Nuance Communications retained its lofty position in 2009, scoring an industry-leadership 4.6 for accuracy and 4.7 for customization and integration. But despite these impressive statistics, some analysts view the company as a “business-as-usual” provider offering extremely expensive solutions—a statement supported by Nuance’s low score in the cost category.

Nevertheless, Nuance, which was described by one analyst as the “800-pound gorilla in this space,” is certainly the leader in terms of market share and number of deployments, and will be for some time to come.

Gilbert agrees, calling Nuance “the leader by far in the field with respect to brand and just being out there. Nuance is everywhere.”