At Enterprise Connect Orlando, an event for the complete analysis of UC innovation, there’s no time like the present when it comes to considering the future of enterprise communication. At the Orlando Gaylord Palms Resort, the conference has been in full-swing this week, as key-note speakers and industry experts discuss the technology revolutions that could change the world of enterprise for good.
Monday’s kick-off sessions for the conference were all about introducing change, a theme that’s bound to stay with the event all the way through to the end of the event on Thursday. Enterprise communication and collaboration as we know it is changing, and those changes are happening at a rapid pace. In fact, it’s pretty hard to keep up with the evolution if you’re one of the many industry people who grew up with snail-paced development of legacy hardware systems.
The Conference within a Conference
This year’s Enterprise Connect opened on Monday with a day-long “conference-within-a-conference” experience. The idea was to reflect the key technology streams that are covered by Enterprise Connect, such as cloud communications, core communication and collaboration, video, contact centres, and mobility. Forward-looking experts came together to determine the emerging technology that would shape the next collection of strategic decisions that enterprises will be forced to make by 2020.
The event suggested that, although 2020 is sure to see a fair share of UC platforms implemented on premises, enterprises will continue to supplement them, and eventually replace them with services offered through the cloud. Within three years, a lot of team workplaces might have completely replaced their “traditional” interfaces for UC to become the go-to client for all internal and external communications.
Cloud PBX and UCaaS deployments are growing by 8.5% per year
The conference began with a speech by Tim Banting, Current Analysis’ principal analyst, who looked at the big picture surrounding one specific question: “Will there be a new solution for communication and collaboration at an enterprise level, in 2020?”
Looking to the Future with Enterprise Connect
Research from Current Analysis has outlined a significant level of migration into the cloud, alongside an accelerated adoption of UCaaS, and a rising popularity within team collaboration applications and interactive meetings. As these technologies continue to gain traction, it’s likely that others will fall to the wayside, including PBX platforms and premises-based UC solutions. Disruptive technologies are at play in the industry, and it’s worth remembering that various companies can simply appear out of nowhere to change the business scenario without many significant upfront investments in technology.
We’ve already seen this kind of disruption with Uber, a company that instantly transformed the transportation industry through CPaaS. It’s changes like these that are predicted to continue accelerating over the next three years, according to the Enterprise Connect opening panel, but how much you’re exposed to the change may depend on your specific market.
As attendees of Enterprise Connect move through the rest of the week, and check out the various vendor booths and conference sessions taking place, they’re sure to have the future in mind. Whether they’re actively searching for a way to evolve, or they’re simply keeping up with the chances, there’s plenty of advanced technology to explore, and it’s worth thinking about how those services are going to impact the UC&C world of the future.
With the opening of Enterprise Connect 2017, we’re all looking more carefully at our plans for the future. After all, when it comes to being prepared, there’s no time like the present.
