Gartner has released its UCaaS Magic Quadrant for 2024, with Microsoft remaining in the top-right corner.

No new vendors have been added, but that’s not to say there haven’t been changes.

Cisco has leapt ahead of RingCentral and Zoom, making it the closer challenger to Microsoft in the top-right.

Meanwhile, Dialpad has been moved from the bottom-right visionaries box to the bottom-left niche players section. Sangoma moves down into the bottom-left corner, bringing it closer to Wildix.

The likes of GoTo, Vonage and 8×8 have seen relatively shorter moves within the same box as last year.

How They Fared

Gartner praised Microsoft for strengthening its telephony capabilities, with a more robust 99.999% service level agreement for Teams Phone, making it a compelling option for organisations seeking a seamless integration with their existing workplace tools.

However, it said Microsoft still lacks advanced contact centre solutions, which could force businesses to purchase additional software.

Gartner also said that Microsoft’s voice options (Direct Routing, Operator Connect, Teams Phone Mobile, etc.) often confuse businesses.

Gartner said Cisco’s Webex suite remains a popular choice for large enterprises, mainly because of its AI credentials.

However, its complexity and reliance on channel partners might pose challenges for some buyers, particularly SMBs, the analyst added.

RingCentral received praise for its bundled UCaaS and CCaaS offerings, which were further enhanced with AI capabilities through RingSense.

However, Gartner said RingCentral’s focus on telephony might limit its appeal in a collaboration-driven market.

Zoom, another leader in bundled offerings, has consistently impressed with its user experience and focus on support, Gartner said.

Although Zoom’s licensing encourages buyers to purchase the entire Zoom Workplace UCaaS offering, Gartner said its clients often choose competing vendors for collaboration or contact centre services.

It added that Zoom’s customer base growth has significantly slowed down over the past 12 to 18 months as the UCaaS market consolidates. Gartner described this as a “significant challenge.”

UCaaS Leaders 

  • Microsoft 
  • RingCentral 
  • Zoom 
  • Cisco 
  • 8×8 

On announcing Zoom’s inclusion, Chief Growth and Sales Officer Graeme Geddes said:

“We believe being named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for UCaaS for the fifth year in a row is a true testament to our dedication and commitment to providing the best in class UCaaS solutions.”

“Although a lot has changed these past five years, Zoom has remained steadfast in delivering collaboration and communication tools that help empower users and improve productivity.”

According to Gartner, 8×8’s strengths include its suitability for companies bundling UCaaS and CCaaS solutions without complex contact centre needs, typically with fewer than 300 agents.

The analyst also stated that 8×8 is well-positioned to offer feature-rich, telephony-centric UCaaS for organisations using Microsoft Teams or other cloud-based software.

However, it said 8×8 has struggled due to various top-level leadership changes over recent years and difficulty appealing to businesses not headquartered in North America and Europe.

The Best of the Rest

Two of the other three quadrants are now sparsely occupied, with Google the sole challenger and Visionaries box empty owing to Dialpad’s move.

According to Gartner, Google is investing heavily in AI and bringing it into the Google Workspace platform for a user-friendly experience.

However, the analyst notes that its limited telephony features and lack of a CCaaS offering could limit its potential.

The remaining five vendors are in the bottom-left Niche Players box.

Gartner praised Dialpad for its AI credentials, which give it “unique access” to Google’s generative AI resources.

Despite this, the analyst points out that limited brand recognition and underdeveloped meeting functionalities may slow its growth.

Niche Players 

  • GoTo
  • Vonage 
  • Sangoma
  • Wildix 
  • Dialpad

GoTo was praised for its affordable solution for SMBs with basic communication needs. However, its restricted geographic reach and underdeveloped contact centre features might reduce its appeal to larger organisations, Gartner added.

Vonage is noted for its integrations across UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS, positioning it well for SMBs. However, Gartner observes that despite making positive strides upmarket, it struggles to gain recognition in the enterprise space.

Sangoma, meanwhile, is competitive in pricing and bundled services. It mainly serves SMBs, but it faces challenges with its limited presence outside North America and gaps in meeting and messaging features.

Finally, Wildix was praised for its strong presence in Europe and early steps into the Middle East – but Gartner said it has seen its growth slow in North America.

It’s worth noting that some established unified communications vendors miss out on this particular Magic Quadrant because of Gartner’s criteria.

Avaya, for example, has a UCaaS platform powered by RingCentral’s underlying tech.

Meanwhile, Mitel has an established UC business but not a unified-communications-as-a-service offering.

 

 

 



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