Microsoft announced on Monday that it is merging the Microsoft Exchange email server platform into the Real-Time Collaboration (RTC) Group in a reorganization designed to unify the communications platforms under the direction of Anoop Gupta, currently corporate vice president of the RTC division.

 

The newly formed group, known as the Unified Communications Group (UCG), is designed to align Microsoft’s own development efforts internally to accelerate the delivery of “innovative business-communications solutions that provide rich, unified communication capabilities” for customers, the software giant said in a bulletin posted to the Microsoft Web site.

 

The new group will reside in Microsoft’s Business Division led by President Jeff Raikes and allows Microsoft to bring into line the product roadmap of both Exchange and RTC, which is responsible for product lines such as Microsoft Office Live Communications Server. Now, solutions that address e-mail, instant messaging, audio/video/Web conferencing and VoIP capabilities will encompass a more strategic vision, Gupta said.

 

“The merger brings together key assets related to UC in a tightly connected team, making it easier to ensure we have well-aligned priorities, an integrated R&D platform, and the best partner ecosystem to rapidly deliver innovative solutions that address key customer pain points and provide the highest business value,” the rising Microsoft star said.

 

Gupta has long argued that unified collaborative efforts, particularly in the communications field, only yield better solutions. For example, there are 800 directories at Microsoft that correspond to various PBXs that don’t need to be there, Gupta stated in its keynote address at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & Expo, West, back in October.

 

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