Since Microsoft launched its unified communications platform last October, it has seen the number of partners earning a UC competency in the areas of instant messaging/presence, messaging and voice more than doubled -- from 793 in 2007 to more than 2,000 in 2008.
That number is likely to grow in 2009 as a result of the weakening economy and what's certain to be heightened interest in cheaper forms of collaborative communication. But Microsoft will surely face heightened competition from UC competitors that will no doubt be looking to fill out their own channel ranks with partners to help meet the growing demand for the technology.
