Telecommunications has been the lifeblood for efficient businesses for the past several decades, with land line telephones being the primary tool used to connect customers, colleagues and partners. Recently, however, companies have begun adopting innovative technologies and embracing the consumerization of IT, leading decision-makers to change their perspective on what makes the corporate world go round.
The emergence of next-generation mobile devices and VoIP services is making organizations rethink their strategies when it comes to communication. This was highlighted in a recent study by Atlantic-ACM, which found approximately 74 percent of respondents believe the death of the office land line, will be the most disruptive occurrence to hit the telecom landscape in some time. While this event will likely be triggered by many trends, the adoption of mobile gadgets by business users will be among the most influential.
A separate report by IDC demonstrated that this is already happening, as 77 percent of enterprises are already supplying employees with corporate-liable smartphones.
"Many IT organizations are currently working through their mobile device strategy and policy issues," said Meredith Whalen, senior vice president at IDC.
Death of land line beyond consumerization
Besides the ongoing adoption of bring your own device and other mobile strategies, companies are beginning to embrace IP telephony solutions so they can have more flexible collaboration tools. The Atlantic-ACM study revealed that 72 percent of respondents believe the advent of VoIP services, specifically those over long-term evolution (LTE) networks, will be the most disruptive force to hit the telecom aspect of the private sector.
Another 70 percent of respondents said the death of the plain old telephone service (POTS) will also have a major impact on how organizations communicate in the future.
According to a study by Infonetics Research, some companies have held on to their legacy phone systems because they still allow employees to work on a basic level. However, this will not likely be the case in the coming years, as traditional solutions become even more antiquated.
"While certain resellers will claim there is still money to be made in plain old telephone service, the overall market continues to decline," said Judy Reed Smith, CEO of Atlantic-ACM. "End-user migration to wireless, VoIP and everything in between will drive shrinking demand for traditional wholesale voice services, leaving those providers unwilling to deviate from 'business-as-usual' in the dust."
In the coming years, the consumerization of IT will continue to penetrate the private sector, forcing more businesses to adopt mobile initiatives if they want to remain competitive. Meanwhile, IP telephony services will continue to evolve and gain momentum, largely because of their flexibility and cost-saving capabilities.
Although organizations may still be able to operate on their legacy communication platform, this might not be the case in the near future. As a result, decision-makers need to plan their adaptation if they want to survive, as grasping for straws in today's business world is a sure way to experience problems.