Exploring the Gartner UCaaS Magic Quadrant 2019
As businesses search for more scalability in their UC solutions, UCaaS has taken over as the de-facto way to access technology for many brands. Each year, Gartner helps companies of all sizes to explore some of the leading vendors in the UCaaS space using the Gartner UCaaS Magic Quadrant. The MQ report discusses the ability to execute and completeness of vision shown by each vendor mentioned.
In this year's report, Gartner noted that by 2023, 40% of new enterprise telephony purchases will be made based on a cloud office suite. According to Gartner, this will be either Google G-Suite or Microsoft Office 365, if not something similar. The report also drew attention to the rapidly evolving and fluid nature of the UCaaS environment.
In previous years, Microsoft and Cisco haven't been front-runners in the UC market, despite Gartner's claims this year. However, the acquisition of BroadSoft for Cisco, and the launch of Microsoft Teams has allowed both organisations to gain serious ground. Additionally, Gartner has noted this year that UCaaS officially appears to offer better functionality than on-prem systems, which shows us the direction that the market is heading in. Let's take a look at what happened in this year's report.
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Gartner's UCaaS Magic Quadrant 2019[/caption]
The UCaaS Leaders for 2019
Leaders in the UCaaS Magic Quadrant stand out for their completeness of vision and ability to execute. Last year, the leaders were:
- Verizon
- RingCentral
- BT
- 8x8
- Orange
This year, the leaders are:
Microsoft
Microsoft is leading the way in the UCaaS environment for Gartner this year, thanks to the delivery of Microsoft Teams - the fastest growing collaboration app in the industry. Microsoft's UCaaS solution supports everything from team and personal messaging to enterprise telephony and meeting capabilities for all. Additionally, Teams telephony services are available through certified business phones in the ecosystem. Microsoft Office 365 is also a significant feather in Microsoft's hat, and the company has used it's complete portfolio to attract a vast range of customers.
RingCentral
We're thrilled to see RingCentral leading the pack again in 2019 after a successful 2018. In 2019 RingCentral was crowned the Best UC Platform at UC Awards 2019. Last year, we announced RingCentral as our UC Awards winner for Best Cloud Communications Provider, and we've seen the business implementing a massive range of upgrades and enhancements in the last 12 months. This year, Gartner drew attention to their investments in AI solutions for sales productivity, CSP integrations, and improved options for performance analytics. RingCentral also made some significant investments (and acquisitions) in contact centre this year too.
8x8
Another company making substantial strides for 2019, 8x8 has made a name for itself as a UCaaS application specialist with the incredible X Series platform. Perfectly suited to the small and mid-sized business market, 8x8 is excellent for organisations in search of flexibility and scalability. This year, 8x8 has released its Dynamic Integration framework for more rapid integrations with business and communication applications. Additionally, the 8x8 Team messaging solution has seen a host of key upgrades too.
Cisco
Cisco is another major player alongside Microsoft in the enterprise communication and collaboration space this year. As a global publicly-traded IT vendor, Cisco has an excellent reputation for delivering high-quality products and services. Over the last 12 months, the company has concentrated heavily on realigning its UC portfolio and defining its future roadmap. Platforms available today include everything from Webex Contact Centre, to Webex Teams, Meetings, and Calling. The solution can support a wide range of environments and strategies.
The UCaaS Challengers for 2019
The Challengers in the UCaaS Gartner Magic Quadrant are those that are making their ways towards the leadership position with high ability to execute. Last year we saw:
- Microsoft
- Cisco
- AT&T
- NTT Group
This year, we have fewer entries, including:
Google has held onto its position in the Challenger space for the UCaaS Gartner Magic Quadrant. The Google UCaaS offering consists of Hangouts Meet, Chat, and Google Voice, and each comes with its own client. Hangouts Meet provides audio and video conferencing, while Hangouts Chat focuses on group and one-on-one chat. Google Voice is more recently, with general availability rolling out earlier this year. The solution supports things like voicemail transcription, Google AI, and more.
Mitel
Mitel comes to the UCaaS space with their unique Mitel MiCloud offering, delivered primarily via channel partners and complemented with direct sales. Over the past year, larger numbers of legacy Mitel channels have begun selling MiCloud Connect. MiCloud Connect also supports unified messaging, meetings, team messaging, email to fax, and more. The company has implemented a host of robust support processes this year, to strengthen its position in the marketplace. And Mitel also ported MiCloud Connect to the Google platform.
LogMeIn
LogMeIn's UCaaS offering is the GoToConnect solution, which is based on GoToMeeting combined with the Jive strategy for enterprise telephony. GoToConnect includes features like enterprise telephony, meetings, team, and personal messaging. LogMeIn also offers two contact centre solutions alongside its portfolio, including NICE inContact partnership for advanced demands, its own Jive Contact Centre. Recent enhancements to the solution include the Alert Centre Portal and the development of the NICE inContact bundles.
