ISG Provider Lens™ Future of Work - Services and Solutions - Unified Communications and Collaboration as a Service (UCCaaS) - Global 2022
Firms investing in device and collaboration experience
As global organizations are adopting future of work or the hybrid working culture, there is an increasing focus on retaining and attracting talent. This requires special attention on both end-user enablement and backend IT infrastructure management.
Enabling and managing hybrid working with secured endpoint management
With the hybrid working model gaining traction, enterprises’ IT departments need to enable a technology ecosystem to support and empower the users working from remote locations. This involves setting up technologies to allow users to access their workspace applications and data irrespective of their devices and locations. There is also an inherent need to securely manage this access. From the end-user side, devices form the entry point for a digital workplace or workspace. There are multiple options to allow access to a workspace on any kind of device, such as a laptop, a desktop or even virtualized desktops where users do not really need a dedicated device but can access using a simple web browser. With the increasing focus on frontline workers, the scope can be extended to non-traditional devices, wearables and IoT devices. The metaverse can extend this scope further to virtual reality (VR) headsets. These are increasingly seen as “endpoints” and not just devices, as they allow users the access point to their workspace, and the IT department of each enterprise needs to manage all such endpoints.
Enterprises across the globe are increasingly adopting modern unified endpoint management (UEM) solutions to manage diverse endpoints. UEM solutions are not new in the market. Initially, these were used mostly to co-manage traditional devices using a client management tool (CMT) for patch management and software deployment, along with mobile devices using cloud-based “modern management.” As the new devices are increasingly based on Windows 10 and now Windows 11, modern management strategies are needed instead of comanagement. Thus, the positioning of UEM solutions has changed in the market. ISG has observed that UEM is now increasingly being integrated into the cybersecurity portfolios of many vendors, while others provide it as a part of a larger their ITSM or ESM offering.
Furthermore, there is an increasing focus on telemetry-based measurement of user experience, leveraging single-pane-ofglass management.
ISG has been positioning vendors in this space for the last three years. However, with the UEM changing and its scope merging with broader security or ITSM, ISG may combine this with other studies focusing on the those topics and consider the broader employee experience measurement solution landscape that most of these vendors are venturing into.
Enabling hybrid working with unified communication and collaboration (UCC) as a service
UCC systems are used to enable the basic enterprise technology ecosystem to integrate with collaboration solutions in a unified manner. The hybrid working model increasingly focuses on the collaboration side of UCC offered as a service. Hence, many leading unified-communicationas- a-service vendors are now acquiring collaboration capabilities, and the terms UcaaS and unified communication and collaboration as a service (UCCaaS) are being used interchangeably. Telephony was one of the key elements of traditional UCC solutions, but modern UCCaaS solutions focus on voice over telephony and softphone, and integrating clients’ existing investments in private branch exchange (PBX) or public switched telephone network (PSTN) systems with modern collaboration capabilities. Furthermore, currently, there is a larger focus on enabling meeting and conferencing to facilitate remote working and seamless collaboration. The use of AI and analytics in UCCaaS solutions can enhance enterprises’ capabilities to improve user experience. Almost all UCCaaS vendors are increasingly developing contact center capabilities, as clients want to leverage the same technology that empowers their internal communication and collaboration to empower their customer experience teams as well. They are also investing in R&D to enhance their existing meeting and conferencing capabilities and to improve user experience with video meetings, in-person meetings and smartroom meetings.
ISG’s UCCaaS vendor comparison assesses the vendors that differentiate themselves with significant UCCaaS capabilities and have a global market presence in this space.
Extracting the best out of hybrid working by enhancing employee engagement and productivity
Another key aspect of retaining and attracting talent is improving the organizational culture and enriching employee experience with it. This includes bringing employees closer to the corporate vision and mission using proper technologies and communication channels and, at the same time, enhancing their productivity. Organizations have more opportunities to attract new talent when their employees are engaged, productive and feel associated with the organization. Employee engagement can be fostered by leveraging the latest technology solutions, which companies usually deploy at scale to connect all employees. A companywide intranet can be a starting point. However, such solutions do not just cover an enterprise’s social network alone; they include capabilities around collaboration, productivity enhancement, business communications and learning. Leveraging some industry-leading team collaboration solutions, organizations can also foster cultural association among employees.
Another key aspect is enhancing users’ digital adroitness. Digital adroitness is defined as ability to work smartly with digital tools. Providing employees with technologies that can enhance their digital adroitness can strengthen enterprises’ ability to bring in business differentiation; this is a key strategy that modern employee engagement and productivity enhancement solutions can support. This also includes supporting employee learning and strengthening employees’ ability to work in a hybrid model, improving their productivity by ensuring a work-life balance, and empathizing with employees and enhancing their well-being.
ISG has been focusing on this space outside the traditional scope of UCC solutions and is identifying the vendors whose differentiation cannot be highlighted just within the scope of traditional collaboration and communication services. This global Future of Work report thus covers the comparison of software solution vendors that support the following three areas:
• Managing the endpoints
• Enabling collaboration, communication
• Assisting in employee engagement productivity
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