25 percent of enterprises expect mobile phones to replace desk phones within 2 years; Survey indicates MNOs have tangible but closing window of opportunity to be enterprise provider of choice for delivering mobile, unified communications services
GAITHERSBURG, MD, November 30, 2011 – BroadSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ:BSFT, news, filings) today announced results from the BroadSoft® 2011 Mobile Enterprise of the Future Survey, which finds that global enterprises are shifting to mobile-only communications more rapidly than expected – as well as adopting unified communications services more broadly. Notably, 25% of enterprise IT decision makers believe desk phones will be replaced by mobile phones within two years, and 82% of enterprises have employees currently using mobile applications for communications and collaboration.
The 2011 BroadSoft survey, conducted by Cohen Research Group, gathered insight from 200 U.S. and 200 UK IT decision makers (CXOs, VPs, Directors) at enterprises of all sizes. The results indicate enterprises are increasingly supporting a diverse mobile workforce and a challenging range of mobile platforms and are rapidly prioritizing the expansion of their unified communications capabilities.
Survey results were drawn from respondents with significant input in IT purchasing decisions. More than three-quarters (76%) said they were the sole decision makers on mobile and unified communications IT purchases, while the remaining 24% shared that responsibility.
Key Survey Highlights
Enterprises going exclusively mobile
- 44% of enterprises surveyed have at least one-quarter of their workforce operating solely using a mobile phone, and 82% of enterprises have employees using mobile apps for communications and collaboration.
- Already, 30% of enterprises support tablets; 51% support BlackBerry devices, 40% support iPhones and 31% support Android phones.
Support Grows for Mobile UC and Mobile Apps
- 62% of IT leaders are expanding their enterprise’s unified communications capabilities, while instant messaging, web collaboration and videoconferencing were identified as the top UC services they are looking to support on mobile devices over the next three years.
- 72% of IT decision makers in the U.S. are looking to deploy videoconferencing across their organization in the next year, compared to 56% in the UK.
Mobile Network Operators Well Positioned
- Many enterprises believe their mobile network operator (MNO) is better positioned to deliver single voicemail, instant messaging, video calling, unified messaging, voicemail and email integration, extension dialing and video conferencing than fixed line providers, Microsoft, Google or IBM.
- When asked who could best deliver a complete, integrated set of unified communications services, “my mobile service provider”, Microsoft and Google were top choices among respondents.
“Enterprise end-users are demanding their IT department support a consumer-grade communications experience that includes access to advanced communications services and applications across their preferred mobile communication device,” said Leslie Ferry, vice president marketing, BroadSoft. “More telling, the survey revealed mobile network operators have a compelling, but closing window of opportunity to be the preferred provider of choice when it comes to delivering unified communications services that keep mobile employees connected via video, instant messaging, web conferencing and presence management, indicating MNOs need to act now, before competitors erode their customer base.”
Equal samples of 200 information technology leaders in the US and 200 information technology leaders in the UK, completed the same survey from web panels maintained by SSI, a worldwide leader in research sampling. The survey was conducted September 28 through October 3, 2011 via the Internet on desktop, notebook and mobile devices.
For expanded results with graphical charts of survey findings please click here.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may be identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “believe,” “will” and other similar terms and phrases and include, among others, statements regarding the shift by enterprises to mobile-only communications and the services to be provided on mobile devices, the need for enterprises to support a diverse mobile workforce and a range of mobile platforms and devices, the expansion by enterprises of their unified communications capabilities and the opportunity for mobile network operators to provide unified communication services. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the ability of service providers including mobile network operators to expand their UC offerings, capture market share and increase their revenues and the resulting impact on BroadSoft, as well as those factors contained in the “Risk Factors” section of BroadSoft’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 7, 2011, and in BroadSoft’s other filings with the SEC. All information in this press release is as of November 30, 2011. Except as required by law, BroadSoft undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement made herein for any reason to conform the statement to actual results or changes in its expectations.
About BroadSoft:
BroadSoft provides software that enables mobile, fixed-line and cable service providers to deliver voice and multimedia services over their IP-based networks. The Company’s software, BroadWorks®, enables service providers to provide enterprises and consumers with a range of cloud-based, or hosted, IP multimedia communications, such as hosted IP private branch exchanges, video calling, unified communications, collaboration and converged mobile and fixed-line services.
BroadSoft and BroadWorks are registered trademarks of BroadSoft, Inc. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Media Contacts:
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