Brian Riggs, Principal Analyst, Enterprise Telecoms

Dimension Data’s acquisition of Teliris is the latest move in a strategy to grow its managed and hosted unified communications (UC) services business. The acquisition adds a cloud-based videoconferencing service to a Dimension Data portfolio that already includes a number of managed and hosted telephony, UC, videoconferencing, and contact center services. It also expands Dimension Data’s presence in the US, where it is eager to grow its market share, particularly in the area of cloud-based videoconferencing services.

However, Dimension Data’s cloud-based UC portfolio is large, complex, and in need of focus. Adding another component to it increases the complexity, at least in the near term. Dimension Data will need to add integrating Teliris to an already-long list of things it needs to do to simplify its cloud-based UC portfolio.

Meanwhile Teliris is in the process of simplifying its own portfolio. The …