As the year-end approaches, commentators strive for new metaphors and superlatives to convey the shifts that 2020 has brought to UC and collaboration. But while reflecting on unexpected qualitative shifts is always of value, nothing beats actual data — which is why Ribbon Communications has maintained their established industry practice and surveyed over a thousand business decision makers worldwide, just as in previous years, to illuminate buyer behaviours and purchase drivers.
Trend global, apply local
The findings and insight from this primary research will be presented in a series of unique localised webinars, offering specific insight into local market trends and conditions in a range of languages, taking place in the European regions as follows:
- Spain & Portugal– Dec. 4
- UK & Ireland– Dec. 7
- France– Dec. 8
- Nordics– Dec. 9
- Benelux– Dec. 10
- DACH– Dec. 14
- Italy– Dec. 15
The locally contextualised viewpoint is vital for channel partners, in such a fast-moving space, where adoption has been so rapid, yet remains unevenly adopted. When Ribbon’s previous research (2019) indicated a non-awareness of Microsoft Teams at 67%, it’s a vivid reminder of how the scene has shifted over such a short period, and the survey data will highlight these shifts — while Ribbon executives explore in-depth the insight this yields for different markets, and the local selling opportunities created as a result.
The balance between in-house management vs outsourcing and SaaS has shifted fundamentally, along with the role of the IT director — on whom the business now depends for its ongoing continuity of service, as rolling local lockdowns drive remote working at short notice. In the springtime many were unprepared for this, and dramatic differences in true cloud-readiness were rapidly exposed for rapid remediation. Fast-forward to today, and so much has been learned in such a short period. Now even smaller businesses have IT specialists in house who are the new decision-makers for this category, requiring a different approach compared with marketing to business owners in days gone by.
Get the inside insight for success
As Ribbon partners have discovered in the past, the unparalleled combination of product knowledge, industry overview, and local insight delivered at these events creates unique value, and provides the secret weapon for capitalising on the unprecedented shifts this period has wrought — as well as the perspective needed to lay the groundwork for the new year ahead. Understanding the influences driving the shifts toward sustainable solutions for cloud-based, location-independent UC services will be vital, in providing the flexible long-term managed services that businesses large and small will need, in the challenging economic times awaiting us in the ‘new normality’.
Delegates at what were formerly face-to-face events found the expertise underpinning the product information in context made Ribbon’s past roadshows a highly valuable use of their time, even when it meant attending a physical roadshow, and doubtlessly positioned many of these participants in pole position for the unexpected events of 2020. “Credible, well-thought-through study, with valuable output and absolutely worth of attendance”, remarked one delegate from London in 2019.
And in 2020, nobody will have to leave their home-offices to participate. Ribbon UC Perspectives: Europe is a 100% virtual event, and registration is open now.
