Sources of InnovationSources of Innovation

It's important to look at the major vendors' offerings, but also at products that complement what the major vendors are proposing.

One of the challenges for any enterprise is selecting the right combination of vendors, and Unified communications only makes this more complex. Since no vendor can provide a complete UC solution--one that meets all the business and technical requirements--we're seeing more vendors partnering to offer more comprehensive solutions.While the big-name vendors provide core solutions, their partners may have the biggest impact on the level of success of the entire project. Indeed, more often than not, it's the small public companies and the startups that deliver the innovation that fuel the industry.

We're seeing this in UC--much of the innovation has come from startups that subsequently get acquired by major vendors. Cisco is a classic example; while it certainly has developed many products on its own, Cisco has done a standout job acquiring companies that helped it grown in communications and UC. Cisco's list of acquisitions includes Selsius (IP-PBX), Latitude Communications (conferencing), WebEx (web conferencing), PostPath (email) and Jabber (presence).

Microsoft has also been active in acquisitions, including PlaceWare (web conferencing), Groove Networks (community software), media-streams.com (VoIP communications), Parlano (messaging software) and Tellme Networks (voice portal), and it has invested in Aspect Software (contact centers).

IBM acquired two companies that formed Sametime (an IBM product since 1998)--Databeam (messaging and conferencing) and Ubique (presence). In 2007 IBM acquired WebDialogs (web conferencing).

Avaya acquired Ubiquity Software, which is the basis of its Aura platform. If and when the Nortel acquisition goes through, Avaya will come into possession of a wide range of UC-related solutions.

In short, UC is evolving along a familiar path: Small public companies and startups supply many of the innovative products, services and applications. In my 20+ years providing strategic planning and partnering consulting services, I have seen this pattern repeatedly--the small companies provide the real innovation.

The implications for enterprises developing a UC strategy are clear: It's important to look at the major vendors' offerings, but also at products that complement what the major vendors are proposing and that enable you to achieve a better ROI, a richer user experience, higher levels of customer satisfaction and more competitive advantage.It's important to look at the major vendors' offerings, but also at products that complement what the major vendors are proposing.