This past week Flowroute escaped the Seattle rain at Enterprise Connect 2015 in Orlando, Florida. SIP trunking, as always, was a hot topic (with some heated debate around how to best execute faxing over IP). And by attending keynotes and SIP trunking focused sessions, and talking with attendees on the trade show floor, we gained insights into developments in enterprise collaboration and communication, in particular the expansion of the digital workspace.
Collaboration & Communication
Industry heavy hitters such as Avaya, Cisco, and Google delivered overflowing keynotes, with some strikingly common themes and content. All businesses should remember that collaboration, integration, and engagement are vital in the digital age. In the words of Rowan Trollope, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Cisco’s Collaboration Technology Group, this is the Collaboration Era. Digital workspaces are more collaborative and engaged than ever, and allowing people to work in the way that works best for them, whether it be via apps, video, or messaging will be key to any organization’s success.
People no longer have to be in the same room to work together, and companies that don’t embrace this new digital landscape will fall behind. This idea of continuous productivity is also supported by the increased use of integrated Unified Communications applications that tie video, messaging and voice together seamlessly. Everyone agrees, getting people together in one virtual ‘room’, regardless of their actual location, is vital to effectiveness. And technology makes that easier than ever.
Google noted that in this new digital landscape, telecom providers are going to face long-term downward price pressure, regulatory protections breaking down, and they will need to differentiate with value added services and apps. Communication services pricing will certainly continue to fall with increased competition, but at Flowroute we think this comment lacks perspective on the critical value of communications services organizations can depend on. We continue to win customers from providers that fail to deliver reliability, quality, and control required to support growing businesses. Stacking additional applications and services on a poor foundation is a misguided strategy too frequently pursued by carriers and resellers.
Hot topics in SIP trunking
Quite a few of the conference sessions dealt with SIP trunking and current customer concerns. One key topic is that even though businesses don’t like to fax, it’s still an important means of communication for many organizations, and reliable support for faxing is a must-have for many companies considering the move to SIP trunking.
Bursting is also a hot topic, and businesses are excited about taking advantage of the ability to increase capacity at will. If you are looking to add SIP trunking to your communications plan, make sure your provider offers bursting, and make sure you understand how it works.
Final Notes
Some takeaways from this year’s conference are that whatever you are looking for in a SIP trunking provider, you have the opportunity to find the perfect fit for you and your business, due to the large number of choices. Putting together the right questions ahead of time is helpful when looking for new telecom providers, and while familiar telecom giants may feel more comfortable, they are not always the best option.
Enterprise Connect was an educational event, and we received great feedback on our SIP for Brains™ challenge quiz and Flowroute services. We tested SIP knowledge and met some really sharp folks who proved they have SIP for Brains™ just like us! Its an exciting time to be in the industry. Based on our conversations with the hundreds of visitors to our booth, and the fact that 30% of participants in our test scored 75% or higher, SIP trunking is very quickly becoming the de facto voice connection for business.
