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The Microsoft Effect: Overview of Microsoft's Position in the Business Comms Market, Including Estimated Installed User Base and Other Metrics - ResearchAndMarkets.com
[June 07, 2018]

The Microsoft Effect: Overview of Microsoft's Position in the Business Comms Market, Including Estimated Installed User Base and Other Metrics - ResearchAndMarkets.com


The "The Microsoft Effect" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The researchers believe that Teams and Phone System can significantly enhance Microsoft's (News - Alert) competitive position in the cloud communications market, if certain conditions are met. Overall, Microsoft Teams and Phone System are likely to experience rapid growth in the next six to seven years. Recent and pending solution enhancements will reinforce Microsoft's competitive position and enable it to accelerate customer acquisition in the future.

For over a decade Microsoft has made concerted efforts to establish itself as a major provider of real-time business communications solutions, including enterprise voice and unified communications (UC) services. After gaining a considerable share in the premises-based communications systems market, Microsoft now aspires to capitalize on growing customer adoption of cloud solutions, in general, and hosted/cloud private branch exchange (PBX (News - Alert)) and UC as a service (UCaaS), in particular.

Microsoft's extensive technology acumen and market power make it a formidable force in the business communications and productivity tools space, compelling competitors to keep a close eye on its product roadmap and go-to-market strategy. Therefore, Microsoft's frequent changes in strategic direction, including the recent transition from Skype (News - Alert) for Business Online to Teams and strong push for Microsoft Phone System (formerly Cloud PBX), have caused simultaneously excitement, concern and confusion among businesses, technology developers, resellers, service providers and other market participants.

Microsoft's determined foray into the cloud communications space, accompanied by frequent technology and strategic shifts, is likely to affect other market participants in various ways:

  • Provide more options for businesses looking to adopt compelling cloud communications solutions, but also cause confusion and hesitation to move forward with solution upgrades and replacements.
  • Create certain integration/interoperability challenges, but also offer growth opportunities for partners delivering solutions (e.g., infrastructure, endpoints, software) that complement Microsoft's products and services.
  • Delay sales, but also expand product and services opportunities for resellers as well as implementation, professional and managed services partners.
  • Pose an immediate competitive threat (including price pressures, customer churn or delayed decision making) to other hosted cloud communications providers, but also help accelerate competitor innovation and compel providers to more effectively differentiate via solution functionality, service quality and reliability, and customer service and support.



Market participants must watch Microsoft's strategy and cloud solutions roadmap closely to respond quickly and effectively to changes that can potentially have a significant impact on their business.

This study provides an overview of Microsoft's position in the business communications market, including estimated installed user base and other metrics. It also discusses recent and upcoming enhancements of Microsoft cloud communications solutions, including Microsoft Skype for Business, Teams and Phone (News - Alert) System. Finally, this study analyses the impact of Microsoft's cloud communications portfolio and strategy on the enterprise communications ecosystem.


Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Microsoft Business Communications Solutions and Strategy Overview

Microsoft's Journey in the Business Communications Market

Microsoft's Growing Role in Cloud Communications

Microsoft as a Cloud Voice and UCaaS Provider

Microsoft Straddles the Premises-Based and Cloud Worlds

Microsoft in Numbers

Microsoft Teams and Phone System Product Vision and Strategy

Microsoft Teams and Phone System Recent Enhancements and Roadmap

3. Cloud Communications Usage and Trends

Workplace Communications and Collaboration-Drivers for Selecting a Cloud Provider

Cloud Deployment Trends-Global

Cloud Communications Trends-Implications for Microsoft

4. Business Readiness to Switch Communications Providers

Communications Infrastructure-Integration, Global

Communications Infrastructure-Provider Replacement, Global

Communications Solutions Replacement-Global

IT and Communications Solutions-Top Reasons for Provider Replacement, Global

Customer Readiness to Switch Providers-Implications for Microsoft

5. Microsoft Skype for Business, Teams and Phone System Adoption Trends

Microsoft Skype for Business-Customer Adoption

Microsoft Skype for Business-Instant Messaging Adoption

Microsoft Skype for Business-IP Telephony Adoption

Microsoft Skype for Business-Audio Conferencing Adoption

Microsoft Skype for Business-Web Conferencing Adoption

Microsoft Skype for Business-Video Conferencing Adoption

Microsoft Skype for Business-Broadcasting Adoption

Customer Perceptions of Microsoft as a UCaaS Provider

Microsoft Growth Opportunities

Market Drivers

Market Restraints

6. Microsoft Cloud Strategy Impact on Customers, Technology Partners, Resellers and Competitors

Microsoft Cloud Strategy-Impact on Customers

Microsoft Cloud Strategy-Impact on Technology Partners

Microsoft Cloud Strategy-Impact on Reseller Partners

Microsoft Cloud Strategy-Impact on Competitors

Legal Disclaimer

7. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/26s6rf/the_microsoft?w=4


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