SMBs increase use of multi-comms business gateways

New research by In-Stat has identified a growing demand for the use of multi-service business gateway (MSBG) devices to businesses that operate small, medium and branch offices.

The analyst says that MSBGs will be the means by which nearly all future technology is adopted in the SMB and branch office market segment. It defines the products as equipment designed to integrate multiple communication voice, data, and video functions into a single device that has been specifically made for use in SMB and branch office applications.

The credit crunch is providing a surprising fillip to MSBGs’ prospects says Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst. “Due to high business failure rates, the majority of MSBG sales to SMBs will be for newly opened offices. In contrast, enterprise branch office MSBG installations will increasingly be equipment replacement sales."

By 2012, In-Stat predicts that the worldwide MSBG market will generate over US $2.7 billion annually, with US MSBG market growing to nearly US $1.7 billion and global MSBG shipments expanding at a 33% over the same time period.