It does not take very long to feel old in the world of digital communications.
If, like me, you left school before the turn of the Millennium, you will have entered a world of work in the process of being transformed by new innovations like the internet, IP telephony, email and mobile phones.
Fast forward two decades, and the latest generation entering the workplace don't use their phones to 'just' text or make voice calls any more. They also stream live video on Skype, FaceTime or Facebook Live. They don't bother with email, they IM. And all of this is powered by constant connection to the internet, without ever having to wait for the office dial-up to kick in.
The internet is key to it all. With ultrafast broadband, increasingly reliable WiFi and the emergence of 3G/4G mobile data connections, being online has become a continuous state of existence. This has reshaped how people expect to communicate, and created the concept of anytime, anyplace availability in the world of work, allowing people the freedom to work where they choose and remain productive even on the move.
For the telecoms industry, the catch has always been that, despite its flexibility and boundless availability, the internet was not designed to carry communications data like voice and video. The way broadband packets, distributes and reassembles data has always compromised the quality of real-time audio and visual communication, requiring specialist platforms running specialist protocols like VoIP or SIP to make it function.
Enter WebRTC.
Web Real Time Communication is the breakthrough protocol which has driven the video messaging craze for today's youngsters. It allows high quality real time audio and video communication to take place direct from a web browser, without having to download or plug in any other apps or platforms to make it serviceable.
In doing so, it takes the idea of cloud communications to the next level, opening the doors to even simpler, more flexible and more affordable multimedia communication straight from any web browser.
And now WebRTC is making its presence felt in the UC industry. One product making full use of its potential is Circuit, a hosted UC and team collaboration platform developed by German UC giant Unify. Circuit's USP is that it can turn any device into a fully fledged, robust, enterprise class communications device direct from the web browser, with no apps, no downloads.
In this review, we will ask whether a WebRTC platform like Circuit can answer business demands for quality and resilience, and what browser based communications could mean for the future of business comms. Please remember, UC Today is an entirely independent service which does not endorse or back any particular brands or products.
What can it do?
Circuit is a fully loaded UCaaS product offering HD voice and video, conferencing, IM, presence, file sharing and collaboration. Its main point of difference to other UCaaS products is that the whole suite of multimedia tools are accessed directly from within a web browser, without the need to download any apps.
Powered by WebRTC, users simply login online, and can then choose whichever tools they want to use. Like most UCaaS products, it has no upper limit on user numbers and is endlessly scalable.
Circuit is also a single-pane-of-glass solution. All communication options are there in one place in your web browser as soon as you log in, you don't have to toggle between different apps to use different tools. All options are launched with a single click, and you have complete freedom to add or change channels as you please. For example, you can turn an IM into a video call with a single click, add additional users to create a conference just by clicking the names of contacts, or send files mid conversation.
Despite being browser-based, Circuit gives you full access to any files stored on your device, or in a cloud storage application like Box. Files shared with colleagues are stored by conversation within Circuit, so you can always go back to check versions and pick up the thread of discussions around work.
One of the key benefits of direct browser-based communications is the potential to improve mobility. However, Unify has also realised that most people don't use a web browser to get online on their smartphone, so they have developed iOS and Android apps which mimic how the browser platform works.
