Which technology has facilitated lower-cost communication and collaboration in enterprises?

The correct answer focuses on IP convergence, which combines various communication technologies into a single framework using Internet Protocol (IP). This technology allows for different types of data—such as voice, video, and text—to be transmitted over the same network infrastructure. As a result, organizations experience reduced costs in terms of infrastructure investment and maintenance, while also enhancing the efficiency of their communications and collaborative efforts.

IP convergence supports various enterprise applications, including unified communications, which streamlines communication tools and enhances collaboration among employees regardless of their physical location. This enables businesses to operate more effectively, sharing information in real-time and facilitating more agile decision-making processes.

On the other hand, green computing focuses on using energy-efficient technologies to minimize environmental impact, grid computing involves combining resources from multiple computers to work on complex tasks without specifically addressing communication costs, and edge computing moves data processing closer to the source of data generation to reduce latency but does not inherently drive down communication costs. Thus, while these alternatives have their advantages, they do not primarily target cost reductions in communication and collaboration like IP convergence does.