Decision Matrix - Selecting a Unified Communications Vendor - Competitor Focus

Introduction

The Unified Communications Decision Matrix outlines the competitive dynamics within the UC market and guides IT decision makers to select a vendor based on its product strength, reputation among customers, and impact in the market. Datamonitor provides a holistic view of vendor capabilities and recommends those you should explore, consider and, most importantly, shortlist.

Scope

*Provides an overview of the most important trends affecting the UC market and influencing its competitive dynamics.

*Delivers a comprehensive comparison of vendors' market impact, products, and end-user sentiment.

*Presents a detailed view of each vendor's strengths and weaknesses, and provides advice on the suitability of their offering.

*UC vendors profiled include: Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Cisco, Interactive Intelligence, Nortel, ShoreTel, Siemens Enterprise Communications, TeleWare.

Highlights

Undoubtedly 2008 was a tumultuous year for the UC market. There were significant changes both to the competitive landscape and to the products and services offered by vendors. It is expected that 2009 will continue to see significant evolution in the market, particularly in regards to the positioning of vendors and their products.

Datamonitor believes that closer integration between collaboration suites and enterprise applications will be an interesting trend to watch in 2009. Beyond basic integration to create a unified inbox for email, sales leads and sign-off processes, there is tremendous scope for using collaboration tools to manage unstructured business processes.

Datamonitor expects consolidation to dominate the competitive landscape. However, it is not impossible that one of the large enterprise technology vendors will diversify its offering and acquire expertise and market share in the telecommunications industry.

Reasons to Purchase

*Gain detailed knowledge of UC vendors' strengths with regards to products, user sentiment and market impact.

*UC vendors can benchmark their performance in various key criteria against their competitors.

*IT managers will gain valuable insight to improve their UC strategy and inform their purchasing decisions.