Here are fearless predictions for Singapore’s UC and collaboration trends

Deployments of unified communications (UC)solutions are on the rise in Singapore and the region, with the technology recognised as a major facilitator for faster decision making within businesses.  According to Frost & Sullivan, the UC market in Asia-Pacific was valued at US$5 billion in 2012 and is predicted to grow to US$7 billion by 2016.  So, what does the crystal ball say for the UC industry?

I believe that mobile, social and visual communications will continue to shape how people communicate this year.  There are seven UC trends will shape the business communications landscape:

1.     Mad for Mobile
IDC predicts that 1.7 billion mobile phones will ship by the end of the year, up nearly nine per cent from last year.  The tablet market is on track to exceed 100 million shipments this year, says ABI Research.  Mobile devices are not just for personal convenience; they allow workers to be more productive.  According to a U.K. study, people with email on their smartphones and tablets work two more hours a day; translating of 460 hours a year!

2.     BYOD Bursts Out
According to Aberdeen Research, more than 80 per cent of companies allowed workers to use personal mobile devices to access business applications and information as of summer 2012.  As BYOD adoption rises, managing, securing and controlling personally owned mobile devices as well as their applications and information will be a major focus for organisations in 2013.

3.     Work is an Activity, Not a Place
Using social, mobile and visual communications makes it easier to work from anywhere and at anytime.  Incorporating real-time collaboration tools into the workflow becomes even more important as the next generation of workers – often called Millennials – come into the workforce en masse.

4.     Cloud Blows In
Almost half of small and mid-size businesses (SMB) use cloud services today, according to Spiceworks.  Web hosting and email top the list of applications today, but look for collaboration and IP telephony to migrate to the cloud in 2013 and beyond.

5.     Social Customer Service Emerges
Leveraging social media in the enterprise and with customers was named one of the most important UCC challenges of 2013 by Frost & Sullivan.  People can tap into their social media circles and give your company a rave review or a negative one in a highly visible way.

6.     Videoconferencing Turns up
People now are videoconferencing right from their mobile phones, tablets and laptops for casual collaboration.  Look for videoconference and video chat to be used more widely for collaboration on the fly.

7.     Virtualisation Comes to UC
Most organisations have virtualised many applications and servers in their data centres but they have been slow to virtualise UC applications.  Today’s mature solutions allow companies to virtualise communications and collaboration applications without concerns about the impact to smooth business operations.

The next two years will bring more changes for the UC industry than any other time since the initial introduction of voice over IP.  So, what will the hot topics be?

1.     Hybrid is the Future
With the emergence of cloud-based UC, adoption of hybrid solutions encompassing a combination of cloud and premise will significantly increase.  Hybrid solutions will provide continuity across devices and provide the end user with an experience that is exactly the same, no matter which channel they use.  In the next few years, we will see additional applications, such as voicemail transcription and email-based fax services, available as cloud services.

2.     CYOD is the New BYOD
In a recent report, Gartner predicts that employee-owned devices will be compromised by malware at more than double the rate of corporate-owned devices.  With stats like that, it is not surprising that some companies are resistant to the BYOD trend.

In order to meet employee demands, but still give the IT department peace of mind, more and more companies will support a “choose their own device” (CYOD) policy.  The practice of giving employees the ability to choose their own device instead of bring their own device will satisfy security issues concerning the IT department and the desire of choice for employees.

3.     The Deskphone is here to Stay
The deskphone has been a mainstay office appliance for many years, but it is evolving at a rapid pace.  Recent advancements have led to the integration of UC technology that provides more functionality for mobile employees.  Whilst the uptake of cloud-based solutions is on the rise, there is still a role for the deskphone and I do not see it fading in the next year.

4.     Video will Gain Momentum
Video will continue to increase in value in the workplace; however 2013 will not be the year that it reaches vital status.  This year, it is still going to be an optional part of our work culture.  Due to the rise in remote workers and the self-service culture, video is well on its way to becoming an indispensable tool in the enterprise; but in order to get there, video needs to evolve so that it is more interoperable – allowing video to continue to gain momentum in a BYOD world and maybe reach the status of a vital workplace tool in 2014.