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Microsoft has dominated the world of computer software for much of the PC age, but as that market matures the company is seeking new worlds to conquer. The software giant is now seeking to make next-generation communications its next domain.
At Interop (News - Alert) Las Vegas 2007 this week, Microsoft announced that 12 industry leaders in the world of communications would implement its interoperability specification for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. This broad interoperability will help businesses deploy software-based unified communications and cost-effectively adapt to voice and data network convergence.
It has been almost a year since Microsoft launched its Unified Communications strategy, and it is clear now the Redmond, Wash., software leader is making headway among communications companies. The company has been heavily promoting its unified communications strategy at industry events such as the recent Communications Developer Conference. Microsoft has also launched forays into key communications technologies such as VoIP , with the company announcing it would release a beta of its VoIP and Unified Communications server.
In the two months since Microsoft published the interoperability specification for Office Communications Server 2007, global telephony and networking companies have all hopped on the bandwagon announcing their support. The who’s who lists includes Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Ericsson (News - Alert), Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc., Mitel Networks Corp., NEC Corp., Nortel Networks, and Siemens Enterprise Communications (News - Alert), and gateway providers AudioCodes Ltd., Dialogic Corp. and Quintum (News - Alert) Technologies Inc.
Together these vendors provide interoperability with approximately 90 percent of communication systems, thus giving Microsoft a huge market to deploy its strategy.
“As the traditional business telecommunications model evolves, businesses are seeking guidance for the best way to leverage their existing assets as they deploy unified communications,” said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president, Unified Communications (News - Alert) Group at Microsoft, in a statement. “This broad industry support will give business the assurance that Microsoft’s unified communications software will work with the applications and networks they have today.”
The specification will enable businesses to deploy Office Communications Server 2007 for voice over Internet protocol (VoIP ), presence, instant messaging and conferencing while maintaining compatibility with existing and planned telephony systems. Businesses will be able to reap the benefits of Microsoft’s unified communications software for streamlined communications while extending the life of their existing investments.
According to Microsoft, over 50,000 have downloaded the beta version of Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator 2007.
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Spencer Chin is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Don't forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.
Voice over IP (VoIP) | X | | A real-time communications system that converts voice into digital packets containing media and signaling data that travel over networks using Internet Protocol....more |
Internet Protocol (IP) | X | | IP stands for Internet Protocol, a data-networking protocol developed throughout the 1980s. It is the established standard protocol for transmitting and receiving data
in packets over the Internet. I...more |
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