A few days ago, data group IDG Enterprise rolled out a lengthy report coupled with an infographic to show the state of UC&C (Unified Communications & Collaboration) today, with an eye on the next 12 months.

The research conducted by the enterprise technology media company revealed that data transformation continues to climb a steep hill, but that the UC&C sector in particular is making an innovative leap. Best of all, “organizations are recognizing the value that sits within these solutions,” according to Brian Glynn, chief revenue officer of IDG Enterprise.

Adoption and spending are going only one way: up

Glynn reveals that, “Tech vendors have more opportunity to provide tools that can drive business forward, now and in years to come, with emerging tech such as videoconferencing and cloud, along with enhancing the key role mobile workforce communication plays in organizations’ success.” His firm back these claims with hard data. All dished out below:

• 33% of organizations expect their UC&C budget to increase within the next year
• organizations’ budgets for collaboration software will increase by 9% on average
• 39% of enterprises expect their budgets to increase compared to 28% of SMBs, showing a substantial difference in focus on communication solutions depending on the type of organization
• The largest areas of investment are web, audio and videoconferencing services, with a 47% spending growth rate
• IP phones recorded a 44% growth rate
• while email, fax and voicemail including unified messaging are seeeing a 42% surge rate
• CIOs/VP of IT are upping their game, getting more involved in UC&C purchase decisions: 67% at enterprise and 62% with SMBs), but involvement varies a lot depending on the company size
• big UC&C spenders are optimistic about their ROI, expecting high returns, as well as improved employee collaboration, increased productivity and increased flexibility via a more mobile workforce

We’ve been anticipating this growth for the past few years now, and we couldn’t be prouder to have something on offer to satisfy demand for UC&C across enterprises and SMBs. More details about this trend can be found in IDG’s all-inclusive infographic – The Next Level of Enterprise Communication – below. How is your company preparing for the UC&C wave?

  The Next Level of Enterprise Communication by IDG_Enterprise