<p>There is ample opportunity for resellers to differentiate themselves in the emerging UC market.</p><p>The market for unified communications (UC) solutions is expanding. ABI Research forecasts the global market to reach $2.3 billion by 2016. UC solutions include a lot of moving parts, requiring the integration of wireline and mobile telephony, email, instant messaging, video conferencing, and other capabilities. Resellers and managed services providers are well-positioned to reap the rewards as clients look for implementation and training assistance.</p><p>According to Mike Fitz, VP of wireline at Sprint, there are three major trends occurring in the UC space that have converged to create increased demand for unified communications, as well as hosted "UC-as-a-Service" offerings, all of which can benefit the channel. First, end users are demanding more mobility and portability of their information and their work capabilities. "Users are becoming more familiar with tools like instant messaging, video, and voice calling technology that can integrate with IM," Fitz says. "They are comfortable with that, and they are asking for it from their employers. They want the benefits of having a single email box or a single number, or simultaneous rings to their office and mobile numbers."</p><p>Second, CIOs are now more focused on finding ways to support the line of business activities in their companies, not just on tech enablement of employees. "That is leading them to look for outsourcing opportunities which lend themselves well to services like UC," Fitz says.</p><p><a href="http://www.bsminfo.com/doc.mvc/unified-communications-systems-take-off-0001">Keep reading...</a></p>