With the modern, global workplace becoming increasingly disconnected due to differences in time and location, the need for effective intelligent unified communications and collaboration (iUC&C) is greater than ever. Legacy applications and analog processes are no longer delivering the outcomes that business users want in the digital era.
More than anything, enterprises are seeking better and faster communications and collaboration tools. Today, it is an imperative to be able to offer voice, video, and mobile, and unified communications and collaboration is filling this need. We help our clients address the following questions:
- How can I incorporate video into my collaboration strategy?
- Who are the iUC&C providers I should be evaluating?
- How can I measure the effectiveness of new communications and collaboration technologies?
The Aragon Research Globe for Intelligent Unified Communications and Collaboration, 2026
Aragon Research releases its 8th Aragon Research Globe™ for Intelligent Unified Communications and Collaboration (iUC&C) that examines 14 major providers. AI Assistants are here.
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Building a Simple, Yet Powerful, AI Strategy in Business Communications
This Research Note will address how enterprises can begin reaping the benefits AI has to offer, including with customer loyalty, streamlining & scaling communications workflows, and driving revenue.
Cyber War and the Rise of the Secure UC&C Era: Why Your Communications Infrastructure Needs to Be Protected
This Research Note discusses the rise of the secure UC&C era and the implications for the enterprise, including why they can’t wait to deploy new security and privacy measures.
The Aragon Research Globe™ for the Intelligent Contact Center, 2026
As digital labor continues to grow, the 14 major vendors in this report are amid some of the biggest changes since this market came to fruition 25 years ago.
To view all of our research on the cloud visit our UC&C >
Your Guide to Modern Communications and Collaboration
The UCC market is starting to make people a priority and putting them at the center of the UCC, which Aragon calls people-centric collaboration— at its core, it means being able to seamlessly switch to the right method of interacting with others.
To learn more about the current state of the UCC market, download your complimentary eBook.
InfoComm 2026: Collab Market Consolidation
Major industry players like Cisco, Zoom, Crestron, and Shure announced deep integrations, native multi-platform compatibility, and centralized cloud management.
Dialpad & Google: Deep AI Integration
Google has been not been pushing Google Voice and since Dialpad runs in the Google Cloud, this integration makes sense.
GoTo Targets SMB with a CX Platform play
GoTo introduced GoTo Connect CX Complete to secure its footprint within a expanding SMB customer base that increasingly demands enterprise-grade capability without complex architecture
Cisco Live: The Race to Agentic Network Ops
At its annual #CiscoLive conference in Las Vegas, Cisco launched a centralized operating platform called Cisco Cloud Control designed to orchestrate its entire hardware and software portfolio
iUC&C Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Intelligent Unified Communications and Collaboration (iUC&C)?
According to Aragon Research, Intelligent Unified Communications and Collaboration (iUC&C) is the evolution of traditional UC&C, integrating artificial intelligence to automate and enhance communication and collaboration. iUC&C platforms are becoming hubs for intelligent automation, moving beyond just messaging, voice, and video to include AI-powered assistants and agents that streamline workflows and improve productivity. - How is AI changing team collaboration?
Aragon Research notes that AI is fundamentally reshaping team collaboration by introducing intelligent assistants that automate tasks like summarizing meetings, creating action items, and even generating content. Team collaboration platforms are evolving into central hubs for work, challenging email as the primary tool for daily interactions. They are also becoming the main channel for AI agents to communicate with human colleagues. - What are the key elements of a modern iUC&C platform?
Based on Aragon Research's analysis, the key elements of a modern iUC&C platform include:- Voice: Cloud telephony (UCaaS) for employee and customer engagement.
- Video: Intelligent video meetings that are becoming the new standard for communication.
- Team Collaboration: A central container for work projects and interactions.
- Communication Automation: Integration of communication modalities within other applications.
- Intelligent Assistants: AI-powered tools for task automation and meeting assistance.
- What are the best cloud phone systems available today?
Aragon Research's Globe for Intelligent Unified Communications and Collaboration evaluates the top providers in the market. The "Leaders" in the 2026 report include Microsoft, Cisco, Google, Zoom, Mitel, and RingCentral. When choosing a cloud phone system, Aragon Research advises buyers to consider their specific use cases, such as the need for global calling, to determine the best fit. - How are intelligent assistants used in meetings?
Aragon Research highlights that intelligent assistants are now an integral part of the modern meeting experience. They can take notes, create action items, summarize discussions, and even provide real-time translations. For those who join a meeting late, these assistants can provide a quick summary of the conversation, allowing them to catch up without disrupting the flow. - What are AI Receptionists?
As described by Aragon Research, an AI Receptionist (AIR) is an advanced form of an intelligent assistant that acts as a "digital front door" for an enterprise. Unlike a traditional IVR, an AIR can engage in natural conversation, answer frequently asked questions, and intelligently route calls based on the context of the discussion, creating a more efficient and welcoming experience for customers and partners. - What is the difference between an AI Assistant and an AI Agent?
Aragon Research distinguishes between these two roles. An AI Assistant augments human capabilities by automating a fixed set of tasks like summarizing meetings. In contrast, an AI Agent is an autonomous digital worker capable of executing entire business processes and workflows, such as an AI Sales Agent that can prospect and schedule meetings. - What is a "sovereign cloud" and why is it important for communications?
Aragon Research explains that a sovereign cloud is a deployment model where an organization's data is stored and processed exclusively within a specific country or region. This is a critical, non-negotiable requirement for government agencies and companies in regulated industries like finance and healthcare, as it addresses data privacy and residency laws. - How does AI help with meeting summaries?
According to Aragon Research, recent advancements in generative AI have dramatically improved the quality of automated meeting summaries. AI can now produce highly accurate transcriptions, identify different speakers, and generate concise summaries with key action items. The quality of these AI-generated artifacts is so high that it often eliminates the need to review lengthy recordings, saving time and making critical information more accessible. - Why should enterprises standardize on a single iUC&C platform?
Aragon Research advises that enterprises should look to standardize on one or two key iUC&C providers. The rise of AI agents that need to work across different communication channels makes a fragmented, multi-vendor approach impractical. A unified platform provides the necessary integration for both human and digital workers to communicate and collaborate effectively and securely.