VoIP solutions 'expected to bolster unified communications growth'

The increasing uptake of VoIP solutions among businesses is expected to provide a boost to growth in the unified communications sector.

A new report from Canalys has shown "intense" competition in the European, Middle East and African arenas, with major players in the PBX call control market experiencing "tough" conditions last quarter.

However, in spite of the hardship of the last three-month period, Duncan Clark, a senior analyst for the firm, predicted continuing growth in the field.

"Despite tough conditions in the core call control market, we expect IP enablement to bolster overall unified communications growth throughout the remainder of the year," he said.

Mr Clark went on to list the benefits of IP telephony solutions, noting that businesses can expect to benefit from an integration standpoint.

Last week, Joe Drumgoole, founder of FeedHenry, hailed cloud computing systems as a must-have for businesses, suggesting that the risks associated with integrating IT in this way are vastly outweighed by the positives.