According to the EVP, Business Operations for West Unified Communications Services, Rob Bellmar, Amazon could be disrupting the UC industry with its expanding collection of Echo products. The latest model to approach the market is the Echo Show, which comes with a video camera and 7-inch touchscreen which allows people to place voice or video calls over a WiFi connection. A free software upgrade has also been introduced which brings voice-calling features to existing Echo creations.
As more products become available to the public, Amazon is prompting the UC industry to make some changes, and according to Bellmar, the new Echo from Amazon indicates an expanding trend towards the integration of AI into Unified Communications tools. With new calling and video solutions, the Echo could have a significant impact on traditional UC tools, encouraging giants in the marketplace to continue innovating and updating their portfolios.
The Impact of Amazon Echo on the UC Industry
The UC space has been evolving dramatically in the recent years, and the Amazon news has just been another sign of a push towards more AI technology. Amazon's latest upgrade is likely to place additional pressure on other providers in the UC space like Cisco, Microsoft, and Google, who want to improve and incorporate new AI capabilities into their platform.
This could mean that in the long-run, Amazon will face a lot of competition in the enterprise environment. The use of their Echo solution as a key differentiator may therefore no longer be enough to help them stand out from the crowd. Of course, Amazon is a company that's often known for its disruptive position in the market.
One of the challenges that is facing the UC industry today is its ability to support the growing mobile workforce. Over the last decade or so, technology developments have enabled more employees to work from anywhere, and providers that can give remote workers are more simplified UC experience will be able to stand out. Amazon Echo's capabilities could help to offer a more automated collaboration and communication experience for remote workers, therefore pushing other providers to offer similar results.
