Microsoft unveils unified communications platform

Microsoft has just announced a series of new products and upgrades to existing software which together will form a platform that promises to deliver unprecedented convergence among disparate communications technologies. Part of the "Office system 2007 wave of products," this combination of hardware and software will allow users to perform such tasks as checking their voicemail directly from Outlook or calling up an Exchange Server to have it email other participants of an impending meeting that they're going to be late. The move also sees Redmond making an even bigger push into Internet telephony in the form of the Office Communications Server 2007 package, which is a SIP-based platform that will allow seamless VoIP calling, videoconferencing, and instant messaging across a broad range of existing applications, services and devices, including the all-in-one Office Communicator 2007 -- available in desktop, web-based, and mobile flavors -- which just so happens to support voice, video, and chat as well. Finally, we'll see remote conferencing get a boost in the form of enhanced A/V capabilities and Office integration for Live Meeting, along with a new tool called RoundTable that employs a 360-degree camera for letting group web-conference participants view the entire remote team simultaneously. On the hardware side of things, Microsoft has partnered with HP and Motorola to provide support for the new platform, with HP delivering systems integration services and unspecified "enhanced products" and Moto throwing down compatible mobile devices and network equipment. While new versions of Exchange Server and Speech Server are on their way by the end of the year, the majority of the platform -- including IP desktop phones from Polycom, LG-Nortel, and Thomson to support the Office Communicator phone experience -- is not scheduled to roll out until sometime during Q2 of next year.

[Via The New York Times]

[Spyvie @ Jun 26th 2006 1:20PM]

Rumors of Microsoft’s impending demise are greatly exaggerated

[lolersticks @ Jun 26th 2006 1:55PM]

PARAGRAPHS!

[ryan @ Jun 26th 2006 2:03PM]

why don't they just release Vista, I don't want to buy this and not be able to run it on the new os or is this for vista??

[TVGenius @ Jun 26th 2006 2:17PM]

Didn't I see this movie?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0218817/

ha ha ha...

[Andrew @ Jun 26th 2006 2:34PM]

All for the paltry sum of about 2250.00 US per person, I am sure SMB's will line up to try it out..

Skype and a good web programmer, can create the same thing for about 500.00$

[Nick @ Jun 26th 2006 3:34PM]

lolersticks wrote:

"PARAGRAPHS!"

I agree.

Hint to writer: your article is hard to *look* at, which makes it hard to *read*.

[windows vista @ Jun 26th 2006 3:57PM]

http://keznews.net/windows/

[Jeff @ Jun 26th 2006 5:06PM]

I read about the first 2 1/2 sentences of this post before my eyes glazed over and I forgot what I was reading. And I'm usually one of those guys that bitches about kids these days and their lack of reading comprehension skills. I mean, come on:

"The move also sees Redmond making an even bigger push into Internet telephony in the form of the Office Communications Server 2007 package, which is a SIP-based platform that will allow seamless VoIP calling, videoconferencing, and instant messaging across a broad range of existing applications, services and devices, including the all-in-one Office Communicator 2007 -- available in desktop, web-based, and mobile flavors -- which just so happens to support voice, video, and chat as well. "

I've read that sentence about five times now and while I know all those words, I just can't get myself to care what they all mean jumbled up together like that.

My guess is this was actually written by Microsoft themselves.

[Phil @ Jun 26th 2006 5:10PM]

Yawn. Microsoft gets the $hit kicked out of them by the big switch vendors like Nortel whenever they try this stuff. Remember TAPI? Total crappy. And even if MS gets the software right with some nice .NET capabilities too - the hardware will still be ridiculously expensive and full of bugs. At least they keep trying.

[cynic 76 @ Jun 26th 2006 6:26PM]

oh good... something that requires really complicated debugging, good interface, good security, and nice syncing. so, essentially, something else to major crash by microsoft. nice.

[DELL SUCKS @ Jun 26th 2006 10:21PM]

Great- More crap software that won't work the way it should but people will either have to use or be forced to use.

Oh ya, DELL SUCKS

[Chris @ Jun 26th 2006 11:21PM]

This stuff is integrates alot of their currently existing technologies. I watched Ballmer's webcast of the "unveiling." The integration is unbelievable. I just hope nobody in my organization gets wind of it anytime soon. I implemented Portal Server and I was never sure if I had a solid backup or not. I cant imagine what the administration overhead will be with all of this integration. Very cool stuff though!