[April 04, 2011]

CDW Poll: Unified Communications Implementation Rate Doubles Year over Year

CDW (News - Alert) LLC, a leading provider of technology products and services to business, government, education and healthcare, today announced the results of its third annual Unified Communications (News - Alert) Tracking Poll, based on a survey of 900 IT professionals who work on unified communications (UC) or component technologies in business, government, healthcare and education. UC implementation rates doubled from 2010 to 2011, with 16 percent of organizations fully implemented today. Meanwhile, 76 percent of organizations that have fully implemented UC and track return on investment (ROI) say that ROI has met or exceeded their expectations - up 5 percent since 2010.

"Across industries, organizations are embracing 'anytime, anyplace' access to information to boost productivity. They also continue to look for opportunities to use budget dollars more effectively," said Christine Holloway, vice president of converged infrastructure solutions at CDW. "Unified communications delivers on both of those objectives."

UC is the convergence of enterprise voice, video and data services and software applications to achieve greater collaboration among individuals or groups and improve business processes. UC component technologies include video, audio, and Web conferencing; presence; unified messaging; and instant messaging.

Respondents ranked increased employee productivity (53 percent) and reduced operating costs (48 percent) as the leading benefits of UC, noting that these results are most important to their organizations. Yet many IT professionals (41 percent) said they had difficulty securing budget to fund UC implementations, and 29 percent said they had trouble securing reliable cost projections.

Cloud computing may be one answer to IT professionals' UC budget challenges. Among respondents who had fully implemented a UC solution in the cloud, 75 percent said cloud computing enabled faster UC deployment, and 65 percent said cloud computing made it more cost effective to deploy UC. Only 18 percent of organizations using a cloud computing platform to deploy UC solutions said they were concerned about capital costs associated with UC, compared to 47 percent of organizations not using a cloud computing platform.

"The old adage 'It takes money to make money' often becomes 'It takes money to save money' in the IT environment," said David Cottingham, senior director, managed and telecommunications services at CDW. "Organizations may struggle to identify funds for new implementations, even though the long-term cost savings and productivity improvements are significant. Cloud computing can help organizations deploy UC faster and at less expense - also reducing the time to positive ROI."

This year's survey found mobility needs may be driving UC adoption. Respondents said they especially value the on-the-go access features of UC, including access to work e-mail and voicemail via smart phones and the ability to receive voicemail messages via e-mail when away from the office. Among all respondents, the two most commonly deployed communications solutions are smart phones and mobile desktops (e.g., laptops or tablets), with 80 percent deploying each technology. While the majority said they experienced no challenges deploying UC on mobile platforms; about one-third reported difficulty. Respondents listed challenges including information security, end-user training and support for multiple platforms.

The CDW Unified Communications Tracking Poll also includes findings specific to each of the six industries surveyed. For example:

• 20 percent of medium and large businesses say their UC solution is fully implemented, compared to 2 percent one year ago
• Among Federal agencies, video conferencing is the top feature of UC, and continuity of operations is a top benefit
• In state and local government organizations, more effective use of mobile/remote workers is a top benefit of UC. Compared to other industry sectors, fewer state and local government organizations are evaluating or deploying UC via cloud computing
• Among healthcare organizations, more reliable communication is a top benefit of UC, enabled by features such as access to e-mail and voice mail via smart phones, as well as instant messaging
• Higher education organizations said distance learning is the top benefit of UC
• Among K-12 institutions, mass notification is a top benefit, and ability to send broadcast messages via e-mail and phone is an essential feature

The survey, the third iteration of CDW's Unified Communications Tracking Poll, was conducted during February 2011. CDW collected responses from 900 IT professionals who identified themselves as actively involved with unified communications-related technologies. The sample includes 150 individuals from each of six segments: medium/large businesses, the Federal government, state and local governments, healthcare, higher education and K-12 public schools. The margin of error for the total sample is ±3.2 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. The margin of error for each industry sample is ±8.0 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

For a copy of the complete CDW 2011 Unified Communications Tracking Poll, please visit http://www.cdw.com/uctrackingpoll. For more about CDW's unified communications capabilities and offerings, please visit http://www.cdw.com/unifiedcommunications.

About CDW

CDW is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government, education and healthcare. Ranked No. 38 on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies, CDW features dedicated account managers who help customers choose the right technology products and services to meet their needs. The company's solution architects offer expertise in designing customized solutions, while its advanced technology engineers assist customers with the implementation and long-term management of those solutions. Areas of focus include software, network communications, notebooks/mobile devices, data storage, video monitors, desktops, printers and solutions such as virtualization, collaboration, security, mobility, data center optimization and cloud computing. CDW was founded in 1984 and employs more than 6,200 coworkers. In 2010, the company generated sales of $8.8 billion. For more information, visit CDW.com.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]