Siemens is collaborating with Microsoft to integrate
telephony-based services into real-time communications
applications.
The company, better known for its enterprise and carrier network
equipment, is developing a software platform that adds fixed-line
telephony, mobile and wireless capabilities to collaboration-driven
applications supported by Microsoft's RTC (real-time
communications) Server 2003 software.
Siemens' OpenScape software platform will sit on top of
Microsoft's real-time server software running on Windows Server
2003 technology, said Bernd Kuhlin, president of the enterprise
networks unit at Siemens.
The OpenScape system will support real-time voice, video and
wireless communications, messaging services such as e-mail,
voicemail and SMS (Short Message Service) and a range of
calendaring and collaboration applications from web conferencing
and whiteboarding to document sharing.
A beta version of OpenScape is expected later this year, shortly
after Microsoft has launched its new real-time communications
server product.
"We're really coming from different sides of the market,
Microsoft on the server side, Siemens on the telephony side," said
Andrew Sinclair, group manager of the real-time collaboration group
at Microsoft.
"Our collaboration with Siemens is really about time to market,
and Siemens is definitely moving quickly."
John Blauwrites for IDG News
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