Technology may not as an end in itself in the foreground are Berlin – unified communications (UC) plays still a role for many companies. That may be changing however. In a survey by frost & Sullivan in collaboration with the ICT specialist Aastra among system integrators, service providers, consultants, distributors and resellers, only five percent of the participants indicated that the majority of their customers already using UC solutions. 65 per cent of respondents expect increasing demand for complete UC packages or individual services but still in this year. One reason for the previous restraint is the recession according to the study. Investments would now re-scheduled its end. Looking at the individual services that are summarized under the term of unified communications, so respondents attach to different marketing opportunities them. One of the top issues in the coming months is followed the convergence of fixed and mobile telephony, Unified Messaging (42 percent) for 62 percent.
80 percent expect the largest business Respondents in the migration to the Internet Protocol. According to the survey, cost savings and efficiency are top on the list of motivations (both 85%). This is followed by mobility and telecommuting (81 percent). To spend money on UC technologies, be economically is from the perspective of the applying companies. This in particular applies to individual modules such as convergence or video. The technology for its own sake is not in the foreground. Instead work processes should be easier and faster”, so Johannes Nowak, business development manager for applications at Aastra Germany. Should not technically be seen the term UC, but rather as a keyword with the customers attention making, that now clearly more is possible than simple phone calls and a call forwarding.
Efficient processes for financial service providers have traditionally played a major role. For this reason, respondents see this sector as a major buyer of UC solutions. In second place the IT – and telecommunications industries comes the, followed by service providers from Real estate, consulting, and accounting. Then one day retail, education and construction play a comparatively minor importance. Europe-wide, 169 companies took part in the survey, 41 percent of them come from Germany.