Lync will disrupt in 2014: Frost & Sullivan

Microsoft still has a few aces up its sleeve. One sleeper product that is only now catching fire is Lync, a unified communications tool that integrates neatly with established products like Outlook.

When I caught up with Audrey  William, head of research, ICT Practice, Frost & Sullivan Australia & New Zealand earlier this year we discussed the technology’s potential to disrupt traditional telecommunications markets.

Since then the market has marched on. In a look forward to the main trends we’ll see in 2014, William says Microsoft has gained momentum in the last 12 months and has now reached the point where the company challenges traditional UC vendors.

She writes:

Channels  and  customers now regard Microsoft seriously and channels and IT integrators  that used to sell only traditional telephony solutions are now incorporating Microsoft Lync into their product mix. Lync 2013 offers close to  95 percent PBX functionality.

Increasingly, the adoption of Lync is a natural progression  for companies using Active Directory, Sharepoint and Microsoft e-mail. These  companies  are now moving to Lync for IM, presence, collaboration  and  voice.

Frost & Sullivan anticipates that traditional market participants in the unified communications space will increasingly feel the pressure from Microsoft in 2014.

To underline this, Logitech is selling a range of enterprise and business UC hardware products with the Lync brand logo on the box.