SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., and Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division, announced the worldwide availability of Microsoft's unified communications software, taking the first step toward streamlining workplace communications and helping reduce the cost of the average corporate voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) system by half.
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"In the next decade, sweeping technology innovations driven by the power of software will transform communications," Gates said. "Working with partners, we're making rapid advances that will enable fundamental advances in the way people communicate and collaborate at work."
Joined by customers and partners, the Microsoft executives launched unified communications and VoIP software that includes the following:
-- Microsoft(R) Office Communications Server 2007. Software that delivers
VoIP, video, instant messaging, conferencing and presence within the
applications people already know and use such as Microsoft Office
system applications and upcoming versions of Microsoft Dynamics(TM) ERP
products and the Microsoft CRM release due later this year
-- Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. Client software for phone, instant
messaging and video communications that works across the PC, mobile
phone and Web browser
-- Microsoft Office Live Meeting. The next version of Microsoft's advanced
conferencing service that enables workers to conduct meetings, share
documents, utilize video and record discussions from virtually any
computer
-- Microsoft RoundTable(TM). A conferencing phone with a 360-degree camera
that captures a panoramic view of meeting participants, tracks the
speaker and can record meetings
-- Service pack update of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The industry's
leading e-mail, voice mail, calendaring and unified messaging platform
"Unified communications software will transform business communications as fundamentally as e-mail did in the 1990s," Raikes said. "Today, Microsoft is in the VoIP game, and our customers and partners are already winning with better economics and new business opportunities."
Dramatic Business Results for Customers
Gates and Raikes were joined today by hundreds of customers (http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies) reporting dramatic time savings due to more efficient communications and cost savings of 25 percent to 30 percent over traditional communications technologies. Gibson Guitar Corp., Global Crossing, L'Occitane, Quanta Computer USA Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, The Shaw Group Inc., Virgin Megastores and Volvo Group were among the customers that joined the event to discuss the positive impact of Microsoft technology on their business.
"We are deploying Office Communications Server 2007 globally, and already people are seeing substantial time savings and productivity gains," said Etienne de Verdelhan, chief information officer with L'Occitane, a leading global retailer of natural ingredient cosmetics with more than 900 stores in over 60 countries. "Not only are we able to launch new business communications with just one click, but user setup and administration is extremely simple, which is critical for a company growing at our rapid pace."
Supporting these findings, Forrester Consulting found in a study commissioned by Microsoft that organizations may achieve significant productivity improvements and cost savings with unified communications. The Forrester study,(1) created from the results of 15 in-depth interviews of Microsoft unified communications customers, found that these customers can achieve more than 500 percent return on investment (ROI) over three years by deploying Office Communications Server 2007.
Partner Support
More than 50 partners joined Microsoft to announce new products and services built on Microsoft's unified communications platform. These partners include the following:
-- Systems integrators. Seven hundred ninety-three partners have achieved
Microsoft's UC Specialization in less than four months since Microsoft
opened the program. These partners are trained to help customers deploy
Microsoft unified communications software.
-- Telephony providers. Three global telephony leaders are announcing
their road maps to build next-generation software applications on
Microsoft's voice platform:
- Nortel Networks confirmed pending availability of five software-based
solutions and applications to enhance Office Communications Server as
part of the Innovative Communications Alliance
(http://www.innovativecommunicationsalliance.com). Nortel also
confirmed it is on track to more than double the number of Office
Communications Server certified engineers in the UC Systems
Integration practice.
- Ericsson announced the Ericsson Enterprise Mobility Gateway, which
will be built on VoIP call management in Office Communications Server
to bring office communications to any mobile device, reducing mobile
costs and maximizing existing investments.
- Mitel Networks Corp. announced plans to develop a software-based
solution that leverages Office Communications Server's VoIP call
management capabilities to meet the specialized telephony needs of
small and medium-sized businesses in vertical markets.
-- Independent software vendors. Independent software vendors announced
plans to incorporate presence and click-to-communicate features from
Microsoft's unified communications platform into their software
applications. In addition, SAP AG plans to integrate Office
Communications Server with Duet software, which is jointly developed
with Microsoft and provides access to SAP processes and data through
Microsoft Office applications. This will enable business users to see
presence and to click to communicate while working within Duet.
-- Phone and device manufacturers. Seven manufacturers announced global
availability of 15 new Microsoft UC-qualified phones and devices today,
increasing choices for customers. Microsoft is working closely with
more than 15 strategic partners to develop new UC-enabled endpoints
including handsets, wireless phones, webcams and laptops. Conferencing
leader Tandberg also announced its plans to build a video and
webconferencing solution incorporating Microsoft unified communications
software to ensure that customers can maximize their investment in
existing infrastructure.
Continued Commitment to Interoperability
Microsoft also unveiled Unified Communications Open Interoperability, a telephony system qualification program, to give customers the assurance that Microsoft unified communications software works with their telephony systems. A list of qualified products, including eight products from five companies that have already received the qualification, is available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=87482.
To view the keynote address, learn more about Microsoft's unified communications software or download evaluation copies, customers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/uc.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
(1) The full Forrester report, titled "The Total Economic Impact(TM) Of
Microsoft Unified Communications Products and Services," can be viewed
at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/uc/default.mspx
