2011 the year for virtualisation in EMEA, survey suggests


11 Nov 2010

The year 2011 may be the time when virtualisation starts making a play in the European, Middle East and African (EMEA) markets, according to new research.

The research, conducted by Avaya, global leaders in enterprise communications systems, software and services, found that 15pc expect to see sales rise in the virtualisation area in 2011.

The results were announced as part of Avaya’s annual survey of its EMEA-wide partner base, and nearly 500 partners provided responses to key questions on factors necessary for channel expansion and growth.

Unified communication

The research also found that nearly 43pc of channel partners across EMEA expect unified communications (UC) to offer the most opportunity for sales growth in the coming year and 56pc of those surveyed find total cost ownership to be the most important consideration when making a purchase decision. The survey also found that 28pc of those surveyed expect a reduction in operational expenses will be a key strategy.

“The last 12 months have brought significant recovery, and our partners are overwhelmingly positive about the year ahead. Customers will always keep an eye on cost as a general rule, but this can translate to more targeted, effective investment,” said Jeremy Butt, vice-president, worldwide channels, Avaya.

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