Nortel and Microsoft have extended their comms alliance
to allow carriers to offer hosted voice over IP and unified comms
services.
Nortel and Microsoft’s alliance will allow carriers to offer
hosted e-mail, instant messaging, VoIP, click-to-call, video
conferencing and other multimedia services to companies of all
sizes.
Using Microsoft’s unified comms server technology, firms will be
able to benefit from unified comms without purchasing, installing
and managing additional network infrastructure, said the
partners.
"We are experiencing a dynamic restructuring of the
communication landscape, transforming it from disparate computing
and infrastructure networks to an integrated communication
experience," said Tom Valovic, an analyst at
IDC.
"New and collaborative business models involving both IT and
telecom suppliers will be a major element in this transformation
going forward. The existing Nortel-Microsoft alliance and its
extension into the carrier space is an excellent example of a
market response targeting new business opportunities presented by
this changing landscape," he said.
Building on their existing
Innovative Communications Alliance, Nortel will
integrate its Communication Server 2000 (CS 2000) softswitch with
the Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration.
This last product incorporates hosted versions of Microsoft
Exchange, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server and Windows
SharePoint Services.
In addition, Nortel will provide firms with a full range of
convergence integration services from its Nortel Global Services
portfolio.
The companies intend to begin field trials in the second half of
2007, with general availability planned by the end of the year.
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