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IDC urges UC vendors to utilise channel

Vendors must provide channel with tools and training to help articulate the business case for unified communications

The EMEA unified communications (UC) market has been tipped to double in size by 2014, but UC vendors have been urged to tweak their sales messages and work more closely with the channel.

According to IDC, the EMEA UC market will grow from $8bn in 2010 to $16.6bn in 2014.

UC-hosted services will be more dominant late in the forecast period as end users look to reduce the cost of network management and maintenance, the market watcher added.

However, IDC said that vendors were struggling to articulate the business case for UC solutions as line-of-business managers become more involved in purchasing decisions.

"These additional members require greater effort from the sales team to pitch and understand the value of UC, often by focusing on vertical market expertise, which is why we believe that vendors need to work more closely with their channel partners to market and provide them with the necessary tools and training around UC solutions,” said Isabel Montero, senior research analyst for unified communications and collaboration at IDC EMEA.