According to a recent report by Synergy Research Group, Microsoft and Zoom have gained market share in the worldwide UCC market, while Cisco has lost ground. The report indicates that the UCC market grew by 15% in 2022, reaching a total of $52 billion in annualized revenue.
Microsoft has maintained its lead in the UCC market, with a 28% share, up from 26% in 2021. Zoom has also seen significant growth, with a 22% share, up from 19% in 2021. Meanwhile, Cisco has lost market share, dropping from 18% to 15% over the same period.
The report suggests that the market shifts are due to several factors, including the rise of remote work and the increased adoption of cloud-based collaboration tools. Microsoft Teams and Zoom have been particularly successful in meeting the demands of remote work, offering video conferencing, messaging, and file sharing capabilities in one platform.
In contrast, Cisco’s traditional focus on hardware-based solutions has limited its ability to compete in the cloud-based UCC market. The company has recently shifted its strategy to focus more on cloud services and software, but the impact on its market share has yet to be seen.
The implications of these market shifts for the telecoms industry are significant. As remote work becomes the new norm, UCC tools will play an increasingly important role in facilitating communication and collaboration. Telecoms providers will need to adapt to these changes by offering UCC solutions that meet the evolving needs of their customers.
In conclusion, the UCC market is rapidly evolving, with Microsoft and Zoom gaining ground while Cisco loses market share. The rise of remote work and cloud-based collaboration tools has driven these changes, highlighting the need for telecoms providers to offer UCC solutions that meet the demands of the modern workplace.
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What This Means for SA Resellers
The competitive dynamics in the global UC market — with Microsoft Teams and Zoom gaining share while Cisco’s Webex loses ground — are mirrored in South Africa’s enterprise and mid-market segment. Microsoft Teams has become the dominant collaboration platform in South Africa’s formal business sector, particularly in financial services, professional services, and technology companies. This is the market reality that South African resellers must navigate when advising clients on UC platform investments.
For SA resellers, the practical implication is clear: building depth in Microsoft Teams and Teams Phone (Direct Calling, Operator Connect) is the highest-priority certification investment for reaching the largest addressable market. This doesn’t mean abandoning 3CX, Yeastar, or other platforms — these remain highly relevant for SME clients, cost-sensitive buyers, and deployments where Teams Phone’s per-user pricing is prohibitive — but it does mean that resellers who lack Teams competency are increasingly locked out of enterprise accounts.
The Cisco decline narrative should also inform how resellers position against Cisco-aligned competitors in the South African market. Cisco’s Webex share loss creates migration opportunities from Webex environments to Teams or alternative UC platforms. SA resellers with Cisco Webex clients should proactively assess whether those clients are satisfied with Webex or are open to a transition, and build the appropriate migration capability to capitalise on Cisco’s weakening position.
About the Author
Mechelle Gindra
Mechelle Gindra is the managing editor and lead content strategist at Telecoms-Channel, South Africa's dedicated intelligence platform for telecoms resellers, ICT distributors, and channel partners. She oversees the editorial team's AI-assisted content production pipeline, ensuring vendor news, market analysis, and regulatory updates are accurate, timely, and actionable for the SA telecoms channel community. With deep expertise in the South African telecoms reseller ecosystem, Mechelle directs coverage of vendor partner programmes, ICASA regulatory developments, wholesale market dynamics, and channel business strategy. She is responsible for maintaining Telecoms-Channel's editorial standards, fact-checking processes, and corrections policy.
