IDC predicts the EMEA UC market will grow to $16.6bn by 2014-- after being worth around $8bn by 2010's end.
As the credit crunch continues all over the region, enterprises will be more cautious in their IT spending. Thus IDC's prediction suggests moderate Y-o-Y over the next 5 years.
UC solutions sold as hosted or cloud-based services will grow steadily as businesses continue to outsource-- primarily to reduce network management and maintenance costs.
Companies' needs for external expertise (as they move from a capex-based to an opex-based model) will drive CPE equipment managed services.
Fierce competition among legacy vendors will also lead to more mergers and acquisitions over the next 5 years.
IDC concludes that vendors will have to work closely with their channel partners as sales teams understand the value of UC (by focusing on vertical market expertise).