Unified Communication Paving the Way for Enhanced Business Productivity

Business Wire, June 2, 2008

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Rapid advancements in technology and the increasing acceptance of unified communication (UC) revolutionize the enterprise communication industry. Recent trends indicate the rapid adoption of fixed mobile convergence, presence management as well as Internet telephony catering to the various enterprise segments. Consequently, numerous technological advancements take place with respect to mobile unified communication as well as integrating technologies on a session initiation protocol (SIP) platform.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.technicalinsights.frost.com), Advances in Software for Enterprise Communication, finds that the emergence of innovative technologies, combined with a huge amount of industry collaborative efforts, has provided the ongoing momentum for this industry.

If you are interested in an analysis, which provides manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants with an overview, summary, challenges, and latest coverage of advances in software for enterprise communication, send an e-mail to Mireya Castilla, Corporate Communications, at mireya.castilla@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state, and country. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you by e-mail.

"Consolidation of software is a must when it comes to UC as it is vital for an enterprise to support multiple features in a single application," notes Frost & Sullivan Technical Insights Research Analyst Gaurav Sundararaman. "The urge to consolidate is visible among the enterprises and more and more companies are looking to combine all the features into a single software. Multi vendor consolidation is the right way to go to achieve state-of-the-art business communication."

The need to communicate with people inside and outside the business is becoming a key business differentiator. UC describes a way to combine today's complex mix of technologies into a single strategy that simplifies the user experience. UC aids in promoting collaboration between key stakeholders in an organization and provides a valuable and cost-effective communications environment. Drivers such as costs, simplicity, and interoperability drive the enterprise communications industry.

However, ensuring interoperability of diverse solutions is critical to make certain that enterprise users leverage the benefits of their investment in a solution. Many products are still not open standard based and are not compatible with the products of other vendors.

"Standards-based, converged, IP communications tools can enable seamless interoperability with fixed and mobile networks, terminals, and corporate IT services," says Sundararaman. "This opens up a great opportunity for enterprises to introduce solutions that cater to the needs of the end user. Achieving UC is the ultimate goal for most vendors and this challenge will motivate smaller companies to work toward this goal."

The future of enterprise communications depends on the extent of collaboration between industries as well as interoperable standards. Companies need to identify and evaluate the needs of end users before introducing enterprise solutions. At the end of the day, the ball is in the court of enterprises on how judiciously they make use of technology provided to them and the strategy they take to break even.

Advances in Software for Enterprise Communication, a part of the Technical Insights program, provides a detailed overview of the development of emerging technologies with insights into the various factors that drive and impede further progress of the next-generation enterprise communications systems. The study covers technologies such as presence management server, UC, and mobility, which are aiming to set a benchmark in the future. Furthermore, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.

Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership[TM] empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com.

Advances in Software for Enterprise Communication

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