For most of the past 30 years, digital technology for enterprise productivity and telecommunications has evolved along parallel but separate paths. For inter- and intranet networks, there was IP-based PBX. For web-based business apps, there is VoIP.
But there are increasingly signs that software developers are sensing new opportunities in erasing the invisible line between the two markets and offering all-in-one business technology packages. Most of the play is being made by enterprise IT companies which are bringing more and more packages with comms platforms included to the market.
The developers in the vanguard of this emerging market are making use of WebRTC (Real Time Communications) technology. WebRTC is a programming standard which enables real-time communication over peer-to-peer connections.
The key innovation of WebRTC is that it allows information transfer from one web browser to another in real time, rather than having to be routed through backend servers. In practice, it makes coding for comms applications much more straightforward than it has been previously. Suddenly it is feasible for software developers to add voice, messaging and live video features without having to concern themselves with more complex, specialist technologies like SIP.
This poses a significant threat to the comms market as we know it. For every SIP programmer, there are 2000 enterprise software developers. By being able to offer comms platforms as part of existing software packages, for minimal additional costs, the enterprise software industry could engulf the comms industry. Some estimates put the potential size of this enterprise-as-a-feature market at $4.5 billion.
