- Business
Value (BV) SMBs that firmly believe UC apps can solve their business problems
and deliver value in terms of cost reduction, productivity or speed of
decision-making.
- Basic
Communications (BC) SMBs that simply want basic communications capabilities at
an affordable price.
Since 2006, the research has
consistently found that over 40% of SMBs fall in the BV segment, which had been
increasing steadily until the recession. The latest InfoTrack research showed
the business value segment once again gaining against basic communications. Even among small
businesses with fewer than 100 employees, a growing number of firms perceive
that UC applications such as unified messaging, conferencing and collaboration
can improve business operations and generate a good return on their investment.
The recently published InfoTrack
for Unified Communications: 2010 SMB Market Analysis reports that 60% of BV
SMBs have started deploying IP Telephony systems, the foundation for many
unified communications applications, compared to only 33% of BC SMBs. In the
first half of 2011, 36% of the BV SMBs anticipate spending more on UC apps than
during the first half of 2010, with a third of those spending significantly
more. In contrast, three-fourths of BC SMBs will spend the same or less
than the same period last year. The report breaks out anticipated spending by
segment through 2012.
“This is a very different
notion from the traditional view that only early adopters in the SMB market
would be targets for technology-based applications, and necessitates rigorous
market segmentation changes. The challenge for vendors is to reach customers
with foundational solutions, demonstrate sound business value and grow their
relationships,” noted Susan Hobart, manager of the InfoTrack for Unified
Communications (IUC) research. She continued, “SMBs that achieved business value through UC applications improved their
results more than they anticipated, and plan to deploy additional solutions
over the next three years.”
The InfoTrack report describes methodologies to classify businesses as BV or BC, calculate the
Business Value Index (BVI) and target groups that are more likely to achieve
business value from UC apps. Segmenting the market by business value vs. basic
communications can help vendors reach likely buyers as each segment differs in
the sources on which they rely for information on unified communications.
The research also noted differences in how each segment prioritizes IP
Telephony and 18 specific UC applications. Case studies in several verticals
demonstrate the BV approach to utilizing UC to solve business problems.
About the InfoTrack for Unified Communications (IUC) Program
The InfoTrack for Unified Communications (IUC) program
conducts several comprehensive, primary research studies each year that analyze
and forecast enterprise and small/medium business (SMB) demand for IP Telephony
and Unified Communications applications. The program also reviews major
market disruptions and evaluates their likely impact. For more
information about the IUC program or this report, please visit www.t3igroup.com or email sales@t3igroup.com.
About T3i Group
T3i Group provides market research, analysis and
advisory services to the business communications industry. It has clients in
every global region and operates three lines of business: InfoTrack
monitors and analyzes demand and market share for global enterprise telephony,
unified communications, messaging and contact center systems; InfoTrack for
Unified Communications provides a demand based view of customer adoption of
unified communications applications over time. Tactics
provides detailed feature comparisons for over 1,000 telephony, collaboration
and unified communications products in an easy-to-interpret side-by-side
format; Tarifica is the global leader in telecom competitive
pricing intelligence with a database covering hundreds of operators in every
global region.
T3i Group, LLC. is headquartered in Cedar Knolls, NJ.
Press Contact: Jim Flinton, 973-602-0114, jflinton@t3igroup.com
