Ten Unified Communications Statistics Every CIO Should Know

Information overload can be a major obstacle in the search for value in communications technology. The Internet provides almost an endless volume of statistics, which can make it difficult to parse out the truly meaningful nuggets from the noise.

But not to worry—we’re here to help. To make life a little simpler and convenient for you, we’ve compiled 10 unified communications (UC) statistics that will clearly demonstrate why UC is the future of business communications:

  1. UC applications rose 21 percent year over year in 3Q14. —Infonetics, “Enterprise Unified Communications and Voice Equipment” report
  2. By 2016, 30 percent of BYOD strategies will leverage personal applications, data and social connections for enterprise purposes. —Gartner.com
  3. The global UC market will exceed $75 billion by 2020. —Grand View Research
  4. The global UC market will grow at a CAGR of greater than 14 percent over the next five years. —ReportsnReports, “Global UC Market” 2015-2019 report
  5. Some 62 percent of employees say improved collaboration is a top business driver for UC. —Information Week, “2014 State of Unified Communications”
  6. By 2019, more than 6 billion devices will support WebRTC. —“WebRTC Industry Status & Forecasts Report, 2014 Edition”
  7. The global enterprise videoconferencing market totaled $752 million in 2Q14, up 5 percent from 1Q14. —Infonetics Research, “Enterprise Telepresence and Video Conferencing Equipment Report”
  8. Single number identity is the most important UC capability for SMB owners and employees according to survey respondents. —Software Advice, “SMB Attitudes Toward Unifications 2014”
  9. Businesses realize just 43 percent of technology’s potential benefits according to CIOs surveyed. —Gartner, 2013 “Hunting and Harvesting in a Digital World” report
  10. Conferencing services will generate $2.58 billion in the EU by 2019. —Frost & Sullivan, “European Conferencing Services Market” report  

As these figures demonstrate, UC adoption is picking up rapidly based on its ability to improve mobile communication, cut costs, and enhance employee collaboration. With so many businesses either already enjoying these benefits or planning to switch to the technology in the near future, can you afford to hang on to your outdated system?