Unified Communications (UC) allows people to communicate with the methods preferred by all parties, whether it be email, voice, video, social media, or other channels with the goal of enable the enterprise to improve productivity, support customers, and conduct key business processes more quickly. This document will show the key business pressures driving the need for Unified Communications, the issues that CIOs must strategically and politically traverse, and recommendations to aid in the deployment and support of Unified Communications.