What's the SIP Market Going to Look Like in 2013? Just Ask Panasonic

The SIP market has remained strong throughout 2012. In fact, according to a new study of 7,000 Information Technology (IT) managers from Eastern Management (News - Alert) Group, 82 percent of new communications systems support the SIP protocol. Many factors have irreversibly opened the doors of opportunity for the growing SIP market to expand as we get ready to pop the champagne and count down to the New Year.

In light of this, Bill Savino, marketing manager for Small and Medium Business at Panasonic (News - Alert) System Communications Company North America (PSCNA), an industry-leading expert in SIP communications, took the time to talk to me about what the company has seen in 2012, what it looks forward to in 2013, and what it’s going to take for the SIP market to further grow in the near future.

Over the course of this year, Savino cited a few key drivers in the SIP market, one including the rise of hosted and cloud-based solutions and the public’s increasing awareness of its importance and benefits. Among the slew of surveys and reports released this year, an Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) survey this September revealed that cloud adoption rates during 2012 rose 15 percent faster than previously forecast. Another IDC survey released in September revealed that by 2016, public cloud spending would reach $100 billion, and outside of the enterprise, 90 percent of respondents reported having leveraged at least one cloud-based application.

Another perhaps more obvious driver of the SIP market is today’s economic state. “The prolonged recession followed by a slow growth period in the USA has made cash flows tight and enhanced the attractiveness of hosted solutions using SIP. The approach is highly desirable for cost control, minimizing upfront (capex) costs reaping the benefits of the pay-as-you-go (opex) expense model,” Savino told me.

One of the hottest topics right now in the SIP market, however, is mobility. Not only did Savino say that an “increasing desire to integrate mobility into office telephony solutions” has propelled SIP throughout 2012, but he also believes it’s what we can look forward to in 2013 as one of the biggest trends to have impacted the market segment this year.

“We expect mobility to continue to assume increasing importance as business users strive to be less and less tethered to the office and wired solutions,” he explains, adding that the company expects to see this in the continued growth of smartphones, tablets and in-building SIP DECT solutions. “Seamless integration between desk and mobile devices will be key going forward.”

In fact, just today, Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert) released a new study revealing mobility, mobile device management and cloud solutions to be big themes in 2013. Although the report stresses that these trends will heavily impact countries such as Australia, it cannot be disputed that the prominence and rapid growth of these business communications will be seen worldwide. Consider the fact that there are 1.2 billion mobile Web users worldwide, mobile ad spending is predicted to reach $20.6 billion by 2015, and in the U.S. alone, 25 percent of Internet users are mobile only. Mobility in the office will without a doubt continue to drive the SIP market forward.

So what’s it going to take for this market segment to further grow in the coming year for small- and medium-sized businesses? According to Savino, it will primarily take two things: cost control and productivity gains will continue to drive business adoption in the near-term as the technology and its benefits become more familiar and accepted in the marketplace.

As for Panasonic, the company will have plenty of exciting news in the space for 2013, so be sure to stay tuned to the SIP Phones community for constant updates!

To learn more about Panasonic, visit www.panasonic.com.

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