US firms 'show an interest in VoIP hardware'

A growing number of small and medium-sized enterprises in the US are taking an interest in what unified communications (UC) – including VoIP hardware – has to offer them.

The International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed the results of a survey that found there are a broad range of tools that companies believe could help them.

Justin Jaffe, research manager for small and medium-sized business (SMB) and remote worker/home business research at the IDC, said plenty of firms have priorities that are linked to an improvement in their communications.

"The real challenge for vendors is to effectively connect the benefits ... to improved business performance. Show how UC can make a real difference in productivity and efficiency and SMBs will flock to it," he stated.

A report by the National this week suggested that many in the United Arab Emirates believe VoIP and other such technologies are the future, as the popularity of traditional phone services wanes.