‘Tis the season for all the talk about looking back on the previous year and forward to the next. Unified Communications has seen significant growth over the past few years, with growth in the 16.8% CAGR through 2025. ReportBuyer estimates that the industry will reach an astonishing USD 167.1 Billion by 2025. With 34% of businesses indicating they have already begun the process of digital transformation, IDC reports that 85% of enterprise decision makers believe they have two years or less to make significant progress with the transformation, driving the trend in Unified Communications forward.
With this, it is clear that the adoption of Unified Communications is continuing to grow at a rapid rate, and moving forward, here is what we expect to see in 2020.
1. On-Premise Systems are Taking a Hit, Trends towards Unified Communications
Businesses of all sizes and in all industries are looking for more flexibility and scalability in their communications solutions. As a result, businesses are looking away from on-premise solutions and focusing on true Unified Communications solutions that are not held back by hardware and software silos. Legacy systems are losing their appeal, and businesses who want to compete are turning to cloud and subscription based solutions.
2. Remote Work and Remote Teams Are Becoming Mainstream
A survey on the State of Remote Work by FlexJobs found that “between 2005 to 2017, there was a 159% increase in remote work.” With 80% of surveyed employees stating they would turn down a job if it did not include a remote work component, it has become clear that remote workers and remote teams have become mainstream. To compete for the top talent in the workforce, employers need to ensure they have the technology available to facilitate remote working strategies. One such technology is unified communications, that adds mobility components to your telecommunications solution with the added benefit of reduced costs.
3. Video Collaboration is Becoming Increasingly Popular
As a result of the growing number of remote workers, teams and the trend towards out of office flexibility, video conferencing abilities have become more important as a communications tool. Video conferencing enables employees, colleagues and customers to communicate in a way that is as personal as an in person meeting. Advances in HD video technology and as-a-service meeting solutions will drive this growth even further in the coming year.
4. Hardware and Software Silos (Full Stack) Isn’t the Holy Grail Anymore
Businesses are unique, so why are communications environments cookie cutter? More and more of the industry is moving towards flexibility in their communications solutions, and looking for build-your-own features and add-ons.
5. APIs Become Increasingly Available
More and more providers in UCaaS and SaaS are recognizing the value of enabling consumers to add functionality of their own to their chosen solution. As a result, more developers are including APIs in their product solution to enhance the deployment of their services.
6. 5G Will Disrupt the Industry
The rise of 5G over the past year will sharply impact the efficiency of telecommunications. The speed of the connection will enable the downloading and reception of large amounts of files and data in seconds, enabling more work to be completed in time, more efficiently, more flexibly, and in a safer and more environmentally friendly manner.
Trends in Unified Communications: Looking Forward to 2020
Add the PSTN switch off in the next few months, Unified Communications and cloud solutions adoptions will increase even more significantly than they already have, and businesses need to have a plan to remain relevant in 2020. The FCC regulations, or rather deregulation, of the copper wires that have traditionally carried telecom traffic, can either be seen as a boost to your business or a detriment. The results are ultimately up to you. The benefits of Unified Communications and VoIP are vast …don’t wait until you have no choice. Make the switch now.
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