The unified communications (UC) industry is moving at a faster pace than ever before. Vendors have long offered new and improved technologies, but clients have often been slower to adapt to them. That’s beginning to change, and it’s led to an industry-wide shift that is changing the rules of the game.
Here are eight examples of longstanding UC industry principles that are being challenged by the rapidly emerging landscape:
Businesses Are Going Global
Technology has opened the door to globalization, allowing major players in key industries to expand their reach into new markets. This is driving change in the UC industry, as traditional approaches to region-oriented business growth are changing.
Branding Strategies Are Changing
New sales and customer retention have emerged as higher priorities for businesses that previously relied on the strength of established brands. In an effort to win new business, companies are undergoing rebranding efforts as they move into uncharted waters.
Simplicity Is Winning
For a long time, tech solutions were built on complexity. The more features a solution offered, the better it was deemed to be. This is giving way to a renewed focus on simplicity, as complexity is falling out of favor. Businesses are now looking for simple, intuitive integrated solutions.
Channel Diversity
The most important aspects of channel success are changing. Once built on skills and inventory, channel success is now defined by a provider’s ability to offer services including licensing, training, project management, integration, and specialized knowledge of key verticals.
The Evolving Nature of Disruption
Because technology has made it easier than ever to launch a successful business, the nature of disruption is changing. Nowadays, it is driven by the constant emergence of new technological trends — trends which even startups with limited resources can leverage to great advantage.
Security Concerns
The interconnected, interdependent nature of today’s business landscape has created a new generation of security concerns. Industry insiders are predicting that responses will be relatively slow, but large in scope. Businesses need to be more proactive about protecting customer data, since liability issues are becoming an increasingly hot topic.
Expanded Use of Digital Video
The potential of digital video has only begun to be harnessed. While it has transformed boardrooms into mobile enterprises, digital video also has many unrealized possibilities as a training and collaboration tool. Expect it to make major inroads in the day-to-day functions of businesses in the years ahead.
New Opportunities for Collaboration
It isn’t just digital video that’s creating new ways to collaborate. Technologies like VoIP, social media, and instant messaging are also forcing innovation in the way businesses handle and prioritize collaboration-driven communications. Given the complexity of the current landscape, expect emerging solutions to focus on streamlining and simplification.
UC is a highly dynamic field, and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) need to stay abreast of current trends and best practices to offer the most effective solutions to clients. To learn more about the future of UC and how cloud technologies will affect the industry, visit eXemplify, a cutting-edge provider of IT and telecom solutions.