|
Microsoft Partners Pour Out Product |
|
|
|
Written by Adam Gosling
|
|
Monday, 14 May 2007 |
The allure of
Microsoft's market pull with the imminent release of its Unified
Communications Server 2007 has prompted no less than nine major
manufacturers to partner the software company to bring VoIP and other
communications to market.
Announced at WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference) Microsoft says the nine companies will pour out the product over the next few months as the Public Beta period for the new communications server solution winds ups.
ASUSTek, GN, LG-Nortel, NEC, Plantronics, Polycom, Samsung, Tatung and ViTELiX each have new product to promote designed to make communications easier and more ubiquitous.
Microsoft is providing the device manufacturers with design specifications, to make the solutions as plug and play as possible with the new Office Communications Server and Office Communicator.
"Today's office phone is marooned on an island, separate from the rest of the communications tools that information workers rely on to do their
jobs," said Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division. "By weaving the business phone together with e-mail, instant messaging,
presence, conferencing and the productivity software people use most, we are putting voice communications back into business."
To help kick start support for its proprietary solution, Microsoft has published the software interfaces and encouraged hardware partners to develop IP phones to go with the system.
A substantial proportion of the IP phones sold to large customers today are based on proprietary solutions with Cisco and Avaya both commanding the largest share of the market.
Increasingly, however, lower cost standards-based SIP (Session Initiated Protocol) phones are proving a viable option for customers looking to maintain compatibility with multiple types of SIP compliant phone systems.
The products being offered by Microsoft partners however, are nearing the end of their Microsoft qualification cycle, which will help ensure they work in a plug and play manner with the Microsoft server software. Microsoft calls this its "Just Works" experience.
The 15 phones and other devices unveiled by Microsoft and its partner include Internet protocol (IP) phones, Universal Serial Bus (USB) phones, wired and wireless headsets, conferencing phones, LCD monitors and laptops.
Microsoft argues that competition among the nine phone manufacturers delivering devices compatible with the Microsoft solution will mean customers will have more options, including devices tailored to the needs of specific types of workers and that deliver more value for less cost.
Related news items Newer news items
Older news items
|
|
|
|
