The growing use of cloud-based services and the need to accommodate "bring your own device" (BYOD) mobile usage is triggering new interest in unified communications (UC) among enterprise customers, according to the latest report from Heavy Reading IP Services Insider, a subscription research service from Heavy Reading.

Cloud & BYOD Give a Boost to Unified Communications examines the cloud UC market, analysing the most lucrative verticals of cloud UC, and discussing drivers and challenges in the industry. It includes a comparative analysis of solutions and applications available from nine leading suppliers of UC platforms and identifies trends that will likely affect the UC sector over the next 18-24 months.

"UC is in a unique position to take advantage of the cloud," says Denise Culver, research analyst with Heavy Reading IP Services Insider and author of the report. "Enterprises want what UC offers – access to multiple, often disparate, product components that, when used together, provide a unified user interface and experience across devices and media types."

UC isn't simply a list of capabilities accessed through a single interface, Culver says. "To ensure that UC continues to attract and retain users, vendors must continue focusing on interoperability, security and making UC as mobile as possible," she continues. "As focus is placed on integrating UC with BYOD, it will drive higher adoption of readily available UC features and capabilities to all devices, including smartphones, PCs, tablets and readers."

Key findings of Cloud & BYOD Give a Boost to Unified Communications include the following:

• Cloud UC technologies improve response times, result in better collaboration and embrace a work-from-anywhere mentality.

• Replacing legacy equipment is critical, as social media and mobile integration become impossible with TDM and PSTN technologies.

• Cloud-based UC enables enterprises to implement solutions incrementally, solving the ongoing ROI challenge that traditional UC has been unable to address.

• The availability of reliable, feature-rich offerings with demonstrable ROI will continue to drive usage across all regions over the next two years.

• One expected trend is for UC services to be bundled increasingly into product offerings from carriers, cable operators and other service providers.