Dimension Data Survey Reveals Top IT Challenges for Organizations Moving to Unified Communications and Collaboration

Survey results combined with Dimension Data’s expertise in deploying more than two million UC&C seats reveal major gap between UC&C investment and employee adoption

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dimension Data, a multi-billion dollar global IT solutions and services provider, today announced the results of a broad-scale survey of more than 800 IT leaders across the United States on unified communications deployments. The survey revealed that while investment in unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) solutions is growing rapidly, organizations are not realizing the business productivity and cost-savings benefits due to lack of a carefully planned roadmap and comprehensive user adoption plan. For example, while 70% of companies surveyed have video capabilities, only 41% typically use the technology.

“Successfully implementing unified communications within an organization requires more than technology. Developing a roadmap and strategic plan is essential to demonstrating how the technology aligns to corporate goals and creating a clear plan and requirements that translate to enabling business groups and end users.”

Some of the key findings from the survey – which included companies from industry verticals such as education, healthcare, financial services and manufacturing – included:

• 72% of respondents reported using IM tools regularly (19% of which are not corporate sanctioned), yet 34% admitted their IM is not integrated with other communications systems – revealing a large untapped opportunity for UC.
• 89% of organizations have employees that work remotely; however, 74% of video is room-based, leaving the distributed workforce needing collaboration tools the most without access to important UC tools.
• Although nearly 70% of organizations have video conferencing abilities, 70% of business leaders still travel at least 1-2 times per month and nearly 25% travel as much as 3-5 times per week. Through the use of video, a reduction in travel of just 10% could have a significant impact on the bottom line for these organizations.
• 51% of survey respondents had no roadmap or strategic plan for video adoption, revealing that it is still in the early adoption phase.

“Our experience in deploying unified communications to more than two million seats has resulted in clients saving time, money and increasing productivity,” said Mitchell Hershkowitz, National Practice Director of Dimension Data Americas Consulting Services. “Successfully implementing unified communications within an organization requires more than technology. Developing a roadmap and strategic plan is essential to demonstrating how the technology aligns to corporate goals and creating a clear plan and requirements that translate to enabling business groups and end users.”

Dimension Data’s User Adoption Management Program (AMP) provides a framework for companies to realize ROI on technology investments. “AMP leverages best practices from Dimension Data’s rollout of UC&C technologies across its own organization throughout the Americas, spanning 21 locations and 1,000 employees. By deploying AMP internally, Dimension Data rapidly and dramatically improved employee communication and collaboration, realizing 95% user adoption rate in just two months, 50% reduction in travel costs and savings of $20,000 per executive meeting.

About Dimension Data

Dimension Data, a specialist IT services and solutions provider, helps clients plan, build, support and manage their IT infrastructures. Dimension Data applies its expertise in networking, converged communications, security; data center solutions, Microsoft and contact center technologies, and its unique skills in consulting, integration and managed services to create customized client solutions. For more information: Call 866-DIDATA-US or visit www.dimensiondata.com/na.