Peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies hold the promise of tapping the next generation needs of small enterprises by providing large system capabilities at much lower costs.

Frost & Sullivan finds that the European Peer-to-Peer Telephony Markets enjoyed a 0.3% penetration in 2006 and estimates this to reach 3.6% in 2012.

"The availability of large system capabilities at the price of small systems is incentive enough to gain interest from small enterprise stakeholders," says Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Shomik Banerjee. "What remain to be demonstrated are the fundamentals pertaining to ease-of-use and maintenance."

A remarkable opportunity, untapped by the larger participants until recently, exists in the sub-20 segment of the enterprise communication market. Although the market size and scope is huge, it is highly dispersed. This, in addition to the lack of a common buying behaviour, is emphasising the importance of channel effectiveness in order to generate business.