Report Description:
Enterprises began the transition to IP by moving their telephony networks from TDM to IP, driven by increasingly solid reliability, quality and security from business-focused VoIP services. While the concerns over voice quality made the overall transition slower than expected, it is no longer unusual for enterprises to look to IP-based telephony as a key business objective. The primary driver and benefit of this move was a clear reduction in telephony transport costs. And while it is hard to dispute the value of cost-savings to an enterprise, IP at this level was not truly a game changing technology. Once the adoption of IP telephony was largely in place and proven, enterprises and contact centers then began experiment with the technology. IP endpoints for contact centers and for enterprises – such as IP phones, softphones and video conferencing – began to spread. But again, the primary driver was cost reduction; the IP endpoints reduced an enterprise’s equipment and infrastructure overhead.
The value of IP to the enterprise is, however, now beginning to be fully realised with true IP endpoints that reduce or eliminate the need for complex and expensive CTI projects. Enterprises are now starting to explore some truly higher value benefits of IP, such as remote working, collaboration, improved scalability, expanded reporting capabilities, and easier integration of multichannel interactions. Additionally, presence engines and enterprise-wise unified communications solutions offer the promise of having a unified enterprise in a single, IP-centric environment. To achieve these high-value business benefits, enterprises continue to need business transformation services.
Key findings
- Converged communication is defined as the integration of all traffic types, which may include voice, data and video, onto a single IP network. This covers a range of technologies including IP-PBX, IP-contact center, unified messaging and mobility.
- Although the majority of IT budgets will remain flat in 2009, a vertical analysis reveals that some industries have been less affected than others. Businesses in key sectors such as energy and utilities, healthcare and education are showing growth in IT budgets in 2009.
- The poor economic situation has led to an increased focus on customer service and retention. The other key objective for enterprises is cost reduction. Rather than making large infrastructure upgrades to IP, enterprises are looking to squeeze out the most from existing investments.
- Mobility will also play a greater role in the converged communications and UC markets, driving much of future investment
Features
- Analysis of the IT investment plans of enterprises through the economic downturn.
- Includes unique surveys into the spending plans of enterprises and the investment plans of IT decision makers.
- Provides in-depth vendor profiles and analysis, based on proprietary analysis of data, decision maker and end-user opinion and comprehensive market knowledge.
Benefits
- Understand the IT investment plans of enterprise through the economic downturn and through until 2013.
- Gain unique insight into the opinions of IT decision makers and their outlook for spending on converged and unified communications.
- Understand how trends in the converged communications market and other factors mean that vendors need to adapt their go-to-market strategies.
Discover
- What are the IT spending plans of enterprises through the economic downturn, and how will this affect the converged and unified communications markets?
- Which go-to-market strategies are likely to be the most successful?
- What role will mobility play in the evolution of the converged communications market?
- What are the market opportunities in the IP contact center market?