For decades, companies relied on plain old telephone sets (POTS) to manage their business conversations through the PSTN.
The old strategy wasn't necessarily the most effective, but it was reliable. Inside the office, companies could depend on their PBX to connect employees to countless extensions, keeping the discussion flowing. As time passed by, we discovered VoIP, and the cost-effective support it could provide for worldwide connectivity.
However, in today's digital age, we've learned that the best conversations don't necessarily depend on voice alone. With the internet at our fingertips, we've discovered new ways to communicate, from instant messaging to video conferencing and even full collaboration services. While VoIP providers still exist, many businesses are looking for something more fully-featured in their digital transformation strategy - they're searching for the power of UC.
In an industry defined by evolution, what does Unified Communications mean in 2019?
Here are my predictions on how the landscape will change.
UCaaS Dominates the Conversation
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Rob Scott, Publisher & Founder, UC Today[/caption]
According to MarketsandMarkets, UCaaS adoption is set to double by 2021, particularly among small to mid-sized businesses. Companies everywhere are discovering the benefits of a cloud-based UC system, from lower total cost of ownership to greater flexibility.
In the year ahead, UCaaS will begin to take over more of the market, with countless vendors offering packaged selections of the best UC features over the cloud. However, hybrid will continue to be an opportunity for those bigger enterprise companies who can't afford to move completely off-premises. For some, the option to scale at their own pace will be essential.
The Chess Board Changes
It seems like everyone is battling for a bigger piece of the UC pie this year. Moving in 2019, expect the competitors and challengers you see every day to evolve, as resellers transform into service providers, and providers make the move into platform vendors.
At the same time, the quest for global domination in Unified Communications continues, with more European players spreading out to new countries. Recently, Waterland, a private equity investor acquired pan-European UC company Swyx Solutions and then Centile, in a purchase designed to help Swyx accomplish its goals for European expansion. Swyx will now have the power to reach new marketplaces, and many other companies are taking a similar approach, including the UK hosted voice powerhouse, Gamma Telecom.
CPaaS Is the New Differentiator for UC Vendors
CPaaS is quickly becoming the must-have solution for businesses in search of a DIY approach to communication and collaboration. Designed to enable seamless and flexible connections, CPaaS allows end-users to mix and match their ideal features, into a system that provides single-pane-of-glass simplicity to end users. It's no wonder that UC Vendors are beginning to look at CPaaS as the ultimate way to differentiate their service.
With open source strategies, developers will have access to a constantly-increasing range of software and features. This means that businesses investing in CPaaS get more low-cost, scalable solutions capable of making a significant difference to their business operations. CPaaS means that anyone can access the features they need fast, from chatbots to customer experience systems and more.
Needless to say, there are other differentiators for UCaaS including SD-WAN and contact centre which will continue to trend in 2019.
