Every year, the communications environment eagerly awaits the results of Gartner's numerous magic quadrant reports for spaces like Unified Communications, /unified-communications/ucaas, and of course, Meeting Solutions.
Gartner identifies "Meeting Solutions" as real-time applications for collaboration and the associated endpoints that help to promote stronger teamwork in a professional environment. This year, the Magic Quadrant featured various notable changes. Lifesize and StarLeaf were added to the report, while the following vendors were dropped:
- ZTE: ZTE could not be included in the status due to "export-control-related decisions."
- West: West was removed from the magic quadrant because it did not acquire 20% of its revenue from a branded meeting solution
- Polycom: Polycom was removed from the MQ because its meeting solutions capabilities did not meet with the inclusion criteria for Gartner's report
The Meeting Solutions Leaders for 2018
Gartner defines its Meeting Solution Magic Quadrant leaders as companies with significant influence and market share. In last year's MQ, the leaders were:
- Cisco
- Microsoft
- Zoom
This year, the vendors leading the pack are:
Cisco
Cisco offers a broad selection of meeting solutions through their Webex environment. Cisco Meeting Server is the leading product in Cisco's portfolio, while Webex Meetings and Teams provide solutions for hybrid conferencing and collaboration. Cisco has the broadest range of meeting solutions on multiple endpoints compared to any other vendor in the MQ report for 2018. Cisco also excels in working with disruptive technology like natural language and intelligent speaker tracking.
LogMeIn
LogMeIn enters the top spot this year offering collaborative services through GoToTraining, GoToMeeting, GoToConference, and GoToWebinar. LogMeIn solutions are popular among enterprises, and the vendor delivers services at a scale much greater than some of its competitors. Gartner also comments LogMeIn for its commitment to innovative services provided through in-depth analytics, speech-to-text transcription, and integration with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa.
Microsoft
Microsoft has stayed active in the meeting solutions environment with Skype for Business, and Microsoft Teams leading the way for state-of-the-art communication and collaboration. Microsoft users consider ease of deployment and maintenance to be two crucial characteristics that set this vendor ahead of its competition.
Zoom
Zoom also stayed in the Leader category for another year with a hybrid, SaaS, managed services and dedicated meeting services. Zoom offers a choice between Zoom Video Webinar technology and Zoom Meetings. Each option comes equipped with easy-to-use interfaces, innovative capabilities and support continuous innovation.
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Gartner Meeting Solutions Magic Quadrant 2018 - click to enlarge[/caption]
The Meeting Solutions Challengers for 2018
The Challengers in the Magic Quadrant for meeting solutions are defined by their operational excellence and strong reputations in the segment. They might not be as innovative as the visionaries and leaders, but they still offer excellent technology for the modern communications space.
Last year's challengers were:
- West
- Adobe
- LogMeIn
- Polycom
This year, we have:
Adobe
Adobe's premises-based, SaaS, dedicated deployment and managed services meeting solutions come in the form of "Adobe Connect." The solution comes with a useful engagement dashboard providing more profound insights into customer experiences. Gartner also notes Adobe's business model, which focuses on responding to recent trends like the transition to cloud and serving the needs of their target audience.
Google's meeting solutions include Google Hangouts Meet and Google Hangouts Chat. Gartner celebrates Google's success in expanding the G Suite to serve companies across the globe, boosting the adoption of Google Hangouts. Additionally, the Magic Quadrant also references Google's interoperability with other Google products like Google Drive.
