Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications, 2022
The 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), Worldwide, offered organisations a snapshot of a fast-moving communications market. It assessed providers of cloud-based services that bring together functions such as business telephony, video meetings and team messaging.
For businesses reviewing their communications strategy, the report provided a framework for comparing suppliers. It was not, however, a simple league table: a provider’s position reflected Gartner’s assessment of its ability to execute and the completeness of its vision at that time.
What is unified communications as a service?
UCaaS brings multiple communications tools together through a cloud-delivered service. Depending on the provider and package, this may include:
- Business voice and cloud telephony
- Audio and video conferencing
- Instant messaging and team collaboration
- Presence information, showing colleagues’ availability
- Integrations with business applications and contact-centre platforms
Instead of managing separate systems for each channel, organisations can use a unified platform, often across office, remote and mobile workforces. The range of functions and the way they are delivered vary between providers.
How the Magic Quadrant works
Gartner’s Magic Quadrant places providers in one of four categories, using two broad dimensions:
- Ability to Execute: Gartner’s assessment of how effectively a provider delivers its strategy, product and customer experience.
- Completeness of Vision: Gartner’s assessment of how well a provider understands the market and is positioned to respond to its future needs.
The categories are Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries and Niche Players. A position in the Leaders quadrant can indicate strong performance across both dimensions, but it does not automatically mean that a provider is the best fit for every organisation. A supplier in another quadrant may be better suited to a particular sector, technical environment or budget.
What the 2022 report showed
The report featured established technology companies alongside providers focused more specifically on cloud communications. Microsoft, RingCentral and Zoom were among the providers positioned as Leaders in the 2022 assessment. Their inclusion reflected Gartner’s view of their standing in the market at the time; it should not be taken as a guarantee of suitability or as a current ranking.
The wider market was evolving quickly. Organisations were looking for reliable calling and meetings, straightforward administration, integrations with everyday business software and support for employees working from different locations. Providers differed in their platform design, service portfolios, geographic coverage and approach to combining communications tools.
How to use the report when choosing a provider
The Magic Quadrant is most useful as a starting point for research. Before choosing a UCaaS provider, organisations should consider their own requirements, including:
- Calling needs: Check number availability, call routing, emergency calling arrangements and support for any existing telephony equipment.
- Meetings and messaging: Assess how the tools work for employees, customers and external partners.
- Integrations: Confirm compatibility with the software and business processes already in use.
- Security and compliance: Review data handling, access controls, service resilience and relevant regulatory requirements.
- Support and implementation: Understand onboarding, training, technical support and service-level commitments.
- Total cost: Compare licensing, calling charges, hardware, implementation and ongoing support—not just the headline subscription price.
For UK organisations, it is also sensible to check local number options, coverage, emergency-calling arrangements and the provider’s ability to support users across the locations where the business operates.
A historical snapshot, not a buying decision
The 2022 Magic Quadrant reflects Gartner’s research and market view in that year. UCaaS products, ownership, pricing and service capabilities can change, so buyers should verify current details directly with providers and consider more recent research where available. A shortlist should ultimately be tested against the organisation’s technical requirements, user needs and budget.
Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used here for informational purposes. Gartner does not endorse any company, product or service described in its research.
9 Essential Tips for Navigating the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant on Unified Communications
- Check the report’s scope
- Use the 2022 findings as a snapshot, not a guide to today’s market.
- Read Gartner’s evaluation criteria before comparing vendors.
- Treat placement as one input, not a buying decision.
- Compare feature fit for calling, meetings and messaging.
- Check integrations with your existing tools and workflows.
- Assess reliability, security and compliance requirements.
- Review pricing, support and migration effort alongside rankings.
- Validate vendor claims with demos, references and a trial.
Check the report’s scope
Check the report’s scope before relying on its findings. Gartner’s 2022 Magic Quadrant assessed a defined set of unified communications providers and capabilities, so confirm which services, regions and types of organisation it covers. This helps you judge whether the comparisons are relevant to your business, rather than assuming the report reflects every supplier or use case.
Use the 2022 findings as a snapshot, not a guide to today’s market.
The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications in 2022 offers a useful snapshot of the market at that time, but it shouldn’t be treated as a guide to today’s options. Providers may have changed their products, pricing, ownership and capabilities since the report was published. Use its findings as historical context, then check current services and independent research against your organisation’s needs before making a decision.
Read Gartner’s evaluation criteria before comparing vendors.
Before comparing vendors in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications 2022, take time to understand Gartner’s evaluation criteria. The report assesses providers across areas such as their ability to execute and the completeness of their vision, so a position on the chart is not a simple measure of which service is best for every organisation. Knowing what the criteria cover will help you interpret the findings in context and focus on the capabilities that matter most to your business.
Treat placement as one input, not a buying decision.
Treat a provider’s position in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant as one useful input, not the deciding factor in your purchase. The chart reflects Gartner’s assessment of providers at that time, but it cannot show how well a service will match your organisation’s specific needs, budget, existing systems or support requirements. Use it to guide your research, then compare current features, security, integrations, service levels and total costs—and test shortlisted solutions with the people who will use them.
Compare feature fit for calling, meetings and messaging.
When using the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant to compare unified communications providers, look beyond their position and check how well each platform’s features match your needs for calling, meetings and messaging. Consider essentials such as call routing and voicemail, meeting quality and capacity, and how easily teams can chat and share information. The right fit is the service that supports your day-to-day work, integrates with your existing tools and suits your users—not necessarily the provider placed highest in the chart.
Check integrations with your existing tools and workflows.
When assessing providers in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications, check how well each platform integrates with the tools your organisation already uses, such as email, calendars, customer relationship management systems and collaboration software. Strong integrations can help employees work within familiar workflows, reduce the need to switch between applications and make information easier to share. Confirm which integrations are included, whether they support the features you need and if any require extra licences or configuration.
Assess reliability, security and compliance requirements.
When comparing providers featured in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications, assess how well each can meet your organisation’s reliability, security and compliance requirements. Look beyond headline features: check service availability and resilience, data protection measures, access controls, incident response and support arrangements. Consider the regulations and data-handling obligations that apply to your business, as well as any requirements for call recording, data residency or audit trails. The right choice is the provider that meets your needs in practice—not simply the one with the highest profile in the report.
Review pricing, support and migration effort alongside rankings.
When using the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a starting point, look beyond provider rankings and compare the practical details that will affect your organisation. Review the full cost of each service, including licences, calling charges and any additional features, as well as the quality and availability of customer support. Consider the effort involved in migrating users, phone numbers, data and existing integrations, and make sure the provider can offer a clear implementation plan. These factors can have a greater impact on day-to-day value than a provider’s position in the quadrant alone.
Validate vendor claims with demos, references and a trial.
Before choosing a provider featured in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications 2022, verify its claims against your organisation’s needs. Ask for a tailored demonstration, speak to customers with similar requirements and, where possible, run a trial with a representative group of users. This can help you assess call quality, integrations, ease of use and support in practice, rather than relying on marketing materials or a vendor’s position in the report alone.
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