Light Reading’s VoIP Services Insider report, a subscription research service from TechWeb’s Light Reading, says providers of Unified Communications (News - Alert) (UC) platforms and services are focusing more effort and attention on developing marketing applications. These applications are suitable for specific needs of enterprise users. This signifies a strategy shift which will impact the continued development of the UC sector.

 

The reasons behind UC revenue success, emerging trends in the UC applications market and an in-depth examination of the UC applications are discussed in the report titled “The Key to UC Revenue Success: It’s the Apps”.

 

The report draws attention to the strategies of UC providers including the types of markets and verticals they target and the partnerships and acquisitions made by them besides their future R&D plans. A comparative analysis of eleven of the top companies in the UC industry and how their products address applications is provided in the report.

 

“Despite next-gen service trappings surrounding unified communications, customers want from UC what they have always wanted from conventional voice, video, and data offerings -- saved time, saved money, and increased productivity,” said Denise Culver, research analyst with Light Reading’s (News - Alert) VOIP Services Insider and author of the report.

“As they look to expand the user base for UC, vendors and service providers know they need to emphasize the practical aspects of UC adoption,” added Culver.

 

Although there are practical advantages in moving to UC platforms providers of UC products and services understand that innovative applications will only lead to increase in adoption of UC by enterprises of all sizes.

 

Vendors are developing VOIP, IM, click-to-call, presence, whiteboarding, conferencing, and other applications to be suitable for small and midsize enterprises. In the case of larger enterprises, developers are targeting applications to specific vertical markets, like using UC for outbound call notification systems now being installed by universities to deal with campus emergencies.

 

The report also says that fixed/mobile convergence and collaboration are two popular UC applications and rich media with HD audio and video is a hot application which will become very popular by next year.

 

The report reveals that financial and healthcare are two large verticals desirous of creating specialized applications for UC platforms. Vendors are making strategic partnerships often with competitors for succeeding in the UC application space. More UC partnerships are leading to increased interest in open platforms for UC.

The study report offers critical data and analysis which are required by several industry participants like UC technology suppliers needing independent assessment of the UC application market and opportunities and for network operators who evaluate deployment of UC platforms and applications.

 

Besides investors looking at the scale of the opportunity presented by UC sector and companies trying to take advantage of the situation also need details regarding the UC revenue success.

 

Light Reading is a source of technology and financial analysis of the communications industry offering. It caters to executives and technologists in the telecom and enterprise networking communities besides to the financial and industry analysts and investors.