Unified Communications Slow, Says Research and Markets

By Editor Wireless and Mobile News on March 4, 2008 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Research and Markets announced the addition of 2008 Trends to Watch: Unified Communications to their offering. Many enterprises are using technologies such as instant messaging with presence, mobility or web conferencing services but in general the uptake of all encompassing unified communications solutions has been slow to take off. In this brief, Datamonitor outlines the changes in this market and explains which trends will have the biggest impact in 2008.

Highlights of the Report

Many enterprises are currently using elements of UC such as instant messaging with presence, mobility or web conferencing services but in general the uptake of all encompassing communications solutions has been slow to take off. Despite the publicity and hype, cost of implementation and measurability of benefits are still the leading inhibitors.

Following on from recent advances in cellular technology and the rapid uptake of mobile email and applications, mobile access is likely to become a more integral part of enterprise communications. Desktop functionality has been extended to the mobile phone and now IP telephony and UC are heading the same way.

Green IT emerged as a hot issue in 2007 following on from the publicity surrounding the environment and the recent political focus on businesses carbon footprints. It is set to remain at the forefront of both vendors and IT users minds throughout 2008 and will be a significant factor in the marketing of unified communications solutions.

Some Key Points:

Uptake of unified communications is still in the early adopter phase
Mobility will play a greater role in the unified communications market
The availability of UC solutions for mobile devices is increasing
Mobility will help drive investments in unified communications
FMC and one number solutions will become a reality
Greater security implications and a higher demand for mobile management
Environmental concerns are driving investments in web conferencing & UC
Green IT will remain a hot topic in 2008
Video conferencing will be more widely adopted
Changing lifestyles mean more enterprises will support flexible working and deploy UC
Consumer IT activity will further influence enterprise deployments
Consumer and enterprise communication technologies merge
Apple, Google and Yahoo will emerge as serious enterprise mobility providers
Microsoft and IBM make an impact and gain market share
Microsoft is gaining market share
IBMs open standards strategy and systems integrator business should allow it to advance
More collaboration between vendors but increased competition
The economic slowdown will lead to increased interest in software as a service
IT strategies may reflect the current banking crisis
Vendors are providing more SaaS options for unified communications and conferencing
2008 will see increased targeting of the mid-market

Scope

- Provides an overview of the trends which will impact the unified communications market in 2008.

- Discusses the integration of mobility with unified communications.

- Analyses how environmental and economic issues will affect the market.

- Relates consumer communication patterns to enterprise trends.

Key reasons to purchase this title

<p>
  - Identify the key trends in the unified communications market in order 
  to plan your go-to-market strategy.
</p>
<p>
  - Understand how changing work patterns and the economic climate will 
  affect the industry.<br /></p>

<p>
  Companies Mentioned: <br /></p><p>Cisco Systems, Inc.
</p><p>
  FMC Corporation
</p>
<p>
  Microsoft Corporation
</p>
<p>
  Rudolph Technologies, Inc.
</p>
<p>
  WebEx Communications Inc
</p>
<p>
  For more information visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c84668" shape="rect">http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c84668</a>
</p>
<p>
  Source: Datamonitor
</p>