes. In this conversation, Mick and Nathan explain how businesses can unlock measurable ROI from AV and UC strategies while making AI investments work smarter, not harder.Here's what you'll learn:The cost of inaction: Why failing to optimize AV and collaboration tech quietly drains budgets — and how to quantify it.Collaboration archetypes: Discover IDC's four organizational models — Electronic, Orchestral, Jazz, and Rock — and what they reveal about your collaboration approach.The AI connection: How poor AV setups undermine AI accuracy and productivity, and what to do about it.Outcome-based frameworks: Learn how to align people, processes, and technology to measure success where it matters most.Explore how your organization's collaboration archetype and collaboration setup impact your productivity and ROI by reading IDC and Shure's report.

In this UC Today interview, host Kristian McCann sits down with Reid Walsh, Chief Human Resources Officer at NEOGOV, to explore how HR teams — especially in the public sector — can shift from data collection to data‑driven problem‑solving. Reid shares practical lessons from her experience modernizing people analytics in government and private organizations, revealing how HR can evolve from reactive to strategic by applying purposeful analysis to every stage of the employee journey.Key takeaways include:

In this UC Today interview, host Kristian McCann sits down with Sabra Sciolaro, Chief People Officer at FirstUp, to unpack the growing problem of tech fatigue in modern workplaces.Technology is meant to make work easier — but for many employees, it's doing the opposite. In this conversation, Sciolaro explains how constant platform changes, tool sprawl, and fragmented communication channels are creating attention fatigue, slowing execution, and draining momentum across organizations.Key takeaways include:

In this UC Today interview, host Kristian McCann sits down with Sabra Sciolaro, Chief People Officer at FirstUp, to unpack the growing problem of tech fatigue in modern workplaces.Technology is meant to make work easier — but for many employees, it's doing the opposite. In this conversation, Sciolaro explains how constant platform changes, tool sprawl, and fragmented communication channels are creating attention fatigue, slowing execution, and draining momentum across organizations.Key takeaways include:

In this UC Today interview, host Kristian McCann sits down with Sabra Sciolaro, Chief People Officer at FirstUp, to unpack the growing problem of tech fatigue in modern workplaces.Technology is meant to make work easier — but for many employees, it's doing the opposite. In this conversation, Sciolaro explains how constant platform changes, tool sprawl, and fragmented communication channels are creating attention fatigue, slowing execution, and draining momentum across organizations.Key takeaways include:

In this January 2026 edition of the UC Big News Show, Kieran Devlin (Host, UC Today) sits down with a sharp panel: Blair Pleasant, Craig Durr (The Collab Collective), Jon Arnold (J. Arnold & Associates) and Dom Black (Cavell). Together, they unpack where Unified Communications, collaboration, and workplace AI are really headed—cutting through hype to ask the questions IT buyers and business leaders actually care about: Where's the value, who's getting it, and what needs to change for 2026 to be the year pilots turn into outcomes?AI is everywhere—but the results aren't. The panel reacts to sobering CEO sentiment on AI value, digs into why trust, training, and culture keep getting overlooked, and debates whether Zoom's AI Companion benchmark moment signals a real shift toward orchestration and multi-model strategies. Then the conversation turns to a hot industry reality: with budgets tight and vendors building their own roadshows, are independent events like Enterprise Connect evolving—or sliding toward irrelevance?In this episode, we cover:Why the “AI value gap” is widening—and why revenue growth deserves as much attention as cost cuttingThe overlooked blockers: responsible AI processes, transparency, user adoption, and prompting skillsWhat Zoom's federated, multimodal approach suggests about the future: orchestration, connectors, and “best model for the job”The 2026 events debate: why ISE is booming, why software shows must reinvent themselves, and why vertical-specific events may winNext steps:Audit where AI is actually used in your org (including shadow AI) and map it to measurable outcomesPublish and socialize a responsible AI policy employees can understand and trustIf you're attending ISE / IT Expo / CCW Berlin / Enterprise Connect, drop a comment with where you'll be—UC Today's team would love to connect

 After recent job cuts, many are asking if the metaverse dream is over. In this UC Today interview, Christopher Carey sits down with technology evangelist Kevin O'Donovan to unpack the rise, fall, and future of the Metaverse.Discover:

Join Kristian McCann, host at UC Today, as he sits down with Chris Reed, Head of Product and Technology at Wordwatch, to discuss how phased, risk-free data migration protects compliance and unlocks operational value.Communication data migration in regulated financial sectors is often seen as risky and resource-intensive, and Reed dives deep into why legacy data formats, metadata preservation, and regulatory compliance make migrations daunting. Reed explains how approaches like Wordwatch's, with a phased, controlled approach, mitigates the fear and the risk by ensuring zero modification to original records, maintaining their integrity and audit trails throughout. Key points include:The paramount risk of data loss or corruption during migration, especially preserving metadata such as retention and legal holds, which is crucial for compliance with regulators like FINRA and FCA.Common pitfalls financial institutions face, including budget constraints and the complexity of handling legacy codecs that modern systems struggle to support.Wordwatch's solution: migrating metadata first, preserving original call recordings unchanged, and providing continuous validation to guarantee the completeness and authenticity of data.The benefits of consolidating legacy and live data into a single, secure archive, enabling rapid searches, easing regulatory response times, breaking vendor lock-in, and unlocking insights from communication data.Explore how Wordwatch's phased migration strategy can be tailored to your organization's legacy systems by visiting https://wordwatch.io/.

Kristian McCann of UC Today talks to Chris Reed, Head of Product and Technology at Wordwatch, to explore how financial and regulated firms can transform their communication governance from a mere compliance task into a powerful source of business intelligence. This video dives deep into how companies can convert compliance data into actionable insights rather than viewing it as a checklist obligation. Key discussion points include:How legacy compliance systems create silos that limit insight and operational efficiency.The AI-driven opportunities unlocked by making communication data fully searchable.The strategic benefits of a single unified archive for compliance, technical, and client management teams.Real measurable improvements in compliance effectiveness, risk management, and customer satisfaction driven by turning communication data into a single trusted source of truth.If you want to discover how to unlock the hidden intelligence in your data and future-proof your compliance and risk strategy with AI-powered governance, visit https://wordwatch.io/.

In this episode of UC Today, host Christopher Carey sits down with Tim Ward, Product Marketing Specialist at Global Relay, and Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst at Metrigy, to unpack the findings of Metrigy's latest report on the rapidly expanding compliance risks across unified communications.With enterprises adopting Teams, WhatsApp, SMS, AI assistants, and more, the discussion digs into why compliance can no longer lag behind innovation – and how leaders can avoid costly missteps that impact productivity, security, and regulatory accountability.Unified communications is evolving faster than most compliance frameworks can keep up – and the consequences are real. In this candid conversation, Tim and Irwin reveal where organizations are slipping, how AI-generated content complicates record-keeping, and why blocking apps often backfires. They share first-hand examples of multimillion-dollar fines, the hidden risks of employee workarounds, and the operational insights companies can unlock when they treat compliance data as a strategic asset rather than a burden.

Join Kieran Devlin, UC Today host, in conversation with Bill Dellara, Chief Product Officer at VOSS, as they explore the emerging concept of digital workplace automation fabric and its transformative impact on enterprise IT operations. In this insightful discussion, Bill shares how organizations like BT, Telefonica, and Lloyds Banking Group are breaking free from manual, script-based processes that have historically plagued UC and collaboration management.Bill Dellara explains why this domain has remained stubbornly resistant to automation—despite widespread success in other IT areas—and how specialized platforms are finally bridging the gap between automation expectations and reality.Key Discussion Points:The Complexity Challenge: Learn why traditional automation approaches fail in UC environments, where even simple user onboarding can involve 30+ API calls, 3,500+ voice settings, and coordination across siloed teams managing voice, messaging, and meeting rooms separately.Four Pillars Integration: Discover how connecting automation, monitoring, analytics, and AI as unified pillars—rather than separate tools—enables closed-loop self-healing scenarios that can automatically detect issues, adjust configurations, and escalate when needed without human intervention.Real-World Transformation: Hear how a major enterprise reduced user onboarding from 5-10 days to under one hour while dramatically improving new user experience and eliminating configuration errors—all through integrating ServiceNow with VOSS's orchestrated workflows.Next Steps: Assess your current automation maturity by mapping how many business processes truly integrate your UC and collaboration platforms versus relying on manual ticket handoffs. Evaluate whether your approach can scale to support strategic business agility or remains limited to tactical efficiency improvements within the UC domain.