Growing number of small

A growing number of small and medium-sized businesses are investing in unified communication technologies, including VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone systems, video conferencing solutions and unified messaging technologies, according to a recent study from innovation firm IDC.

The report found that the small business VoIP market is growing considerably, with more than 30 percent of firms with 100-999 employees utilizing some type of VoIP research. IDC believes that greater small business VoIP adoption rates can be achieved as vendors address certain flawed and inaccurate perceptions, just as VoIP providing poor call quality and being less secure and resilient.

IDC as well found that more than one-third of small businesses – and almost three-quarters of medium-sized businesses – currently utilize a minimum of one UC innovation. These numbers should increase considerably in the nearly future as more than 30 percent of small organizations and 55 percent of midsize companies anticipate purchasing anyway one UC-related system in the then and there year.

Ironically, the sluggish economy has helped increase the demand for certain UC technologies, including video conferencing, which a growing number of SMBs are using as an alternative to costly business travel. The firm found that around 45 percent of all midsized organizations currently use some form of video conferencing.

With all that said, very few companies have deployed what IDC refers to as a "comprehensive, end-to-end unified communications system." Companies are to all appearances embracing all the disparate parts, however only a select few have embraced a fully integrated UC system.

"SMBs are interested in both underlying capabilities and specific UC technologies," Justin Jaffe, a technology manager at IDC, noted in a statement. "The real challenge for vendors is to effectively connect the benefits of unified communications to improved business performance. Show how UC can make a real difference in productivity and efficiency and SMBs will flock to it."