What is the current landscape for mergers and acquisitions in unified communications?

Strategic changes are all the rage for enterprises today. In particular, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been happening all over the place. They always say that two heads are better than one, so why should enterprises be any different? One field that is enjoying plenty of M&A activity is unified communications (UC). The widespread consolidation across UC suggests a lot about the direction businesses are going in today.

Accelerated transformation

Many organisations are keen to embark on their digital transformation, and those that already have are keen to emerge out of the other side. This has paved the way for M&As to take precedence. By consolidating business activities, companies can play off each other's strengths. In doing so, businesses can increase efficiency and get to their goals quicker. Another M&A bonus is that it gives organisations a competitive edge, while simultaneously eliminating competition too. However, above all, M&As provide a great way to cut costs and redirect that money into your business initiatives. With the sheer volume of M&As in UC and the conversation surrounding it, you know that these companies have got to be onto something.

RingCentral and Avaya

A great example of such strategic thinking occurred very recently in the UC sphere. As though into a celebrity rumour mill, there have been many whispers in the last few months about the future of Avaya. Would they merge with Mitel? Would Avaya go private instead? Now, the news has broken that Avaya and RingCentral are joining forces for a strategic relationship. In particular, the two will be launching a new solution next year: Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral. This exclusive UC-as-a-Service offering will be available in the first quarter of 2020. For Avaya in particular, the company can enjoy accelerated transition to the cloud in a mutually beneficial way for their customers and partners. RingCentral and Avaya present an exemplary case of strategic M&As. While we eagerly await their offerings, I wonder who will be next?

Make sure you check out the Top 10 Influential BAME Tech Leaders for 2019.