Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
New Office Communications Server for Microsoft around the Corner
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
Microsoft is sticking to its predictions of 'converging
communications.' They will continue to take a shot at the business
telephony market by introducing Office Communications Server "14,"
or so it's code-named, by the end of the year. This is just another
piece of the Office 2010 array of products.
The first demonstration of the product was performed at VoiceCon
in Orlando, Florida, where Gurdeep Singh Pall, VP of Microsoft's
Unified Communications Group, showed off some of the new
features.
According to PCworld.com, the new version of the software
will include Enhanced 911, further integrating Sharepoint and
Exchange, and enhancing voice recognition capabilities.
Another new feature will be call parking, or the "ability to put
a call on hold and then resume the call from any other phone on the
system." Also, the software will allow voice mails to be
transcribed and read on screen.
Pall cited a report that predicted the software market for
unified communications would grow to $14.5 billion in the U.S. by
2015. However, according to a CNET.com news article, many companies use OCS
more for IM and presence rather than a primary phone delivery
service.
Is it possible for Microsoft to compete in an integrated market
against Cisco, their apparent "number 1 competitor"? Are small
businesses relying on this software for internal communications and
telephony?
Until next time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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