This week Avaya (NYSE:AV) announced a merger agreement with Silver Lake and TPG Capital, taking Avaya private at a reported price of about $17.50 per-share.

This announcement underscores the rapidly changing Voice Over IP landscape Nemertes has been tracking--a change that is driven by the pending arrival of Microsoft, and the transition of VOIP platforms from hardware to software.

IT executives interviewed for Nemertes' "Building a Successful Virtual Workplace" benchmark noted two key beliefs: integration of business processes with communications systems would reshape their VOIP plans, and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is an emerging competitor in the communications market.

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