This article originally appeared in the June 2012 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY
Look across the UC landscape. What do you see?
You see the two giants, Cisco and Avaya (News - Alert). And you see a host of other very recognizable brands that have somehow fallen into the shadow cast by the two market leaders. But times seem to be changing, and the value proposition offered by some of these other players is putting the pressure on the frontrunners. Now, not only do they have to compete against each other for market share, they also need to look carefully at the likes of Siemens, ShoreTel, and several others.
Over the past few months, I’ve spoken with many of these companies. There is a distinct difference in the approaches to the market between incumbents and challengers. Specifically, the contenders – who also seem to be the ones making greater inroads as the IP communications market overtakes traditional voice – are focusing on what I’d call the basic capabilities of voice and UC and the ability to just make things work. Perhaps more importantly, they are equally content making their stuff work with Avaya’s or Cisco’s (News 
- Alert) pieces as they are selling a complete end-to-end solution. (We know how those two feel about playing nice with other vendors’ hardware... Read More
