Now that 2017 is well in motion, the communications market is fully-focused on the trends emerging in the world of unified communications. Experts predict that new solutions for UC will continue to be highly dynamic in 2017, as providers look for ways to modernize their offerings and expand their reach further than ever to small businesses and large enterprises.
Here, we’ll cover some of the UC trends that research and consulting business Ovum looked at when analysing the market for 2017, including a few recommendations for customers and vendors.
A Quick Overview
The marketplace for the world of unified communications services and solutions is likely to grow significantly in 2017. Mergers and acquisitions are likely to impact the range of vendors that are offering the latest technology. There’s also a good sign that /unified-communications/ucaas, or UC-as-a-Service, will continue to move closer to the mainstream as providers modernise existing offerings and make the move into new regions.
The chances are that deployments for Hybrid cloud systems will grow more common, particularly within huge enterprises that have complicated needs for communication. Additionally, highly-advanced APIs may change the way collaboration and communication software integrates with the world of business applications.
Finally, it seems that businesses will continue to test out collaboration solutions that might be able to replace or optimise existing solutions for UC.
What’s Going to Happen Next?
According to researchers like Ovum, the next steps for the UC market are:
- An expansion for UCaaS: Operators looking to access larger enterprises will see higher adoption as businesses expand across the globe and upgrade their service portfolio, activating UC licenses for the masses. Smaller providers will also challenge operators with cost-effective solutions for smaller businesses, and quicker product development cycles.
- Hybrid cloud will emerge: Though hybrid cloud is set to become a more realistic option for most, it will be best suited for businesses that are moving away from premise-based UC and towards hosted UC. Though many enterprises might stick to hybrid solutions for a while, eventually, the goal will be for most UC software to exist in the cloud.
- The vendor landscape will evolve: As the strong continue to develop and the struggling companies are acquired by other firms, the vendor landscape will develop. Microsoft and Cisco stand to gain as ShoreTel and Avaya struggle, and Unify, Polycom, and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise are all adjusting to new ownership.
- Advanced APIs will transform the workplace: Finally, communication and collaboration solutions will become accessible from web-based and mobile applications not specifically intended to support messaging, video, and voice.
Recommendations for the Marketplace
First of all, as the market changes, it’s recommended that buyers move forward with caution. Vendor consolidation could have an impact on long-term supplier prospects. Many cloud solutions for UC have only been introduced recently, which mean they’re entirely immature. Enterprises may need to carefully evaluate their decisions regarding purchasing to make sure that services and solutions accessed today are going to be supported years from now.
Additionally, vendors may want to capitalise on the uncertainty surrounding market leaders. As Microsoft transitions to cloud-first development model, and Avaya explores “strategic options” for development, new opportunities may emerge. Rivals should be quick to exploit any uncertainties in the marketplace.
Finally, providers should consider taking a mobile-first approach to services for hosted UC. Today’s mobile devices are used constantly in the enterprise for a range of tasks. This is putting traditional business communication solutions on the side-lines. Larger operators are in a great position to integrate UC tightly with services for mobility.
