NETSCOUT Research Reveals that 75% of Enterprises Plan to Grow the Use of Unified Communications and Collaboration Platforms in 2023

Rhea-AI Summary

NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) has published findings from its annual survey of IT decision-makers, revealing a significant shift in the use of unified communication and collaboration (UC&C) platforms in post-pandemic hybrid work environments. 69% of surveyed organizations increased their UC&C tools, with 75% planning further support over the next year. The survey indicated that 60% consider these platforms critical, a notable rise from last year. However, only 23% utilize independent tools for monitoring remote worker experience, signaling potential gaps in performance management.

Positive

• 69% of organizations increased UC&C tool usage; 75% plan to add more platforms in the next year.
• 60% of respondents view UC&C platforms as critical, up from 49% last year.

Negative

• Only 23% use independent tools to monitor remote worker experience.
• 52% reported that multiple platforms hindered their ability to address UC&C-related issues.

Despite productivity concerns, only 23% currently use an independent tool to monitor the experience of remote workers using UC&C platforms

WESTFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT), a leading provider of performance management, cybersecurity, and DDoS protection solutions, today released new research highlighting the ongoing importance of unified communication and collaboration (UC&C) platforms to the post-pandemic future of hybrid work.

In its third annual survey of 300 IT decision-makers at organizations with over $1 billion in revenue, NETSCOUT found that the vast majority (69%) increased the number of UC&C tools used, with 75% expected to support more platforms over the next 12 months. The need to take advantage of new features and functions (89%) or better support employee collaboration (67%) was cited most often in driving these decisions.

A majority (60%) of respondents say collaboration platforms, applications, and tools are critical to their organization’s current work environment, compared with 49% last year – a more than 20% increase year-over-year.

Additional findings from the research include:

• Most enterprise-level organizations support 1-4 unified communication and collaboration tools and applications. Over one-third support 5-9 tools and applications, while 15% use ten or more.
• Microsoft Teams and Zoom remain the most commonly used platforms by 86% and 78% of those surveyed, respectively. Respondents were more likely to say that their organizations previously used Webex, Slack, or Google Meet.
• 52% said that multiple platforms used across different departments/teams in their organization negatively impacted their ability to respond to UC&C-related challenges.
• 29% of companies stated that UC&C-related issues continue to make up most IT help desk requests.
• 54% report that it still takes a few hours to resolve UC&C-related issues.
• Only 23% are using an independent tool leveraging packet analysis to monitor the performance and experience of remote workers.

Finally, examining the importance of UC&C platforms within call centers for the first time, this year’s survey found that 86% of enterprises are operating remote or hybrid call centers. However, over 70% of IT leaders feel that call quality, dropped calls, delayed connection times, and troubleshooting are challenging for their organization due to the remote work of contact center employees.

“Hybrid work models have added complexity to the UC&C platforms used by large enterprises and call centers,” said Michael Szabados, chief operating officer, NETSCOUT. “They have become reliant on these platforms to keep their businesses running. To keep ahead of these challenges, NETSCOUT continually invests in its solutions to address complexity and provide visibility across multiple platforms to ensure the best quality user experience.”

Using NETSCOUT nGenius Enterprise Performance Management, IT organizations can standardize operations around a single platform, foster greater productivity, address remote client edge blind spots, and minimize time to resolution as issues arise.

The survey was conducted in November 2022 among 300 IT decision-makers in the United States and Canada. Visit our website to download a PDF of the research findings or to learn more about our UC&C solutions.

About NETSCOUT

NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) protects the connected world from cyberattacks and performance and availability disruptions through the company’s unique visibility platform and solutions powered by its pioneering deep packet inspection at scale technology. NETSCOUT serves the world’s largest enterprises, service providers, and public sector organizations. Learn more at www.netscout.com or follow @NETSCOUT on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

©2023 NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. All rights reserved. NETSCOUT, the NETSCOUT logo, Guardians of the Connected World, Adaptive Service Intelligence, Arbor, ATLAS, Cyber Threat Horizon, InfiniStream, nGenius, nGeniusONE, and Omnis are registered trademarks or trademarks of NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230131005120/en/

Editorial:



Maribel Lopez

Manager, Marketing & Corporate Communications

+1 781 362 4330

maribel.lopez@netscout.com



Chris Shattuck

Finn Partners for NETSCOUT

+1 404 502 6755

NETSCOUT-US@FinnPartners.com

Source: NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC.

FAQ

What did the NETSCOUT survey reveal about UC&C tool usage in 2023?

It revealed that 69% of organizations have increased their UC&C tools, with 75% planning to support even more over the next year.

What percentage of IT leaders consider UC&C platforms critical to their operations?

60% of respondents reported that UC&C platforms are critical to their organization's current work environment.

How many organizations use independent tools to monitor remote worker experience according to NETSCOUT?

Only 23% of organizations reported using independent tools for monitoring remote workers' experience.

What is the stock symbol for NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC.?

The stock symbol for NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. is NTCT.