It is predicted that Voice over IP and unified communications is a massive market will reach $88 billion in 2018. But, first we need to know what is VoIP and unified communications. VoIP is technology that takes voice data and moves it along your Internet network and unified communications (UC) refers to the integration of multiple types of business communication used, such as instant messaging, email and video conferencing. UC and VoIP solutions offer a way to communicate with customers, but UC offers a broader approach. VoIP and UC can be integrated. This article writes details about integration of these two methods. To know more, follow:  http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/voip-news/the-relationship-between-unified-communications-and-voip-and-what-it-means-for-your-small-business-69769

Many instant messaging technology platforms are available today such as WhatsApp, WeChat, BBM, iMessage, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk and Skype which are targeted for consumers. Microsoft Lync, Cisco Jabber, etc are generally for the enterprises and have a cost linked with them. The global market is forecasted to grow from USD 267 million in 2005 to USD 1.2 billion in 2014, for enterprise instant messengers. Instant messaging by nature encourages people to be brief and to the point, which saves time. Apart from saving time, another benefit is the positive impact it has on geographically separated offices. It helps in bridging locations, encouraging new global business structures. Replacing phone calls with instant messaging also reduces cost. Many felt that instant messaging was less intrusive than a phone call due to the ability to see if a co-worker was busy or not prior to sending a message. Instant messaging also enhances the ability to multitask. IM has started to change the dynamics of Indian enterprises and helped to increase the efficiency and productivity. Read more at:

http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/perspective/297504/instant-messengers-changing-dynamics-indian-enterprises

A recent research on 1000 Information Technology executives and decision maker respondents by the cloud services company EvolveIP™ revealed that 84% of organizations that do not currently deploy Unified Communication features, are planning for, or considering the services, for their business in the next one to three years.For the study, Evolve IP defined UC as: "The concept of consolidating phone, email, fax, chat, video, and collaboration into a single unified channel, either on a device or on a computer”. The survey also examined UC components and uncovered that the most requested UC features are:

1. Audio & Web Conferencing (51%).
2. Unified Messaging (46%).
3.  IM&P Instant Messaging and Presence (40%).

To read more, visit the following link:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/84-of-organizations-considering-unified-communications-uc-in-the-near-future-253461811.html