Jon Farrell, a Dimension Data consultant, said mobility is another big consideration with a collaborative infrastructure. "We have to work with people that are no longer sitting at the next desk - they may not even be in the same time zone," he said.

"Leightons has a highly mobile workforce and with these technologies we can extend presence and communication out to mobile devices such as a PDA, allowing rich collaboration and reliable contact methods for workers either out on site or travelling."