There have been many changes in the UC and Collaboration market in recent months. We have discussed the complexity of this growing environment, and how, despite the rise of collaboration tools, it can still be difficult to truly define UC&C.
One of the main things affecting the transformation of the UC and collaboration market is the rise of new trends designed to transform the way that we work. Here are some of the trends we have identified and what they mean to the future of work.
The Rise of Shadow IT
Collaboration tools are no longer just an option in the business technology stack. With remote workers spanning the globe, now more than ever, companies need to ensure that people are properly empowered. Team collaboration software and solutions for consistent synchronous conversations are essential.
Business leaders investing in collaboration technology need to ensure that they’re delivering the right tools not just for their budgetary requirements, but for the needs of their employees too. Failing to ask your team members what they need or understand their work processes could lead to Shadow IT. Shadow IT is the process of using software or hardware in a business without approval.
Unfortunately, in 2017, 62% of large enterprise technology purchases were shadow IT. However, only around 8% of businesses understand how significant shadow IT is in their environment. If your employees need to turn to consumer or un-approved tools to remain productive, the outcomes may be significant. Shadow IT leads to security issues, fragmented information, and reduced productivity.
The Demand for Mobility
One of the biggest trends of the UC and Collaboration environment lately has been the demand for technology that supports remote teams. However, today’s businesses need to recognise that their UC&C solutions can’t just serve at-home employees. In an age of digital nomadism, many team members will become mobile workers.
At the same time, there are already employees in the field and on the front lines that need their UC&C services to be mobile-ready. Companies need to consider a mobile-first strategy. Unfortunately, mobile UCaaS is exceedingly difficult to access at this point. The good news is that there may be opportunities in the future. We’ve already seen Microsoft purchasing Metaswitch to build on a potential mobile solution.
At the same time, the introduction of technology like 5G will support the demand for mobility too. As 5G becomes more of a possibility for business leaders, vendors will be able to create solutions that suffer from low latency, record speeds, and incredible reliability. Combining 5G with the perfect package for UC&C means teams will finally be able to enjoy the same collaborative experiences on-the-go as they get in the office.
The Continued Rise of UCaaS
For many business leaders, the opportunities available from UC and Collaboration will emerge in the form of the ideal UCaaS solution. Tools delivered over the cloud, both for communication and collaboration, provide an excellent level of freedom. As companies continue to see just how flexible and transformative the digital environment is, business leaders will want to remain agile.
In the past, though many businesses recognised the value of UCaaS and other “as a service” solutions, the demand for this technology belonged mainly to smaller businesses. Larger companies had too much investment in legacy equipment to fully digitise.
