<p>Unified communications (UC) is expected to grow significantly as businesses seek to cut costs and enable more productive and flexible working.</p><p>Analysts like Frost &amp; Sullivan have forecast 50 million fully integrated UC users by 2015 compared with today's two million users (source: Frost &amp; Sullivan March 2010).</p><p>Migrating to UC presents challenges and managed service providers (MSPs) are exploring how they could help their clients and add value to how UC is deployed and managed. But some commentators have questioned whether MSPs will be brave enough to take responsibility for ensuring dial tone services.</p><p>Certainly there are challenges but we believe MSPs are well placed to assist in migration to UC if they take the right steps. Indeed several are already providing solutions as they find businesses do not want to manage IP telephony themselves.UC modelsThere are two MSP UC models. In the first, UC equipment is installed in the customer's premises and remotely managed by the MSP. The other involves the MSP hosting the entire UC solution. The former has been more common but the latter has the potential to deliver the greatest benefits to both the client and the MSP.</p><p><a href="http://www.channelpro.co.uk/advice/unified-communications/3343/unified-communications-and-managed-service-providers/page/1/0?qt-popular_featured=1">Keep reading...</a></p>