Unified communications is migrating to ‘the cloud’, as vendors begin positioning it as a service rather than a product, reports In-Stat. Infrastructure providers like Cisco, Broadsoft, and Microsoft are now working closely with providers of hosted VoIP services. “Several flavors of unified communications are emerging from the ‘cloud,’” says Dave Lemelin, In-Stat analyst.

“There are versions that operate as a hybrid mix of customer-owned equipment with managed/hosted services targeting mid-size businesses, those that act as fully hosted offerings with smaller businesses in mind, and those that are revamped broadband telephony services targeting SOHO users”, he added.

Unified communications has yet to achieve its full potential. However, two trends are poised to enhance the richness of unified communications:

1) SIP Trunking, now touted as a cost saving mechanism, will ultimately enable the interconnection of unified communications islands.

2) The wireless industry’s evolution toward higher data rates is extending unified communications to smartphones and other wireless data devices.

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• As the world economy rebounds, so will unified communications with total revenues (product + service) growing to $39.7 billion in 2013.
• Avaya, Cisco, and Nortel continue to trade places for the lead in the unified messaging market, although Avaya will soon have the clear lead upon completion of its Nortel acquisition.

The research, “Global Unified Communications Emerges from the Cloud” (#IN0904352CT), covers the worldwide market for unified communications (UC). It includes:

• Examination of market trends across market segments.
• Forecasts for products and services sold as part of a UC solution through 2013.
• 2008 and 1H 2009 messaging market end-user revenues.
• Profiles of managed/hosted unified communications providers: Alteva, Cbeyond, Orange Business, Verizon Business, CallTower, Chinook Hosting, LightEdge, Outsourcery, and Smoothstone.
• Analysis of an In-Stat survey of 1,000 US-based VoIP decision makers.

  For a free sample of the report and more information, please contact a sales representative: http://www.instat.com/sales.asp

  To purchase it online, please visit: http://www.instat.com/catalog/ecata.... The price is $3,495 (US).

   [November 24, 2009]
  
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