UCaaS is an umbrella term for some many functions including dial-tone (SIP trunk), voicemail, collaboration, call center, conferencing (web, audio, video) and more. Adding all this functionality didn’t exactly set the market on fire.
It was dial-tone, then IP Centrex, the Hosted PBX, eventually falling under UC. There is a lesson here.
SD-WAN is also an umbrella term for many functions including fail-over, link bonding, analytics, WAN optimization and more.
It seems to me that having an umbrella technology is not the same as having and selling a PRI. A PRI is very specific and defined.
Since that time, we have just been trying to push undefined, vague, generic terms on the market. The market isn’t having it.
Most of the SD-WAN functionality a CCNA used to do for a company. There is gear that will handle all or most of the SD-WAN tech; now it is all bundled into pretty white box. And now it is outsourced.
I think that the trouble is that we want this to be the answer to everything – so it is the answer to nothing. Get specific. Get vertical. Go Niche. That’s how all this will sell faster – and without the commodity that it is perceived.
It would have been better for UC if providers had segmented out and delivered Hosted PBX versus IP Centrex versus SIP trunks instead of everyone wanting to sell everything to everyone (and making very few people happy).