<p>There are clear signs unified communications is gatheringmomentum in New Zealand. It was one of the most discussedtopics at this year's MicrosoftTechEd conference and stories about implementations andsuccesses continue to arrive.</p><p>And yet Frost&amp; Sullivan's 2013 research report shows the market forUC products and services declined 4.5 percent in 2012 to ashade under $100 million. The company still forecasts solidgrowth over the long-term with a year-on-year increase of6.2 percent between 2012 and 2019.</p><p>Last year's downturnwas mainly due to organisations reducing IT spending anddeferring investments. Frost &amp; Sullivan says cost andefficiency pressures are driving the demand for hosted and cloud based solutions, which offergreater flexibility and with minimal maintenanceoverheads.</p><p>Frost &amp; Sullivan says government and thebanking, financial services and insurance sector are the keyUC markets in New Zealand. Both were cautious rolling out UCduring the year.</p><p><a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1311/S00077/nz-sees-stop-start-unified-communications-market.htm">Keep reading...</a></p>