Walk into the modern office today and you may be hard-pressed to find the traditional desk phone. Employees are bringing their own mobile devices to work or being issued smartphones to conduct all communications. Even in the retail store, employees are connected with mobile devices and restaurants are taking orders via the iPad. With so much innovation and mobile deployment in the business environment, does this mean the death of the desk phone?

According to this Pipeline Pub report, the death of the desk phone was imminent with the introduction of the smartphone. BlackBerry (News - Alert) first burst onto the scene and gave the mobile employee the opportunity to access the network on the go, but it was the mass adoption of the iPhone (News - Alert) that truly changed the way we work and communicate. It was the first business device that behaved like a personal device, making it fun to use and quick to access data.

 The trend toward mass mobility was also helped with access to mobile broadband, providing a simpler and much less expansive approach to voice and video. The smartphone also enabled the use of OTT services such as FaceTime, WhatsApp, Facebook (News - Alert) Chat and Skype, driving the demand for IP communications and opportunities for cloud providers. VoIP and video networks are readily used to hold OTT conference calls with partners, coworkers and clients, reducing the overall cost of communications while also increasing productivity.

Another trend is quickly gaining speed among mobile employees – Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Employees are increasingly turning to the use of their own devices when on the go for work, simplifying operation by unifying all communications on one device. As much as this trend makes life easier for the employee, it can wreak havoc on the network if the right security and policies are not in place. With various devices managed by multiple service providers accessing the network, it can be a challenge for the IT administrator to fully protect all data and applications.

Fortunately, the widespread adoption of these strategies has created opportunities for leading providers to develop Unified Communications solutions that enable the safe management of communication services to both internal and external customers. Microsoft (News - Alert) Lync, for instance, enables companies to effectively manage all communication services. Third party providers are also extending mobile device management solutions that enable policy enforcement and remote capabilities for maximum protection.

This Free Route Server blog highlighted a Gartner (News - Alert) report forecasting that 20 percent of organizations will rely on tablets as their primary mobile platform for field-sales professionals by 2015. The report also predicts that 40 percent of the workforce overall will be mobile by 2016. This is exciting news for those who rely on next generation communications to support their efforts and provide access to the network and communication capabilities while in the field. It is challenging news for the IT administrator trying to support a growing network.

The key to optimizing performance, ensuring least cost routing and extending the necessary capabilities is to implement an end-to-end IP communications architecture that will support multiple devices, applications and systems. Enterprise control over the flow of information is still critical, but employees must have access to the data and capabilities they need to do their job. When these elements are available securely, strategic goals can be realized.