Austin’s 2012 ITEXPO – Shifting Trends in UC Providers

The October 2012 ITEPXO, held in Austin, had an important underlying theme; one that can probably be best expressed as “better, faster, cheaper.” The key phrase kept cropping up in keynotes and panel sessions and soon became common currency. This could be a good thing, especially as the conference was focused on small to medium-sized enterprises.

Exhibitors at ITEPXO 2012 stayed focused on a wide range of optimization strategies across the IP spectrum. The conference also kicked off with its 6th StartupCamp showcase, involving four entrepreneurs “selling” their products to a panel of judges using only one-minute long pitches, while MPLS University’s workshop explored with managed and broadband services for SMBs

There remained a lingering feeling that the VoIP sector of the telecommunications industry is still an easy-to-start business opportunity with low overheads, despite the fact that an array of more established providers, such as Sonus and 8x8 had dominant floor space. Discussion of the “cloud,” its meaning and implications, were on just about everyone’s lips; providers and customers alike.

The EXPO also brought home some of the more problematic issues plaguing UC solutions. One of these was VoIP provisioning; this topic remains a difficult task to both providers and end clients. It seems that the field of unified communications is burdened by conflicting multiple standards that can often render videoconferencing between two distinct companies hard to impossible. Also, as exciting as the concept of cloud-based management may seem, the whole idea could be in jeopardy if metered bandwidth becomes a standard procedure among major IPSs.

One solution could be for enterprise to source all their communications through a single entity, allowing flexibility, easier collaborative communications and saving money.

To address this problem, a number of smaller UC solutions providers have quickly expanded in range, and these were out in full force. Itay Rosenfeld, chief commercial officer of Voxbone, a Belgian DID provider explained his reluctance to describe these providers as mid-market, "They're small, but in five years the whole thing could be reversed," he said. He added that mid-market enterprises like hosted PBX operators can reach SMBs directly; and that they comprise 60 percent of the U.S. economy.

Many larger enterprises, including FedEx, are seeking more cost-effective and stronger applications to control some or all of their vital communications processes, suggesting that Rosenfeld's point about the mid-sized services provider of today, becoming a major service provider of tomorrow could be right on the money. (CU) Link