Frost & Sullivan’s 2020 UCC Industry Trends to Watch report delivers an over-arching perspective of technologies and business models, rather than specific applications or providers, that will be most influential in terms of development direction and evolving value propositions in the unified communications and collaboration (UCC) market. The industry is well past the need to prove the value of rich UCC applications that extend beyond voice-only collaboration. Businesses and users expect and require robust capabilities, and expectations will increase consistently. In order to improve operational efficiencies, as well as business agility and flexibility, end-user organizations are seeking solutions that give them more choice, improve insights into vast amounts of data, automate routine and repetitive tasks or processes, and better engage employees with superior experiences. Accordingly, leading providers and progressive customers are setting the stage for what UCC solutions will look like in the mid and long-terms. Frost & Sullivan expects the following areas to impact the direction of development across the UCC spectrum: • Multi-cloud—the approach of leveraging components or platforms residing in different clouds, whether public, private or hybrid, together in UCC deployments • New operational expense (OPEX) models that allow a broader range of products and services to be consumed on a subscription basis, including on-premises equipment • Artificial intelligence (AI) infused more widely and deeply into hardware and software that are incorporated in UCC solutions • Programmable communications driven by the proliferation of available application programming interfaces (API) and micro-services that enable easier customization and creation of new services, and more efficient functionality consumption • Outfitting the modern and next-generation workplace will become more of a priority as end-user organizations seek to improve business efficiencies and employee productivity, enhance organizational agility, and spur innovation This study will arm market participants with the tools they need to accurately assess market growth opportunities, as well as industry challenges, and align their growth strategies with key industry trends. Service providers, technology developers, resellers and other industry stakeholders can use the findings of this study to further develop their solutions portfolios, improve their go-to-market strategies and build partnerships and ecosystems for success. For best results, market participants may also consider leveraging Frost & Sullivan’s market-specific research deliverables focusing on cloud communications, conferencing and collaboration services, communications systems and endpoints, infrastructure and other solutions enabling the office of the future and the connected workplace. End-user survey studies, inquiry time with industry experts and private briefing sessions further complement the research provided in this market study. Analyst: Robert Arnold