Collaboration Solution Providers
Here in Part Three, we return to the Solution Providers. Who are they? How are they positioned in the market? How can you create a true solution out of the components?
The Market Today
The collaboration market today is rapidly changing. Previously, there were standalone video hardware and services, companies providing web meetings/webinars, and companies for business process collaboration activities. Today there have been many mergers. And many of these mergers have been driven by users who expect a full collaborative experience—visual, real-time, and intelligent. In addition, they expect to reach out across many platforms and channels—across the miles, across the enterprise— in a seamless way.
However, very few companies provide all services in one suite. So, most users are still likely to purchase these modules separately, for now. In particular, the business collaboration apps providers have not gotten with the “full suite” concept. We would think it would be natural to provide an all-inclusive approach to such business processes as Design, Sales and Operations Planning, and business planning meetings.
Solution Provider Market—Top Down
Viewing the market offerings, there are both functional and architectural considerations for an enterprise purchasing these solutions. First, we will describe the major components for consideration, and then position solutions providers.
Although the market is chock-full of players, only a few really offer a rich collaboration suite.