Managers on the Fence About Unified Communications
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Managers on the Fence About Unified Communications
Executives recognize UC's benefits, but many are apprehensive about transitioning from legacy tools and technologies to a unified communications framework. -
UC Fear
26% of IT decision-makers and 39% of business decision-makers surveyed are either "somewhat" or "very" fearful about migrating to UC. -
Impact Unclear
48% of those surveyed admitted that they don't understand the full impact UC would have on their organizations. -
Mired in Legacy
One out of six respondents admitted that their legacy investment in telephony and related systems is a key reason for not adopting a UC solution immediately. -
ROI Matters
Nearly one-third prefer to achieve a full ROI from legacy technology before moving to UC, while two-thirds view improvements in employee productivity as a reason for migrating. -
Net Gains
71% of respondents believe there are "significant" and even "enormous" benefits to be realized from the deployment of UC. -
Adoption Curve
Oysterman Research predicts that the number of users served by unified communications will jump from 45% today to 68% in 2017. -
Remote Connections
The number of remote workers served by UC is expected to climb from 14% at present to 22% in 2017. -
Skype Evolves
In 2010, only 42% of those surveyed by Osterman Research believed that Skype was a legitimate application for use in their organizations. The figure rose to 55% in 2014. -
Acceptance Grows
71% of respondents predicted an acceptance of Skype for Business (which incorporates Lync Server) within the next 12 months.
Unified communication isn't a new concept—or a new technology. However, UC has made major inroads, and, for many organizations, it's become a strategic and cost-effective solution that delivers clear value. Despite that, a report conducted by Osterman Research on behalf of managed solutions provider ConnectSolutions, "Why The Paradigm Shift of Unified Communications Is Worth the Effort," points out that many business and IT leaders remain ambivalent, if not skeptical, about deploying UC. Among the key findings: Although executives recognize UC's benefits, many remain apprehensive, particularly about transitioning from legacy tools and technologies to a unified communications framework before they've achieved full ROI on the legacy systems. Even so, the technology will likely advance over the next few years. "Despite some valid reluctance among organizations to immediately deploy UC, the forecast is for rapid growth—especially as more businesses begin achieving the desired ROI from legacy systems and better understand how to prepare for a successful migration," noted the research firm's Michael Osterman.