Gartner’s 2016 Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications is out, but none of the winners are without weaknesses. In summary…
1. Cisco‘s unified communications may be overpriced and confusing. Isn’t the point of unified communications to be streamlined and simple?
2. Microsoft‘s conferencing quality is called into question. At this point, quality should no longer be an issue.
3. Mitel‘s offerings are too limited to support growth. Scalability is key in unified communications.
4. Avaya is focused on a financial plan and refinancing at the moment. Not to mention their offering may not be fully user-friendly.
5. Alcatel-Lucent is glaringly absent in the U.S. market, a center for many other solutions. Keeping up with competition is essential for any company.
6. NEC, on the other hand, is too focused on the Asian market. Unified communications should be a global endeavor.
7. Huawei is yet one more example too focused outside the U.S. and even Europe, presenting challenges to customers in those areas.
8. Unify‘s unified communications solution is still young and needs further development. There is a lot to be said for stability.
9. ShoreTel‘s offerings may be lacking in features. Lack of even one feature is enough to lose deals to competitors.
10. Interactive Intelligence‘s UC conferencing is less comprehensive than some competitors. Conferencing is now an expectation, not an optional bonus.
While it may seem negative to focus on weaknesses, today’s Unified Communications market gives consumers enough options to be picky and critical. There is no reason to settle on a solution that is not 100% satisfactory.
To read more about this, visit CRN’s article Here’s Who Made Gartner’s 2016 Magic Quadrant For Unified Communications.
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