Description

The business communications endpoints market is in a state of constant flux. Before the revolution of computers and IP communications, TDM phones, DECT phones and faxes were the main types of communications devices used for communications and collaboration. Today, and after 20 years of accelerated technology innovation, a business worker can conduct his/her job anywhere and anytime using a wide array of hardware and software endpoints and interfaces.

Interaction is no longer limited to a desk or a handset, but can happen anytime, on the go, at home, on a plane or in a hotel room by simply dialing in, clicking, touching, dragging, or connecting via a smartphone, tablet, PC or any type of IP communications device.

Software communications and collaboration usage has also gone through the roof. Besides email and instant messaging services that became mainstream in the late nineties/early 2000s and are still used by the vast majority of businesses around the world to communicate and collaborate, different types of software-based chat, audio, web, and video communications and collaborations clients, applications, and services have invaded the enterprise setting. Today, it is becoming harder and harder to identify a business worker who did not engage in any type of audio, web, or video conversation via a software-based communications and collaboration endpoint.

As Generation Y workers continue to penetrate the workplace and newer types of communications and collaboration technologies continue to emerge , desktop phones and other types of hard endpoints are becoming less popular. This is not to say that desktop phones will disappear anytime soon, but their popularity has been noticeably fading. As for email platforms, while different new software communications and collaboration services and applications have been emerging for desktop PCs, mobile devices and tablets, email services will continue to be the main form of digital communications among the vast majority of business users around the world, at least within the coming decade.

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the global communications endpoints market. As part of this analysis, Frost & Sullivan has identified market drivers, restraints, market forecasts and competitive trends within the global business headset market. Frost & Sullivan has also identified 16 growth opportunities for communications endpoints vendors worldwide. These opportunities span vision, strategy, products, services, business models, marketing, partnerships, sales, and support initiatives. Using the data and analysis in this study vendors and resellers can develop sustainable growth strategies and improve their market positioning.

This research service analyzes the global communications endpoints market. Hard communications endpoints covered include TDM phones (analog and digital); IP desktop phones (proprietary and SIP); tabletop conference phones (TDM/IP/USB/Bluetooth); DECT phones (TDM and IP); VoWLAN/Wi-Fi phones; video conferencing endpoints (room systems and executive desktop systems), conference room USB cams; professional headsets; commercial microphones; smartphones, and tablets.

Soft communications endpoints covered in the study include telephony-centric UCC clients; web and video conferencing services; and messaging-centric team collab solutions.

The study currently does not cover hard endpoints such as head mounted displays (HMDs); wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, trackers, intelligent badges); and installed audio conferencing systems.

The study does not include services and interfaces such as FMC extensions, email clients; instant messaging clients; Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) services (e.g., Twilio) and consumer-centric applications (e.g., Facebook, consumer Skype, WhatsApp, etc.)