Connectivity

OCS 2007 R2

Tony Bradley — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:33:30 +0000

There is a rumor in the blogosphere that Microsoft may release an update to Office Communications Server 2007 this fall. The next major release of Office Communications Server is expected to be OCS 2009. However, according to at least one blog, Microsoft may release OCS 2007 R2 in Q4 of this year to update OCS 2007. As quickly as the unified communications landscape changes, an R2 of OCS 2007 would make sense. There are a variety of features and functions that customers want and need, and if Microsoft makes them wait until 2009 or later for the next major OCS release, those customers might invest in alternative solutions that meet their needs now. There is no confirmation of the rumor from Microsoft, and no details currently available regarding what updates or features might be included in R2.

Esnatech Brings UC to Google Applications

Tony Bradley — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:27:17 +0000

The Gmail web-based email client from Google is one of the most popular email clients currently in use. Using a web-based email solution means that a user is never farther from their email than the nearest web browser. That could be at home, at work, at a public library, or even on a mobile phone. Now, the speed and availability of Gmail can also be leveraged as part of a unified communications solution using Esnatech’s Telephony Office-LinX. Office-LinX allows companies to tie their PBX-based and mobile phones in with Google’s applications, including GMail. That same search functionality that lets users find a keyword in an email from 7 months ago will also be able to help users locate voicemails and faxes.

Microsoft OCS Meets Blackberry

Tony Bradley — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:38:05 +0000

The Palm Pilot started the handheld PIM (Personal Information Manager) trend, but the RIM (Research In Motion) Blackberry handheld is the device that revolutionized information management by merging it with a mobile phone and incorporating enterprise email on the go. Unified communications seeks to bring that type of on-the-go communications to a whole new level, but the Blackberry was left sitting on the bench…until now. WebMessenger has introduced WebMessenger Mobile for Microsoft OCS, an application for Microsoft OCS which delivers some of the unified communications capabilities of OCS to the Blackberry handheld device. This first generation version essentially only provides IM and IM presence. WebMessenger is working with telecommunications switch vendors to incorporate presence on the phone side as well.

Nortel Delivers UC For Government

Tony Bradley — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:36:09 +0000

Companies generally have confidential information- financial projections, intellectual property, trademarked secret formulas, etc. But, the magnitude of secrecy and the need for confidentiality pale in comparison with a government, especially the United States government. Nortel has developed a new unified communications solution based on their Application Server 5300, which provides the level of service assurance and security that government agencies, and civilian agencies linked with the government require. The new offering complies with IPv6 and Department of Defense (DoD) requirements for secure, resilient VoIP and unified communications. The Nortel appliance also supports multi-level precedence and pre-emption, a DoD system to enable the most critical communications higher priority over existing calls.

Policing Instant Messaging

Tony Bradley — Thu, 08 May 2008 03:27:04 +0000

One of the key building blocks of unified communications is instant messaging. Instant messaging (IM) client software acts as the focal point and primary interface for a variety of unified communications solutions including Microsoft Communicator, and Avaya One-X Communicator. IM has come a long way from its early days as an unauthorized rogue application installed by tech-savvy users. Many organizations have adopted IM as a business tool, but most were reluctant and slow to climb onto the bandwagon. Now, IM is the keystone of next-generation communications. IM still poses a risk though. It can threaten productivity. It can represent an attack vector for malware. It can be a compliance issue. Companies can gain many benefits from the effective use of IM, but they need to provide guidelines for its use in defined, and written policies. Check out Instant Messaging Policies Reduce Risk for more details about the issues and what should be included in a corporate IM policy.

Avaya Adds Speech Recognition to One-X

Tony Bradley — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:28:33 +0000

Avaya’s flagship unified communications platform, One-X Communicator, now has speech recognition as well. One-X offers a flexible and versatile interface for unified communications, providing access to telephony, desktop video, email, instant messaging, presence information, contacts, and more. Mobile users can now use speech recognition to give verbal commands to the One-X Communicator, enabling them to look up contacts and communicate efficiently while keeping their eyes on the road. This speech functionality is now included from Avaya with no additional licensing costs.

Enterprises Intimidated by UC Complexity?

Tony Bradley — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:16:13 +0000

A recent report from Gartner suggested that one of the biggest complaints from early adopters of unified communications (UC) technologies is the lack of standards and interoperability. A recent study by Infonetics Research suggests a slightly different obstacle to adopting UC technologies - they are intimidated by the complexity of UC and concerned about product integration. I don’t necessarily agree. Certainly, at this early stage, there is progress to be made on integration and interoperability. However, I think there is a general lack of education and understanding about how to approach unified communications. The beauty of most UC solutions today is that they can be implemented using a modular approach that lets enterprises leverage their existing infrastructure, and allows them to wade in to UC rather than diving into the deep end. Organizations that are concerned about having to ditch their PBX infrastructure and start over at square one should take a look at some of the training seminars being offered by Evangelyze. A small investment in training such as The Business Value of Unified Communications, or Understanding Unified Communications Telephony can help to provide a better understanding of unified communications technologies and benefits and remove the intimidation factor.

Unified Communications Summit

Tony Bradley — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:12:12 +0000

This June IDC will launch its inaugural Unified Communications Summit. Scheduled for June 10 at the New York Marriott Downtown in New York City, the event will discuss some of the challenges faced by enterprise organizations as they attempt to embrace unified communications. The Unified Communications Summit, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard and Siemens among others, will feature case studies and best practices and help attendees understand and overcome obstacles to successfully integrating unified communications into the enterprise infrastructure. You can read IDC’s Inaugural Unified Communications Summit Set for June.

Wireless VoIP

Tony Bradley — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:48:35 +0000

If you have ever set up or worked with a wireless network, you are probably familiar with the fact that the signal quality isn’t always the best. Depending on your wireless networking hardware and how you have it configured, the layout and materials used in the structure your network is in, and possible interference from other electronics and communications equipment, the wireless network connection can be erratic. The same can be said for those who may have worked with or set up a VoIP communications system. The issues are different, but the problems still arise with bandwidth and signal quality. It can be difficult to maintain the quality of voice communications over a VoIP network. Imagine then what types of issues you might encounter if you try to implement a VoIP communications system over a wireless network. Yikes! On May 1, Cisco is presenting a webcast entitled Extending VoIP to Wireless LAN’s which will cover six technical challenges you must address, capacity planning, roaming, security issues, and more. For more details, or to register to attend the webcast, click here.

BroadSoft Adds VoIP to Salesforce.com

Tony Bradley — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:47:47 +0000

Broadsoft, a VoIP provider, has developed the Unified Connector for Salesforce, bringing unified communications functionality to Salesforce.com, a pioneer in SaaS (software as a service) and CRM (customer relationship manager). The Unified Connector for Salesforce is the premier Web 2.0 mashup from the Broadsoft Xtended program, an initiative by Broadsoft to explore ways to to combine their VoIP solutions with Web 2.0 applications. The Unified Connector for Salesforce enables customers to use their Broadsoft VoIP functionality, such as dialing with the click of a mouse, and the ability to transfer calls or place them on hold, to the powerful CRM capabilities of Salesforce.com. The Unified Connector for Salesforce has earned accolades for Broadsoft from Unified Communications Magazine, and from VON Magazine.