Users becoming 'sophisticated' about UC

Users are becoming more sophisticated about unified communications (UC) and are demanding more from providers, according to research.

The fifth annual Enterprise VoIP Survey, by IDC and InfoWorld magazine, found that more than three quarters (79 per cent) of users felt that UC is a solution or platform which provides a common inbox for correspondence like email and phone calls, which can be incorporated with business-critical software.

It was also discovered that the top five features for both TDM and IP PBX telephony systems are performance, hardware reliability, total cost, security and technical support.

In terms of reasons to adopt IP telephony solutions, long distance cost reduction, incorporation with existing software and savings compared to legacy hardware were the most popular.

Nora Freedman, senior analyst at Enterprise Networks, commented: "This year's survey results show that end users have become more sophisticated about their understanding of unified communications, as well as having higher expectations about what solutions providers should be able to offer."

Most of the respondents came from North America, where new research from Pike & Fischer's Broadband Advisory Services has suggested that 8.5 million more US households will start using VoIP in the next two years.