The world of telecommunications tends to ebb and flow with the evolution of technology and consumer trends. While giants like Microsoft and Google (News - Alert) have a hand in the direction of the market, user trends are truly dictating the next step in innovation. Service providers unable or unwilling to respond accordingly may find themselves struggling to keep up and still turn a profit.

For instance, the emergence of WebRTC is threatening to change communications for the better and industry giants are already embracing this real-time communications capability platform. The ability to control the customer experience from end-to-end introduces a whole new way to manage the experience and gain a new competitive advantage.

In anticipation of the upcoming ITEXPO (News - Alert) event, TMCnet recently talked with Jon Arnold, principal at J Arnold & Associations to discuss business communications, the growth of video, communications monitoring, mobility and the development of new and innovative devices. Arnold shared his insight, as well as what he most anticipates about this year’s event.

The role of video in the marketplace today looks very different than it did even a few short years ago. Traditionally speaking, only larger companies had access to anything of quality and even then, video was only used in unique situations that warranted the cost and time investment. Companies were less concerned with the cost of travel as it proved more economical and effective than replacing it with video. Today, that’s no longer true and companies of all sizes can interact effectively with basic technology.

“Video has particularly interesting upside for SMBs, since they generally cannot afford immersive telepresence,” said Arnold. “This technology is very impressive and has been a major reason why businesses are thinking more positively about video. However, these solutions are very costly and not really a good fit for SMBs. More recently, cloud-based alternatives have come to market, and being more PC-based than room-based, are far more attractive for this end of the market. While the experience is not as life-like, HD video is finding its way to smaller screens, and with these services being much more affordable, this is more likely the way that video will become a mainstream business technology.”

As much as we enjoy access to the latest communications tools to advance efforts throughout the corporate environment, the thought that the government, by way of the NSA, is monitoring activity is nothing short of unsettling. Arnold believes that while Obama is right to suggest transparency is needed, there is reason to be concerned. The needs of Homeland Security trump personal rights for privacy – a scary proposition today.

Said Arnold, “Technology vendors have certainly been able to support this level of monitoring in the business world for years. Nobody seems to be alarmed that open source PBX systems allow administrators to eavesdrop and record anyone’s calls, yet I find this very disconcerting. I’m likely in the minority here, but in general, technology vendors would likely do right by following Obama’s lead in trying to be as transparent as possible. This way, it’s really up to the end customer to determine how much privacy to protect when deploying their products.”

Privacy has also been an issue in relation to social marketing, but not to the same degree. Consumers want to know their information is safe, but they also want personalized experiences. Arnold suggests that it may still be too early to gauge the impact social marketing has on business, suggesting instead that we examine the potential to influence behavior, preferences and buying decisions.

That impact is easily seen in the mobile market as Apple and Samsung appear to be battling for leadership rights, at least in the U.S. User preferences and overall market demand are driving innovation with both of these giants, yet global behaviors are shifting. Arnold shares his insight on the subject.

“In North America, that’s pretty much the story for now, but globally the mix is quite different,” he says. “For the domestic market, there’s enough demand to support costly Apple devices, so they will continue to be strong here. Samsung (News - Alert) appeals to a different audience, and it the consumer market, they will be hard to displace in North America. For our readers here, the SMB market seems to be a mix of Apple (News - Alert) and RIM, and varies quite a bit by region. Samsung is popular too, but the underlying operating system, Android, is not as secure as RIM or even Apple, making it a riskier choice to support BYOD.”

As mobility continues to grow and consumers want greater access to rich data and new applications, we’ll continue to see innovations in this space. The one that will have the greatest impact, according to Arnold, is wearable tech. It has the potential to make us far more connected than ever imagined. He considers it the best way for the cloud to understand us according to patterns and behaviors. This will open a world of opportunities for marketers and consumers, but just how close do we want to be to the process?

“Wearable tech will enable this by tracking our activities and vital functions in real time, which will be of great value to anyone with a need to know about us. Of course, that could be everybody, but in short, think about applications for health care, fitness, retailers, advertisers, etc.”

As TMCnet and all participants ramp up for ITEXPO in Las Vegas, much anticipation is surrounding featured topics. Arnold is excited to see how telecom vendors position themselves, especially in light of recent movement with Microsoft (News - Alert) Lync as a complete solution. He also plans to track WebRTC and continued innovations in cloud computing, exploring the possibilities into the next year.