Bekker's Blog

Blog archive

Microsoft's Unified Communications Blowout

Tuesday was the huge Microsoft Unified Communications blowout in San Francisco. If you're looking for a solid overview of the products and technologies involved, surf on over to Keith Ward's comprehensive news story here.

My overriding impression from the festivities? I look at the software stack Microsoft is putting forward for these solutions, and I can see why the channel has been eager for Microsoft to get into unified communications.

Microsoft is vowing that customers will cut their costs for VoIP in half with its solution. Research that Microsoft commissioned from Forrester claims customers will get a 500 percent return on investment over three years. What I see is a huge systems integration job, pulling together Office Communications Server 2007, Microsoft Office Communicator 2007, a service pack for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and connectors to PBXs or advice on removing PBXs, as well as new phones and possibly Microsoft Office Live Meeting or Microsoft RoundTable.

Getting the voice expertise right will be a challenge for partners coming from the software and systems side of the equation. It's a topic that Lee Pender will explore in next month's Redmond Channel Partner magazine print issue. But it looks like it'll be well worth the try.

Posted by Scott Bekker on October 17, 2007


Featured

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • Windows 365 Reserve, Microsoft's Cloud PC Rental Service, Hits Preview

    Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of its new "Windows 365 Reserve" service, which lets organizations rent cloud PC instances in the event their Windows devices are stolen, lost or damaged.

  • Hands-On AI Skills Now Outshine Certs in Salary Stakes

    For AI-related roles, employers are prioritizing verifiable, hands-on abilities over framed certificates -- and they're paying a premium for it.

  • Roadblocks in Enterprise AI: Data and Skills Shortfalls Could Cost Millions

    Businesses risk losing up to $87 million a year if they fail to catch up with AI innovation, according to the Couchbase FY 2026 CIO AI Survey released this month.