The technological advancements of the last 12 months continue to provide new innovations that support job creation, change the way in which we communicate and offer new revenue generating opportunities. To get closer to the action in the telecommunications space, TMC’s (News - Alert) Rich Tehrani recently spoke with Jon Arnold, Principal with J. Arnold & Associates. Arnold is participating in the upcoming ITEXPO event and his insight on the industry is one of experience. For instance, he pointed to the tablet as the most significant technological advancement in the last 12 months. As for the biggest trend in his market segment, he wasted no time – the cloud.

When asked about the biggest challenge faced by his customers today, Arnold stressed that making good decisions around communications technologies is still a critical obstacle. He also shared that he believes that cloud-based communications will expedite the end of the premises-based PBX market eventually, yet the legacy implementations will be with us for quite some time. In exploring the importance of social media, Arnold does believe every business should have a presence in social media, but is still unconvinced it needs to go much further.

Microsoft is promising tight integration between its mobile and desktop OS, which could help the once dominate player claim leadership in the enterprise mobile market. Arnold believes this depends largely on how well the company is able to leverage partnerships in this space. Arnold is moderating three panels at ITEXPO, discussions he promises will be lively and engaging. As for his technology prediction, he believes Web analytics tools such as Cisco’s (News - Alert) Social Miner will be in greater demand in 2012.

Their entire conversation follows:

1.      What was the most significant technological advancement in the past 12 months and why?

Tablets. We’ve had them previously, they really arrived in 2011 with the iPad. Everyone else has been in catch-up mode since, and has really hurt RIM in particular. Tablets are shifting usage patterns away from smartphones, to a richer multi-media experience. This opens up lots of opportunities in the business market, but brings many challenges too.

2.      What has been the biggest trend in your market segment and how is it impacting your customers?

Cloud. Businesses can’t seem to move fast enough to push things into the cloud. I am not sure it’s totally ready for things like UC, but that’s clearly where the market is headed – even AT&T (News - Alert) is there – they just launched a hosted UC service.

3.      What is the biggest challenge facing your customers today and how is your company helping address that challenge?

Making good decisions around communications technologies. There are so many options now, and IT needs to make some fundamental decisions on which way to go. Aside from the complexity around all these choices, a lot of education is needed, not just about the technologies, but about choosing the best partners to deploy and support things like UC, video, SIP trunking, etc.

4.      Will cloud-based communications expedite the end of the premises-based PBX market?

Eventually this will happen, but the installed base of PBX – legacy or IP – will be with us for some time. Telecom vendors keep coming out with new desk phones, and these products will continue to evolve. Price points for IP phones are much less than PBX systems, and for the utility they provide, I don’t see them disappearing any time soon.

5.      Does every business need a social media presence? Why or why not?

A presence – yes, but am not so sure it has to go much further otherwise. Nobody really knows what the ROI on social media is, and I think this will vary widely by business vertical, as well as the extent to which a business depends on Web-based tools for success. There are lots of traditional businesses such as logistics or manufacturing that can live without it, but the opposite would be totally true where the Web is a key channel for sales – as well as pretty much any company run by people under the age of 30!

6.      With Microsoft touting tight integration between its mobile and desktop OS, can it become a major competitor in the enterprise mobile market?

I don’t follow MSFT as closely as other analysts, but I’d say this largely depends on how well they leverage partnerships, especially with Nokia for Windows Phone (News - Alert) 7. If the Android community moves faster and more effectively to develop scalable enterprise communications solutions, MSFT will be in trouble here, at least in North America and the EU.

7.      What can attendees expect from your company at ITEXPO?

I’m moderating three panels, so for those who come out, they’ll see lively, engaging discussions, and I hope they ask good questions!

8.      Make one technology prediction for 2012 and consider its impact.

Web analytics tools like Cisco’s Social Miner will be in greater demand. This would be especially relevant for smartphones and tablets – particularly those running on Android. If Google (News - Alert) has its way, online profiles will become more searchable – aside from privacy issues, this will create a greater need for businesses to understand how employees are utilizing mobile tools. More importantly, these devices will open up far more data about customers, which businesses will need to understand and effectively manage.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO registration click here.

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