It’s not just a day for spring lovers to rejoice that Mr. Groundhog saw his shadow.

 

Companies that have a stake in voice over IP technology have reason to cheer, too, thanks to new data released by market research firm In-Stat.

 

VoIP penetration among U.S. businesses will increase rapidly over the next few years, reaching 79 percent by 2013, compared with 42 percent at the end of 2009, In-Stat (News - Alert) stated in its latest “U.S. Business VoIP Overview: Optimization Trumps Expansion” report.

 

What’s more, this growth reflects the fact that many companies have a VoIP “solution” deployed in at least one location.

 

“VoIP adopters have a good understanding of the cost savings associated with VoIP, and have oriented their limited budgets to optimizing efficiency and savings by replacing legacy TDM voice solutions,” said David Lemelin, In-Stat analyst.

 

Additional research by In-Stat has revealed that 33 percent of businesses that have already deployed VoIP technology report that recent economic conditions have caused them to slow additional deployment plans, compared with 30 percent reporting no change in plans.

 

One of the big reasons VoIP is gaining ground has a lot to do with today’s IP phones, which have undergone a bit of an evolution since the early 2000s. In 2010, many VoIP phones on the market are equipped with highly sophisticated features, including touchscreen technology and HD color display.

 

Another reason enterprises are revisiting VoIP is the increasing sophistication of back-end technology that is more robust and costs less to manufacture. Plus, there’s been a recent boost in corporate investment after a less-than-spring-like year.

 

Or, as Lemelin put it: “With businesses opening up fewer new locations than we have seen in recent years, much of this current investment is occurring at headquarters locations where efficiencies and savings can be maximized.”