Microsoft has been ranked at the top of the latest Vendor
Matrix released by ABI Research. Cisco Systems and IBM Corporation claimed the
second and third spots in the company’s most recent evaluation of worldwide
unified communications (UC) vendors.
The Vendor Matrix
is an analytical tool developed by ABI Research to provide a clear
understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed
on the important parameters of innovation” and implementation” across several
criteria unique to each vendor matrix.
Microsoft has shown
the strongest growth among UC vendors, leveraging its position as a leader in
desktop applications. It has, over the years, integrated multiple solutions in
its portfolio to offer a compelling software-based UC solution in Lync.
Microsoft also has the widest spectrum of partners for Lync and is expanding
this ecosystem rapidly. It has an equally significant play both on the premises
and in the cloud,” said Subha Rama, senior analyst, ABI Research.
Cisco scores very high for the way it has
evolved its UC channel partner ecosystem: all leading system integrators view
Cisco as one of the top two key vendors in this space. IBM was among the first
to bring a high degree of credibility to the integration of social computing
tools with UC platforms,” said Dan Shey, practice director, ABI Research.
For this particular matrix, under “innovation,”
ABI Research examined the vendors’ UC
channel ecosystems, mobility (the ability to offer clients the same user
experience on different devices, among other factors), technology partners, the
cost of licensing and equipment, the nature of their application development
efforts, the range of professional services vendors offer, and the scope of
their product portfolios.
Under “implementation,” ABI Research
scrutinized UC security features, UC system architectures, solution scalability
and interoperability, video and telepresence support, and messaging and IP
telephony strengths.
By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]
