Microsoft Corp. will launch a frontal assault on enterprise telephony when it launches Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 later this month but plans to win over most customers bit by bit over the next few years.
The Redmond, Was.-based software behemoth will also announce availability of new devices that can be used with the unified communications software, said Kim Akers, general manager of unified communications at Microsoft. At the same time, Microsoft will line up device, infrastructure and software partners who are part of the “ecosystem” the company will promote as part of its edge in combined voice, e-mail, text and video. The Office Communicator 2007 client and Office Live Meeting will also debut at the event, which will feature Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates.
OCS will bring Microsoft into a fast-growing market for platforms that put all forms of enterprise communication in one place and will put it in competition with dominant networker Cisco Systems Inc. as well as a host of telecommunications switch vendors. Unified communications is intended to let people make calls from within software applications on a PC and easily start up collaborative sessions, including videoconferences, from many locations. Microsoft sees a US$45 billion total market for the technologies this year.
One tool to help users get the most out of Microsoft’s unified communications technology is the RoundTable, a small tabletop device with a panoramic camera and a directional microphone that can find the current speaker in a meeting. Microsoft previewed it earlier this year.
The RoundTable represents Microsoft’s approach to videoconferencing, which has been a major focus for Cisco since the launch of its Telepresence high-definition meeting systems late last year. Both companies think videoconferencing has a big future, Akers said. But while Cisco goes after the top 20 per cent of the market with its 65-inch plasma displays and specialized furniture, Microsoft is targeting the other 80 per cent with a less expensive system, she said.
