Unified communications set to take off in manufacturing
1 min read
Although uptake of unified communications systems has been slow, environmental, social and economic factors will soon drive growth according to a new study.
Analyst Datamonitor’s report ‘Trends to Watch 2008: Unified Communications’, analyses what the firm sees as five key developments likely to impact this market over the next 12 months, and says that green IT, employee productivity and the economy will be among key drivers.
Datamonitor technology analyst, Aphrodite Brinsmead says that while the organisation does not expect dramatic cuts in manufacturers’ IT budgets this year, it does believe they will rethink IT strategies, in the wake of the credit crunch and current uncertainty.
“More software solutions will be run as a managed services, particularly for new technologies,” she says. “The main benefits for enterprises are that payments will be staggered and there will be less pressure on the in-house IT team.”
She also suggests that the continued media focus on green IT is likely to move unified communications up the agenda. The result: vendors will continue to market solutions from this perspective, helping to reduce businesses’ carbon footprints – making the point that video conferencing can be used instead of long-distance travel to meetings, while presence and unified messaging can keep home workers connected.
“Inhibitors for deploying conferencing systems are likely to have been the cost and business case for deployment in the past” says Brinsmead. “But considering the benefits from reduced travel and environmental concerns, Datamonitor expects to see a higher uptake in 2008.”
Interestingly, she also says that home user demand for Internet-based technologies, such as IM, Skype and social networking sites will see these gaining new roles in the workplace. Enterprises need to adapt to keep up with changing consumer trends,” she warns. “Despite initial worries about employee productivity, there are clear business benefits for using these technologies.”
And on mobile communications technologies, Brinsmead adds: “Mobility is becoming a more significant factor in unified communications, from a productivity and cost savings point of view, and is likely to help drive investments. To achieve the full benefits of presence, integrated directories and messaging, employees need access to the same functionality on the mobile device as they have on the desktop.”
