Recently published research on the growth of the Unified Communications market represents encouraging news for the UC market as a whole, but also demonstrates how larger businesses are in danger of falling behind the curve when it comes to adoption of the technology. This is according to cloud and Unified Communications specialists Outsourcery.
According to the new study, global market penetration of UC will grow sixfold over the next five years. However, this will be driven largely by the midmarket and small business segments, with penetration in large enterprises only expected to triple in the same period. This slower uptake of UC solutions means big businesses are at risk of missing out on the myriad benefits that such technologies offer in terms of increased efficiency, productivity and mobility at work.
Jon Seddon, Head of Product at Outsourcery, commented: “SMEs are demonstrating agility and flexibility in their approach to Unified Communications, and are reaping the benefits of this willingness to innovate. This is being reflected in the positive impact UC solutions such as Skype for Business are having on the productivity of staff and the streamlining of work processes.
“Larger organisations need to replicate this approach where possible. Excessive bureaucracy and systemic inefficiencies often mar the operations of big businesses and professional services firms, but these companies have a ready-made solution on their doorstep that is straightforward to implement, and can remedy these inefficiency issues in a short space of time.”
Seddon added: “Many big firms are positioning themselves as thought leaders in business innovation; which is enabled in no small part by effective communication and collaboration. If these companies are sluggish in embracing the UC technologies that are becoming a cornerstone of business best practice, their status as leaders in their respective sectors is at threat.”
To ensure they keep up with this pace of change, Seddon believes that larger enterprises need to focus more readily on the bigger picture when considering what UC can bring to their organisation.
He concluded: “The statistics are telling: UC is becoming ever more prevalent in businesses of all sizes, but large enterprises and leading professional services companies need to take heed of the fact that its long-term benefits are reputational as well as operational. SMEs are seeing positive results, but bigger organisations need to make sure they don’t miss out on the opportunity to be the standard-bearers of this UC transformation.”