This projected growth is not a surprise - the potential cost and business efficiency benefits of UC are well documented and shows that UC has evolved significantly in the last decade as a communications technology. UC can now provide a reliable communications solution that supports advanced communication channels such as video and web-conferencing while saving on the maintenance costs associated with traditional PBX phone systems.

One of the key drivers cited by the report for the continued growth of UC was the growing need for organisations to share information quickly and to connect geographically dispersed people, teams and businesses. This is a crucial point for all IT vendors, resellers and businesses.

Although UC is set to continue growing, it cannot be viewed in isolation. Telephony and communications need to be seen as part of the bigger picture of the IT demands of modern businesses. This includes connectivity in its broadest sense, cloud computing, other hosted services and the growth of colocation as a few examples.

As a result, the network is paramount and businesses need IT suppliers that can first and foremost deliver a fast, reliable and resilient network.

This shift in mind-set means that businesses are increasingly looking for an IT partner that can deliver more than point solutions. In my own experience of working with enterprise and SME customers I've found that if businesses can find a trusted IT partner, which provides a reliable and high quality service, then it is very easy for them to choose to keep all of their IT provision under one roof.

However, rather than closing the door on traditional PBX resellers or pure-play telephony resellers, this should be seen as an opportunity. Ultimately this is about relationships, and if you have strong relationships, adding to your solution portfolio is a simple task.

By developing partnerships with vendors with complementary services, resellers of any shape and size are in a fantastic position to not only take advantage of the UC opportunity, but also to enhance their proposition as more of a one-stop shop for their customers offering complete end-to-end solutions. In doing so, resellers can generate additional opportunities to increase revenues and margins, up sell services into existing customers and attract new ones.