Unified Communications Expected to Outpace Enterprise Voice Market Through 2014

According to a recent report by Dell’Oro Group, a networking and telecommunications analyst firm, revenue in the unified communications (UC) market is anticipated to expand faster than the overall enterprise voice market through 2014.

The report also indicates that the total private branch exchange market is forecast to exceed $6 billion in 2014, but will not return to its peak of more than $7 billion reached in 2007.

"We believe that over the next five years, UC will disrupt not only how vendors develop products, but also what kinds of ‘go-to-market’ strategies they implement,” said Alan Weckel, director at Dell’Oro Group. “We believe it will take several software generations for a vendor to incorporate the functionality needed to become fully competitive with a UC offering in this market. This will give existing vendors opportunity to strengthen their installed base while giving new vendors the opportunity to enter this market,” Weckel added.