Why UC&C in the Workplace

why UC&C in the

workplace Corporate is the largest sector of the Pro AV audience1 and over the past year, the pandemic has forced them to accelerate investment in their UC&C strategies. Unified communication and collaboration (UC&C) is the integration of communication methods with collaboration tools. As the Coronavirus pandemic imposed social distancing and forced remote working, businesses had to adapt their UC&C strategy to support not just hybrid working but complete WFH workforces. Despite the pandemic demanding businesses race to upgrade their UC&C strategy, this is not something that will be abandoned in a post-pandemic world. The past year has highlighted to businesses how a well-implemented UC&C strategy can help enable hybrid working, reduce business travel, increase productivity, and reduce costs. It is not just businesses that will drive the continued implementation of UC&C in the workforce, 72% of workers want a hybrid remote-office model moving forward.2 The need for office-based interaction is still prevalent, even by those who love remote working. Hybrid working gives people the autonomy to decide where, when and how they work best, balancing work and life around their needs3. In theory, hybrid working also enables a business to focus on their productivity, output, delivery and value, and with a well-executed UC&C strategy, it can become a reality. As we continue to see growth in the hybrid workforce, and with 67% of organisations moving significant portions of their unified communications solutions to the cloud4, the need for technologies that are easier to use and quicker to implement become key. Collaborative hardware, cloud communication and collaborative software are all areas which businesses will look to invest in, creating the fluidity between H/O and OFC. Against businesses being hit hard financially during the pandemic, 34% of businesses are increasing their UC&C budgets in 20215. This rise in capital could come from a decrease in other budgets, as businesses shift their focus away from travel expenses and into hybrid working. Of UC&C technology, the two biggest sectors for growth are cloud communications and collaboration.6 After the unpredictability of 2020, the short-term changes of technology shifts and collaborative systems were a must. Businesses are now looking to invest in technology that is going to enable their hybrid workforces for the foreseeable future, with communication technology that is easy to use and implement. Technology must also develop and evolve with the business, integrating with a wide choice of operating systems. UC&C strategies have never been more important to a business.

1: https://www.avnetwork.com/news/global-pro-av-growth-to-resume-in-2021-according-to-avixa-iota#:~:text=The%20corporate%20market%20continues%20to,in%20revenues%20globally%20in%202020. 2: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201023-coronavirus-how-will-the-pandemic-change-the-way-we-work 3: https://www.uctoday.com/unified-communications/is-hybrid-working-the-new-normal/ 4: https://callharbor.com/2020/09/29/the-unified-communications-industry-in-2020-facts-stats/#:~:text=40%25%20of%20the%20global%20video,application%20and%20unified%20communication%20adoption 5, 6: https://evessio.s3.amazonaws.com/customer/8c4659ee-526a-4e9c-89dc-f6f4c3c1a789/event/92ee54ce-9fbb-44ab-94bc-d2c0740e5b26/media/General_Content/b6e95b2f-node_Market_Insight_Report__-_Dec_2020_FINAL.pdf 3