Bangkok--7 May--IDC IDC recently published its study, Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) Unified Communications Survey 2007: Are Enterprises Jumping on the Unified Communications Bandwagon? (Doc #AP207206Q). This study analyzes the enterprises' usage and adoption trends related to enterprise telephony and unified communications (UC) in the Asia/Pacific region, excluding Japan. This report presents findings from IDC's Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) Enterprise Communications Survey, 2007, where 1,218 CIOs and IT managers from enterprises in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the PRC, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand were surveyed. "IDC's survey revealed that 58% of the enterprises currently equipped with traditional PBX and key telephone systems want to replace them in 1—2 years. These enterprises will provide an up-sell opportunity for UC vendors and their partners," says Shalini Verma, Research Manager for IDC’s Asia/Pacific Telecommunications Research. While traditional telephony has widespread adoption in APEJ, enterprises in the region are also using low-cost/free VoIP services extensively. However, a very high proportion of these enterprises are planning to replace their current free or low-cost VoIP service. This opportunity throws the field wide open for the desktop application vendors, telecom operators and network equipment providers within the UC ecosystem. Enterprises adopting UC solutions will base their buying decision on cost of the solution as well as comprehensive technical support. As UC solutions impact a variety of systems, applications, and devices, enterprises expect the UC suppliers to play a bigger role throughout the life cycle of the solutions. One of the big challenges faced by enterprises is the absence of in-house skills for UC. Hence, they expect the UC supplier to not only deliver in terms of technical support but also provide advisory services and roadmap. They are essentially expecting high levels of engagements from the unified communications suppliers from the planning, through the design, implementation and maintenance stages. Furthermore, given that UC solutions need to leverage some of the existing applications and telephony systems that the enterprises have, the CIOs are keen to continue working with the existing suppliers. The successful implementation of UC involves a coordinated effort toward upgrading applications and systems, which would be easier if the existing supplier is engaged. While lowering the cost of communication is the immediate impetus for both UC solutions and enterprise telephony equipment vendors, the next wave of adoption is clearly driven by the need for collaborative applications and solutions. This is apparent from the type of UC applications that enterprises are planning to deploy in the next 1-2 years, according to the survey. Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) Unified Communications Vendor Selection Criteria by Enterprises Source: IDC, 2008 Notes to Editor For more information about purchasing the research, please contact Phawadee Pongsupan at +66-2651-5585 ext.111 or [email protected]. For press enquiries, please contact Sasithorn Sae-iao at +66-2651-5585 ext.113 or [email protected]. About IDC’s Asia/Pacific Unified Communications Conference 2008 IDC's Asia/Pacific Unified Communications Conference 2008 will be rolled out across 7 cities in the Asia/Pacific region from April 2008. Themed “Communication as a Strategic Tool", industry experts will share strategic insights on how to utilize business communication as a strategic tool for meeting business goals and transformation of commonplace business applications into smart intuitive collaborative environments for instant decision-making and fast turnaround. For more information, please refer to http://www.idc.com.sg/unifiedcomms2008/default.asp For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Rahulan Sivananthan at [email protected] About IDC’s Asia/Pacific End-User Research and Statistics (ERS) Group IDC's Asia/Pacific End-User Research and Statistics (ERS) Group aims to design and collect research in a cost-effective, efficient and accurate manner with professional survey sampling, questionnaire design, and management experience. It is committed to deliver a seamless and comprehensive end-user research solution to help corporate/commercial, public and consumer sectors, as well as suppliers/channel partners, with their business and market strategies. With state-of-the-art Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) system to track survey responses, its call center is capable of handling 3,500 corporate interviews and 2,000 consumer interviews successfully every month. With IDC's regional and worldwide research network, we enable our clients to reach beyond their local markets and overcome language barriers. About IDC IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. Over 1,000 IDC analysts in 110 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends. For more than 43 years IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting http://www.idc.com/. For press enquiries, please contact: Shalini Verma Research Manager, Asia/Pacific Communications Research +65-6829-7740 [email protected] Sasithorn Sae-iao Marketing Executive +66-26751-5585 Ext:113 [email protected]