The results of the survey, which included responses from more than 700 users, were released at the IAUG annual conference, The Art of Evolution/Global Connect, which was held in Denver, Colo. The event hosted more than 3000 attendees, and represents the first, combined International conference of Avaya and heritage Nortel user groups, now coming together under a single banner.
 
For survey respondents, communications investments will be focused on integrating existing communications technologies and providing support for mobile employees. To support these objectives, companies are planning to invest in their communications architecture and applications, with 70 percent highlighting IP Telephony and 46 percent budgeting for specific UC solutions and applications.
 
The findings also provided further evidence of the growing adoption of UC, with 67 percent reporting projects are already underway or will be underway within the next 24 months. Among the top business communications requirements wanted by respondents in their companies today are:

• Improved integration of e-mail, IM, voice, conferencing (40%)
• Improved integration and access for remote and mobile workers (37%)
• Optimized workflows and new operational efficiencies in the delivery of service to customers (33%)
• A customer experience that differentiates their organization from competitors (29%)

 
The popularity of these responses demonstrates a broad push by businesses to give workers the tools they need to be more productive regardless of their physical location and the emphasis on differentiating their company through the use of communications.

For the full release, please visit here.