Radicati : Hosted UC market $5 Billion by 2013

Hosting / Online Services are certainly an accelerator for Unified Communications; According to Radicati Group the revenue size will double in the the coming 4 years ..

.. The latest study by The Radicati Group, Inc., "Hosted Unified Communications Market, 2009-2013," provides an in-depth analysis including installed base and revenue market share by vendor, four-year forecasts, and breakouts by region and business size.

The Hosted Unified Communications market is comprised of services that offer integrated voice, messaging, collaboration, and presence capabilities that can be easily accessed and managed through a single interface. This study looks at two key market segments: Hosted UC Providers, and Telecom UC Providers.

The study provides an analysis of a broad range of Hosted UC Providers, including: Apptix, AT&T, CallTower, Cypress Communications, Hutchinson 3G, Intelliverse, Intermedia, LightEdge Solutions, Microsoft, NTT DoCoMo, Onebox, Orange SA, Skype Technologies, Sprint Nextel Corporation, Telus, USA.NET, Verizon Communications, Vodafone and others.

The Hosted UC market is showing strong growth with revenues expected to reach $2.3 billion in 2009, and growing to nearly $5 billion by 2013. …

Source : http://www.radicati.com

Microsoft Business Productivity Online Services (BPOS) nu commercieel beschikbaar in Nederland.

Vandaag hebben we de laatste stap in de lancering van Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Services (BPOS) gehad. Deze laatste stap is de Commercial Availability; dit houdt in dat BPOS vanaf nu te bestellen is in Nederland. ook betekent dit dat de bestaande evaluaties na 30 dagen aflopen.

Er zijn inmiddels al een aantal bedrijven in Nederland die BPOS gebruiken. Van 3 van onze klanten en de betrokken partners zijn vandaag Nederlandstalige referentie cases gepubliceerd. Hopelijk een goede inspiratie voor toekomstige klanten en onze partners.

	Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite levert NoSuch Company tijdbesparingen op tot 40%. NoSuch Company schakelde onlangs over van een eigen communicatieserver naar Business Productivity Online Suite, een krachtige set online diensten voor communicatie en samenwerking. Teus Baars, directeur NoSuch: Meegaan met innovatie levert gewoon business op, we gaan gigantische klappen maken.
	Procore realiseert met Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite nieuwe business. Adviesbureau Procore realiseert met Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite nieuwe business én kostenbesparingen van € 51.000,= en (jaarlijks) € 77.400,=
	annatommie bespaart op IT-kosten dankzij Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite. Orthopedisch Centrum annatommie realiseert met Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite een jaarlijkse besparing op IT-kosten van € 43.000 en een zakelijke besparing door hogere productiviteit van € 105.000,= per jaar.

Office Communications Online enabled in international trial for BPOS

This morning on twitter some tweets came by about the new functionality now available to all trial users of the international trial.

Enabling OCS Online is very easy and straight forward. Login to your admin console @ http://admin.emea.microsoftonline.com :

1. In the admin mainscreen :

2. The specific Office Communications Online settings :

Office Communications Online

Microsoft Office Communications Online is a unified communications service that helps people communicate easily with others in different locations or time zones. Office Communications Online is integrated with Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and programs in the 2007 Microsoft Office system to give workers many ways to communicate with each other via a simple and consistent user interface.

Office Communications Online requires Office Communicator 2007 R2 for the desktop. For information on how to try out or purchase Office Communicator 2007 R2, please visit Office Communicator for Office Communications Online.

3. Notify the end users :

Currently federation, Communicator Mobile and Communicator WebAccess are not available but stay tuned …

Unified Communications Improves Business Outcomes, Lowers Costs, and Enhances Environmental Sustainability

Microsoft’s internal use of Unified Communications produces huge savings :

Microsoft IT used a business value framework developed by Forrester Research to more precisely measure the overall business impact and the return on investment of unified communications at Microsoft. The analysis showed that the UC solution was generating an ROI of 240 percent by enabling employees to save more than $212 million annually. The outcome and continued use of the analysis methodology justify further investments in UC technology.

Source: Unified Communications Improves Business Outcomes, Lowers Costs, and Enhances Environmental Sustainability

Wil jij oplossingen bouwen voor Office Communications Server 2007 R2 ?

Het nieuwe Office Communication Server R2 platform is uitgebracht. Naast de standaard functionaliteit die wederom is uitgebreid biedt deze release een enorm rijk platform voor ontwikkelaars.

In deze InTrack laten we je zien wat de verschillende mogelijkheden zijn. We gaan in op de vraag: Hoe bouw je presence in je Windows en Web applicaties en wat komt erbij kijken om je applicatie te kunnen bellen of laten bellen? Tevens word u in korte tijd langs de verschillende platform mogelijkheden geleid zodat u deze informatie snel zelf toe kunt passen in uw development trajecten.

Voor wie is deze sessie bedoeld

Deze sessie is vooral geschikt voor ontwikkelaars, testers en projectleiders.

Spreker

Matthijs Hoekstra, Microsoft

Producten

Office Communication Server 2007 R2

Direct inschrijven voor de sessie van 17 Februari 2009

Vol=vol! dus snel inschrijven wil je nog zeker zijn van een stoel!

Casestudy OCS 2007: Royal Dutch Shell Envisions Improved Working Environment with Unified Communications

A casestudy of Shell using Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 for the 150.000 employees :

Royal Dutch Shell currently relies on multiple vendors for communications and collaboration services. Since these capabilities are not integrated, they can inhibit the effectiveness of the company’s global teams.

To improve the work environment, Shell has chosen Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 to provide a single user interface for all real-time communications.

Shell currently has 150,000 users taking advantage of instant messaging and presence and more than 8,000 users for the voice capabilities. Shell is currently testing Office Communications Server 2007 R2, and when fully deployed, the solution will provide an integrated platform for voice, video, instant messaging, and Web conferencing for all users within Shell.

Shell will be able to consolidate approximately 200 PBX systems and multiple audio and video conferencing services into a single cost-effective solution.

•  RoyalDutchShell OCS2007R2.doc
•  ShellCaseStudy 700k.wmv

Source and whole case study: Microsoft.com

Microsoft uses software edge on Cisco in unified communications war

Very good article about Microsoft Unified communications and how a consistent strategy is paying off …

… Two years ago, Zeus Kerravala, a Yankee Group analyst, confidently recommended Cisco over Microsoft for most enterprise unified communications deployments. Today, the tables have turned somewhat, but the two competitors, and a host of bit players, continue to wage war over where unified communications is going, and who will take enterprises there.

"It's pretty safe to go with Microsoft now," Kerravala said. "The thought process was that VoIP is the foundation for unified communications, which meant Cisco was pretty safe. I think the conversation has changed."

Strangely enough, he said, the strategies of the companies have remained fairly consistent. Microsoft has long approached unified communications from an email and software-centric world, while Cisco has brought its PBX legacy to bear with a strong voice message.

But enterprises' definitions of unified communications and their expectations for the technology have changed. Two years ago voice was considered the cornerstone of any UC deployment, but that thinking -- at least in some circles -- has changed, Kerravala said.

"Presence is now the centerpiece of UC," he said. This pushes the advantage toward Microsoft and its rich ecosystem of software partners. …

Read on : SearchUnifedCommunications.techtarget.com

Microsoft Business Productivity Online - Partneraankondiging 8 oktober

8 oktober a.s. organiseert Microsoft een informatie middag voor Microsoft partners die geintereseerd zijn in de Business Productivity Online Services. Ben je (werkzaam bij  een) Microsoft Partner en heb je interesse ? Schrijf je in !

• Datum: 8 oktober 2008
• Tijd: 12:30 tot 17:30 uur 
• Locatie: Microsoft, Schiphol
• Direct inschrijven

In juli vond de jaarlijkse Worldwide Partner Conference plaats. Hier werd bijzonder veel aandacht gegeven aan de software + services-strategie. De kern hiervan is dat we klanten de keuze willen bieden hoe zij de software gaan gebruiken: lokaal of online.

Specifiek werd aangekondigd dat Microsoft binnenkort zelf SharePoint, Exchange Server en Live Meeting online gaat aanbieden in de Business Productivity Online-suite. Ook in Nederland zullen we deze diensten volgend jaar samen met u in de markt zetten. Op onze partner portal vindt u een samenvatting van deze aankondigingen.

Het evenement

Dit initiatief roept vanzelfsprekend veel vragen op. Is er nog een rol voor uw bedrijf? Voor wie is het bedoeld? Hoe kan ik mij hierop voorbereiden? Inmiddels zijn er ook steeds meer details bekend over het afrekenmodel, de inschrijfprocedure, de training en de eerste resultaten in Amerika. Om deze informatie met u te delen en om uw vragen zo adequaat mogelijk te behandelen nodigen wij u uit voor onze BPOS-partneraankondiging op woensdag 8 oktober te Schiphol. …

Ga naar de Microsoft site voor meer informatie

Nemertes Presents Top Unified Communications Vendors with PilotHouse Awards

Microsoft winner over Cisco and IBM …

Four leading unified-communications vendors earned PilotHouse Awards from Nemertes Research, based on ratings from their customers.

“For now, the main UC battle is between Cisco and Microsoft, as measured by customer experiences and ratings,” says Robin Gareiss, executive vice president and senior founding partner of Nemertes Research. “But IBM and Avaya aren’t far behind, so the right focus on customer service, value, and technology innovation could easily shift this market in the coming year.”

As part of Nemertes’ Unified Communications and Collaboration research project, 443 IT executives from 426 companies rated their unified-communications vendors. PilotHouse Awards recognize vendors who received the highest average scores in several categories. UC decision-makers rated their vendors on customer service, value, technology, product features, and management tools.

Nemertes Research 2008 PilotHouse Awards: Unified Communications

Best Overall UC Vendors

• Microsoft Corp. - Winner
• Cisco Systems, Inc. - Finalist
• IBM - Finalist

The detailed report outlines additional categories that UC decision-makers rated their vendors. Although awards were not issued in each category, the report does detail which vendors perform best in each area, and why.

Source: Nemertes.com

Forrester: Firms Want Managed Unified Communications

I like the thought that UC is preferred ‘as-a-service’, but I do not understand the motivation as descibed by Forrester : unclear ROI to name one. Depending on the depreciation status of the current Communication Infrastructure ofcourse, the benefits and value of UC is a ‘no-brainer’

I do agree the landscape is changing fast, but so are the prices. This space is being ‘democratised’ …

Microsoft’s view on UC is that is (rapidly becoming) a software play rather than proprietary hardware. Chaninging fast in that context is more innovation than anything else, somthing that is often not the case for some of the PBX’s in the basement …

Bottomline it makes sence to procure it as-a-service which in most cases includes the upgrades (innovation) …

The number of unified communications (UC) evaluations and pilots is up more than 20% since last year. However, those pilots have not yet translated into full deployments.

Why? Unclear value of ROI, rapidly evolving technologies and standards, immature user interfaces, and a confusing vendor landscape.

As a result, many technology decision-makers tell us that they want to rent rather than buy unified communications. This perfect storm of change and uncertainty enables UC vendors, network service providers, and even software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendors to win managed UC share by offering industry-specific solutions, enabling rich channel partners, and ensuring that CIOs hear the message of mitigating risk with managed UC deployments.

Source: Firms Want Managed Unified Communications

New Mac Messenger for OCS

The MS Exchange Blog (not the official Microsoft Exchange team blog) reports on the upcoming MAC Messenger for OCS currently in beta ...

... According to Eric Swift, Senior Director of the Office Communications Group at Microsoft, they are working on a new Messenger client for Mac with a beta coming later this year.

The new Mac Messenger (Office Communicator for Mac?) may not have feature-parity with its Windows-based counterpart, but it will have peer-to-peer video and audio conferencing, rich presence, GAL search and dual sign-on. Your Mac clients will be able to integrate with your Office Communications Server 2007 as well. ...

New Mac Messenger for OCS

Microsoft Online Services - new portal

The new portal is live. It contains, information on the various offerings and lot's of links to trials, etc. If you are a Microsoft Partner (or want to become one) do check out the Partner section.

Please notice that the Microsoft Online offering for companies with less than 5000 seats is still beta only and focused on the US ... If your company has more than 5000 seats there's nothing that should hold you back wherever you are ...

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. Announces Migration to Microsoft Collaboration Suite

This is a very cool (ice cold) reference to have. If I am not mistaking Coca Cola is a  Lotus Notes Domino shop ... Now moving 'to the cloud' to Microsoft's new

Business Productivity Online platform

 

 

 

 

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) today announced that it will begin using Microsoft’s integrated communication and collaboration tools across its organization.

The use of Microsoft Office suite, SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Office Communications Online and Live Meeting for Web and video conferencing will integrate CCE’s communication and collaboration capabilities and improve its speed, flexibility and effectiveness. This integrated platform will combine technologies by connecting software and internet services through Microsoft Online.

“To become the best beverage sales and customer service company, we must drive efficiency and effectiveness throughout our company while significantly increasing opportunities for collaboration among employees, customers and suppliers,” said John F. Brock, president and chief executive officer. “By working with a world-class leader like Microsoft, we can continue to drive innovation throughout our organization and more effectively address the complexities of today’s global business environment.”

“Coca-Cola Enterprises operates in an environment where better collaboration and communication can deliver a real strategic advantage,” said Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft Corp. “By providing the flexibility to manage software over the Web or from servers managed on-site, Microsoft Online will help Coca-Cola Enterprises drive greater efficiencies and enable employees to connect to each other more effectively than ever before.”

Coca-Cola Enterprises is the world's largest marketer, distributor and producer of bottle and can liquid nonalcoholic refreshment. CCE sells approximately 80 percent of The Coca-Cola Company's bottle and can volume in North America and is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, and the Netherlands.

Source: Businesswire.com

Microsoft RoundTable stars in CSI:NY

Crimes will be solved faster now CSI New York has started using Microsoft RoundTable :-)

Kudos to Dennis ...

Office Communications Server 2007 Visio stencil

 

The Office Communications Server 2007 Visio stencil contains icons for Office Communications Server 2007 server roles and components. 

Source: Office Communications Server 2007 Visio stencil
Date Published: Tue, 05 Feb 2008

Dell betreedt VoIP-markt met partners

Verrassend ...

Dell begeeft zich op de Voice over IP-markt en neemt daarvoor Nortel en start-up Fonality in de arm. Samen met partner Nortel gaat Dell zich richten op het middensegment tot zo'n vijfhonderd medewerkers, waar de eisen complexer zijn en bedrijven vaker meerdere locaties hebben.

Source: Dell betreedt VoIP-markt met partners
redactie@channelworld.nl (Ferry Waterkamp)
Date Published: Thu, 24 Jan 2008

Computable test: Microsoft weinig gecharmeerd van VoIP-standaarden

Computable heeft Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 getest. Ik las de test afgelopen weekend, omdat ie toen pas in de geprinte versie op de mat viel. Deze tests zitten blijkbaar niet in de standaard RSS feed van Computable.

Ik vind dat de conclusies van de test erg aansturen op een generaliserend beeld van Microsoft en niet getuigen van een wat dieper onderzoek en een grondige test ...

... Microsoft verzorgt met Office Communications Server 2007 de realtime communicatie tussen personen in een bedrijf, of dat nu via IM (instant messaging) of telefonie is. Het is de bedoeling dat Office Communications Server 2007 het centrale communicatiepunt in bedrijven wordt.

De telefoon staat nog altijd op de eerste plaats als het gaat om snelle persoon-tot-persoon-communicatie in een bedrijf. Chatten (instant messaging of IM) echter is een goede tweede. Daarna komt e-mail, maar dat is geen realtime-communicatie. Voor dit laatste biedt Microsoft al zijn Exchange Server en hoewel daarin ook een IM-server vervat is, ontbreekt ondersteuning voor telefonie. Microsoft besloot alle realtime-communicatie onder te brengen in een apart serverproduct.

In essentie bestaat Office Communications Server 2007 (OCS2007) uit een VoIP-server die communiceert met VoIP-toestellen die Microsoft Unified Communications (UC) ondersteunen. Microsoft geeft je alvast een startpunt via Microsoft Office Communicator 2007, een softwarematige ip-telefoon met volwaardige ondersteuning voor UC.

Makers van ip-telefonieapparatuur kunnen samenwerken met OCS2007, maar dan moeten ze bepaalde aanpassingen plegen zodat hun apparatuur compatibel wordt met UC. Verschillende fabrikanten hebben dergelijke ondersteuning aangekondigd, maar alleen Nortel heeft die al uitgevoerd. ...

....

...Conclusie

Windows-centrisch ingerichte organisaties zullen vast in de wolken zijn met de functionaliteit die Office Communications Server 2007 biedt voor realtime-communicatie. Wij denken echter dat Nederlandse bedrijven niet bepaald staan te springen om OCS2007 te implementeren.

Niet alleen omdat de systeemvereisten fors en installatie en integratie ingewikkeld zijn. Er zijn ook nogal wat compatibiliteitsproblemen, voor zowel hardware als protocollen, met bestaande ip-telefoniesystemen. Tot slot zijn er nog de hoge implementatiekosten.

De Kern

• Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 biedt allesomvattende realtime-communicatie (IM en VoIP).
• Helaas doet Microsoft weer eens aan "embrace and extend" van standaardprotocollen. ...

Source : Computable.nl

Ingewikkeld te implementeren ?

Michael Osterman van Osterman Research publiceerde afgelopen week het artikel : 'Office Communication Server 2007 deployment might be easier than you think' op NetworkWorld.com.

So just how easy is it to deploy OCS? Alex Lewis, a senior consultant focused on Microsoft technologies, decided to find out.

As discussed in a column earlier this month, Alex deployed OCS in an environment that emulated a small enterprise of fewer than 5,000 seats. Using two domain controllers, one Exchange 2007 server and a SharePoint server with PKI already deployed, he deployed a single OCS server.

The entire process, including the creation of certificates and their configuration, took just over two hours. Admittedly, Alex had a clean DNS infrastructure, but the entire deployment went more smoothly than he expected.

2 uur da's niet slecht. Natuurlijk is de implementatie in een produktieomgeving een ander verhaal, maar het plaatst "ingewikkeld" wel in een ander perspectief.

Nog een ander punt uit het artikel :

Er zijn ook nogal wat compatibiliteitsproblemen, voor zowel hardware als protocollen, met bestaande ip-telefoniesystemen ?

Een erg eenzijdige / voorbarige conclusie .. 'Microsoft houdt zich weer eens niet aan de standaarden'. Met name SIP (Session Initiation protocol) wordt aangehaald in het artikel :

... IP-telefoons communiceren via Microsofts eigen protocol met Communications Server.

Alle communicatiemiddelen en dus ook de ip-telefoons die je zou gebruiken met het systeem van Microsoft, moeten in staat zijn informatie met Communications Server uit te wisselen via Microsofts Unified Communications (UC). Helaas kun je dus geen gewone softphones of bestaande ip-telefoons (noch SIP, noch Skype) gebruiken met Communications Server. Het moet echt een speciaal aangepast toestel zijn (of software voor een softphone) dat UC ondersteunt. ...

De Computable testers zouden toch moeten weten dat Microsoft juist een van de drijvende krachten is achter SIP en dat het de SIP standaard zelf is die te wensen overlaat.

Hoe zit het met de SIP toestellen van Cisco, Nortel, Alcatel, zijn die allemaal onderling uitwisselbaar ?

Is dit een Microsoft  "probleem" of is dit een moment opname in een industrie die sterk in ontwikkeling is, onder andere doordat software leveranciers deze hebben opgebroken ?

Een recent artikel in Automatiseringgids geeft het huidige probleem nog maar eens aan :

Alle grote leveranciers van telefoniesystemen ondersteunen de SIP. Het resultaat is echter bedroevend. Hooguit werken de zestien basisfuncties van telefonie in een heterogene opstelling. Om gebruik te maken van de honderden functionaliteiten, waarmee de IP-bedrijfscentrales vaak worden aangeprezen, is het gebruik van de telefoons van de IP-PBX-leverancier een vereiste. Daarmee is de wereld van de bedrijfscentrale twintig jaar teruggeworpen

Uiteraard heeft Computable een punt dat uitwisselbaarheid noodzakelijk is en ik weet dat het komen tot een goede SIP standaard absoluut een focus van Microsoft is. Maar zoals ook het AG artikel bevestigd, is dit een industrie verantwoordelijkheid. En die industrie is er nog niet helemaal uit zo te zien ...

Computable besteed in de test ook niet of nauwelijks aandacht aan de grote hoeveelheid partnerships die Microsoft inmiddels heeft rondom het UC platform. Gartner Group definieert dit alsvolgt :

Enterprises looking into UC, particularly those with Microsoft applications already in place, should understand the Microsoft portfolio because it represents a new paradigm for communication by a market leader. Microsoft’s solution is comprehensive but is also the basis for a range of partner offerings.

Mobile IM Adoption Forecast Europe: 2007 To 2013

Interesting statistic. 2013 is a long long time in the future I personally expect the mobile (what is the definition of mobile ?) share of IM to be either bigger than 24% or replaced by a new means of communication all together ...

European mobile operators are launching mobile IM services, with mixed results among the different operators. But by the end of 2013, as many as 24% of mobile consumers will be using mobile IM services. To achieve that number, mobile operators have to get over their fear of brand erosion and SMS revenue cannibalization. Product managers will need to work on device usability, enable SMS interoperability, provide flat-fee IM packages, and market IM services by using Social Computing energy. In the long run, IM and presence services will integrate better with handsets' native applications and other services.

Source: Mobile IM Adoption Forecast Europe: 2007 To 2013
"Niek van Veen"
Date Published: Fri, 18 Jan 2008

A New Wave of Unified Communications Software from Microsoft

Analysis by Sandra M. Gustavsen, Analyst, Access Intelligence LLC :

... Microsoft aims to put “people at the center” with its unified communications and Voice over IP (VoIP) software that promises to revolutionize the way people communicate. Touted as a milestone for Microsoft and for the entire communications industry, the Microsoft offerings announced in October 2007 further the transformation toward software-based communications from a traditional PBX telephony model. Microsoft identifies some major trends that are enabling this transformation, including hardware performance improvements, advances in technology and the global and mobile nature of today’s businesses.

In addition, Microsoft sees a business model shift from a single vendor for all communications needs (vertical model) to a more horizontal model that combines hardware, software and technology which, though from differing vendors, all works together. ...

... To date, Microsoft has  partnered with 50 companies that will roll out new products and services based on Microsoft’s platform, including systems integrators, telephony providers, independent software vendors and device manufacturers. With Microsoft now competing in the VoIP market, leading business communications manufacturers are reinforcing their plans to interoperate with Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 to enable new unified communications capabilities.

.... Following the February 2007 beta release of the OCS 2007 specification, most leading vendors in the VoIP system market, including Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Cisco, Ericsson, Mitel, NEC, Nortel and Siemens, announced plans to make their equipment compatible with OCS 2007. The Microsoft software solutions can be utilized along with existing PBX infrastructures so that businesses need not discard expensive equipment in the near term, but migrate slowly toward an all software-based communications solution which is likely just a matter of time. See related snapshots below on how Mitel, NEC and Nortel  are partnering with Microsoft for new solutions going forward. ...

Wow, 50 partnerships and counting, this sure puts the announcements of UC competitors into perspective doesn't it ?

Read the whole article for lot's more details : TMCnet.com

Polycom Wins INTERNET TELEPHONY Magazine's 2007 Product of the Year Award

That's the cool thing about Microsoft, not only does it create cool products for a broad market, it does so with partners, something we call the partner eco system. Polycom in this case build products for Microsoft UC platform. I've seen and worked with the products and they are really great and most of all very practical to use ...

... Conference phones manufacturer Polycom (News - Alert) recently won an INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine’s 2007 Product of the Year Award for its CX Product Family for Microsoft OCS 2007 and for its HDX 8000.

The Polycom product family includes: a portable Microsoft (News - Alert) Office Communicator 2007 speakerphone peripheral, the CX100; the CX200 speakerphone and handset; the CX400 cordless desktop handset; and the CX700 executive IPtelephone.

Office Communications Server 2007 delivers streamlined communications for users. The product helps users find and communicate with the right person, right now, from the applications they use most. Thanks to Microsoft OCS 2007, customers can leverage streamlined communications without expensive infrastructure and network upgrades, while maintaining the operational control required.

According to Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager for Polycom’s voice division, Polycom’s CX solutions for Office Communications Server 2007 enable a flexible, engaging and person-centric communications experience with high definition quality sound, PC integration, buddy list call initiation, and cordless design. ...

Source: TMCnet.com

2007 Analyst Reports on or including Microsoft Products and solutions

The Microsoft Analyst Relations page features lot's of reports for which Microsoft has obtained the reprint or distribution rights. I have made a selection of the 2007 reports on topics that mean something in 'my world' :

Below is a collection of reports published by leading independent analyst firms on, or including, Microsoft. Microsoft has secured all copyright and publishing privileges with the firms to include the reports on this site for all audiences. All reports were researched and funded by the analyst firms themselves.

(some links may expire over time)

Enterprise Search

• Microsoft: The Latest Disruptor in Enterprise Search (Forrester Research, Nov. 6, 2007, .pdf, 104K) This Forrester report examines Microsoft’s expanded enterprise search offerings. Analyst Ken Poore writes “Microsoft Search Server 2008 raises the bar and frees up search. This week, Microsoft made its latest move into the enterprise search platforms market with two strategic products: Microsoft Search Server Express 2008 and Microsoft Search Server 2008. These products deliver a solid set of features that reset the feature/price/ease-of-use equation for entry-level and midtier enterprise search.”
  
• Microsoft Drives a Wedge Between High and Low-End Enterprise Search (Forrester Research, Sept. 28, 2007, .pdf, 121 kb) This Forrester report examines Microsoft’s position into the enterprise search market. Analyst Matthew Brown writes “Microsoft offers significantly improved search capabilities in MOSS 2007 and its standalone search product, MOSS 2007 for Search. And Microsoft isn't just throwing products into the market. Instead, it has mobilized the entire organization behind search, including extensive marketing and events, partner training programs, and specific global sales goals.”
  
• Magic Quadrant for Information Access Technology, 2007 (Gartner, September 5, 2007): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Whit Andrews evaluates leading vendors in the Information Access market which extends beyond enterprise search to encompass a collection of information access technologies. Gartner positions Microsoft in the Challengers quadrant. According to Gartner, “Challengers possess sufficient resources to effectively penetrate the information access technology market.”
  
• How Secure Should Your Search Be? (Forrester Research, Inc., April 12, 2007, .pdf, 128 kb) This Forrester report examines enterprise search security as a complex issue that requires careful weighing of requirements to achieve “winning search strategies that will balance costs with advanced functionality.” For example, organizations should consider whether search will span more than one secure repository and if the answer is ‘yes’, analyst Matt Brown writes companies should evaluate “higher-end products including those from infrastructure providers such as Microsoft.”

Messaging and Workflow

• Messaging, Workflow Roadmap Announced (Directions on Microsoft, Oct. 30, 2007, .pdf, 377 kb) “Oslo supports principles – service-oriented architecture and composite applications – that Microsoft believes will drive future business application development.”

 

SaaS / Enterprise 2.0 / Consumerisation

• Evaluating IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP Web and Consumerization Strategies (Gartner Research, Oct. 3, 2007) This vendor evaluation looks at Consumerization and the Web as two related and highly impactful issues facing users and vendors today. Analysts David Mitchell Smith and Charles Abrams state that “one major force behind the consumerization of IT is the Internet and enterprises' adoption of Internet technologies.”
  
• Rich Internet Apps Move Beyond The Browser (Forrester Research, June 27, 2007) This Forrester report examines the adoption of rich internet applications (RIAs). The independent report finds that while early RIAs were exclusively browser-based, new platforms from Microsoft [and other vendors] broaden developer options for delivering rich media and content to clients. Forrester writes that “Microsoft has a tactical edge because its dominant position at the desktop with the .NET Framework will attract large numbers of developers who already target Microsoft’s desktop and browser platforms.”

Enterprise Content Management

• Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Content Management, 2007 (Gartner, September 21, 2007): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Karen Shegda evaluates leading vendors in the Enterprise Content Management market which includes web content management, records management, document imaging, document management, workflow and document-centric collaboration. Gartner positions Microsoft in the Visionaries quadrant.

Unified Communications

• Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications, 2007 (Gartner, August 20, 2007): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Bern Elliot evaluates leading vendors in the unified communications market. Gartner positions Microsoft in the Leaders quadrant. According to Gartner, “The Leaders quadrant contains vendors selling comprehensive and integrated UC solutions that directly, or with well-defined partnerships, address the full range of market needs.”
• Microsoft Communicator Overhangs the Enterprise Communications Market (Gartner, Inc., May 1, 2007) In this Gartner report, analyst Geoff Johnson discusses Microsoft’s upcoming launch of Office Communications Server 2007. He states that “reliable integration of communications into enterprise platforms is a necessary precursor to the eventual development of communications-enabled business processes.”

Office 2007

• A Look at Improvements and Shortcoming in Microsoft Office 2007 Desktop Applications (Forrester Research, July 17, 2007, .pdf, 464 kb) This report, the second in Forrester’s “Innovation on the Desktop” series, states that “the breadth of Microsoft Office 2007 and its change of focus from desktop apps to a full system targeted at information workers warrants careful consideration by (Information and Knowledge Management Professionals.)” Analyst Kyle McNabb writes that “office productivity will evolve, taking advantage of more thin client and SaaS approaches, but we’ve not seen the end of the thick client.”

Project and Portfolio Management

• Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio Management, 2007 (Gartner, June 15, 2007, .pdf, 213 kb): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Matt Light and Daniel Stang evaluates leading technology solution vendors in the IT Project and Portfolio Management space. Gartner positions Microsoft in the Leaders quadrant. According to Gartner, Leaders “distinguish themselves with relatively high ratings in many characteristics, not just a few” and “also tend to have, not just capable system integration partners, but some core, direct PPM service offerings, going beyond implementation and support to include process-change consulting.”

Customer Relationship Management

• Microsoft Leads in Record-Centric Customer Service Management Software: The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Summary, Q2 2007 (Forrester Research, May 24, 2007, .pdf, 199 kb) “Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which delivers sufficient customer service capabilitie at a low cost, has emerged as a leader among customer record-centric products. Although not as functionally rich in core customer service capabilities, Microsoft compensates through its architecture, integration, usability, and business strategy. The product shines in its ability to support agents through phone agent, blended agent, and agent collaboration tools — all of which sit on top of a solid workflow engine. In the future, look for Microsoft to exploit its Customer Care Framework, a modular XML Web Services architecture for rapid development and deployment of contact center solutions.”
  
• Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Service Contact Centers, (Gartner, March 6, 2007): This Gartner Magic Quadrant by Michael Maoz evaluates leading CRM vendors in the customer service contact centers space and positions Microsoft Dynamics CRM in the Visionary quadrant. According to Gartner, Visionaries are ahead of potential competitors in delivery of innovative products and/or delivery models.
  
• The Forrester Wave™: Midmarket CRM Suites, Q1 2007 (Forrester, February 21, 2007, .pdf , 513 kb): “The Microsoft brand gives Dynamics CRM major momentum. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is one of the newer products included in our evaluation, but the vendor has made impressive progress building out its solution, which emerged as a Leader for the first time in a Forrester Wave.”
  
• The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise CRM Suites, Q1 2007 (Forrester Research, Feb. 5, 2007, .pdf, 488 kb) Microsoft Dynamics CRM was rated a Strong Performer in this Forrester Wave. Forrester applied two sets of criteria weightings to this analysis, one appropriate for large enterprise wide deployments and another focused on midmarket priorities - the two sets of criteria were then used to evaluate and position the solutions.

Forrester: SWOT Analysis: Microsoft Unified Communications, Q3 2007

SWOT Analysis of Microsoft's UC platform by Forrester Research :

Microsoft's leading share in IM and email puts it in an excellent position to win a substantial share of the unified communications (UC) market. How will it differentiate? With a holistic product set delivering instant messaging, email, collaboration, voice, and video features — all with a wide array of device support.

Competitors such as Cisco, Google, and IBM will pose threats to Microsoft with comparable feature sets, extensive delivery mechanisms, and robust interoperability. Microsoft can win customers in the market with its UC offerings so long as it delivers reliability and scalability, demonstrates the business value of a homogeneous Microsoft-branded UC solution, and satisfies users with its unique communications devices and software UC interfaces.

Source: SWOT Analysis: Microsoft Unified Communications, Q3 2007
"Henry Dewing"
Date Published: Mon, 31 Dec 2007

ChannelWeb : 10 Predictions For Microsoft In 2008

Some great, many good, some less good, but nevertheless a very positive summary of predictions for Microsoft in 2008 :

... 2008 is going to be a whopper for Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) from a product release standpoint, with February's three-pronged megalaunch of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, and SQL Server 2008 looming large on the horizon. CRN takes a look ahead at some decisions and events that could potentially take place in and around Microsoft in the coming year. ...

1. Microsoft will extend the February 2009 system builder deadline for Windows XP Professional.

2. Windows Genuine Advantage will continue to cause grief for users

3. Microsoft will continue to cause insomnia for VMware executives

... Microsoft, just by announcing Windows Server 2008 and Hyper-V, is freezing the market. If Microsoft announces it will be embedding virtualization and providing attractive licensing terms, people are going to wait," said Herardian.

Chris Amaris, CTO at Convergent Computing, an Oakland, Calif.-based solution provider, said next year will be when customers begin to ponder the question of whether to stick with VMware or go with Hyper-V. And since the Microsoft offering is going to have a better price point, "that's how they're going to get their foot in the door," said Amaris. ....

4. Sharepoint adoption will continue to grow and grow

... Already one of the fastest growing offerings in Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT)'s history, Office Sharepoint Server was a big hit with partners in 2007, and adoption is sure to continue growing next year. Many ISVs have found healthy and sustainable revenue streams by building applications on top of the platform, for tasks such as project management, business intelligence and workflow.

In July at its annual financial analyst meeting, Microsoft announced that Sharepoint revenue grew 35 percent to more than $800 million in fiscal year 2007, and that Sharepoint is on track to become a billion dollar business.

Although it initially attracted interest primarily from medium and large enterprises, Sharepoint is now penetrating the SMB space, and channel partners are helping to deliver the message that content management and portals aren't exclusive to enterprises. And combined with Windows Sharepoint Services, a subset of Sharepoint features that Microsoft offers for free, this message will likely be heard by all segments of the market in 2008. ...

5. The channel will deal with a talent shortage in unified communications


...  While they're excited about the prospects of adding unified communications to their portfolio, some solution providers predict that the channel is about to face a shortage of talent necessary to deploy the technology. While this wasn't an issue for Microsoft partners in 2007, VARs have differing opinions of whether the same will hold true in 2008. ...

6. Vista service pack 1 won't spur Vista adoption like XP SP1 did with XP

7. Companies still won't be ready to buy their security from Microsoft

8. Windows XP service pack 3 will be delayed at least a quarter

9. The release of Dynamics CRM 4.0 will have a bigger-than-expected impact on the SaaS market

... With this week's release to manufacturing of Dynamics CRM 4.0 -- the first major update in three years -- Microsoft has put CRM suppliers such as NetSuite, Oracle, Sage, Salesforce.com and SAP squarely in its crosshairs. ...

... People want flexibility in the IT decision making process and CRM 4.0 gives them the power of choice, says Mike Belongie, vice president of sales and marketing at Axonom, Minneapolis.

"I think Microsoft is going to kill Salesforce with the Dynamics CRM 4.0 release. It's now a truly a multi-tenant product, and I've been closing deals with the message that it's O.K. for customers to start out with the hosted version," said Belongie. ...

10. It Will Be Hotter Than Hades At WPC 2008

Source: Channelweb.com

Office Communications Server 2007 Document: Enterprise Voice Planning and Deployment Guide

More OCS 2007 goodness. I'm using the OCS voice fucntionality for quite some time and it is very impressive ...

This document provides information to help you plan and deploy Enterprise Voice in your Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 infrastructure.

Source: Office Communications Server 2007 Document: Enterprise Voice Planning and Deployment Guide
Date Published: Fri, 14 Dec 2007

Microsoft RoundTable: An IMAX Movie Experience After Listening To FM Radio In Your Car

Erica Driver of Forrester about her experience with Microsoft Roundtable. There's nothing better than positive user experience ... CHeck hr full post for the details ...

...

This week I had a 2 ½ hour conference call with one of our clients. Normally I wouldn't blab to the world who we work with. But I think it's necessary here in the spirit of full disclosure — I'm about to rave about a first-time experience I had during a meeting with Microsoft using a Microsoft product called RoundTable.

A couple of my Forrester colleagues and 6 or 7 people from Microsoft were in a conference room in Redmond, Washington and I was in my home office in Rhode Island. ...

Now, is it just me or is it really, really hard to consistently pay attention during a long, multi-party phone conversations? I blogged about this in a post a few days ago. Here's where the beauty of RoundTable comes in:

• I could concentrate — I was fully engaged.
  
  ...
  
• I felt connected to the others even though we weren’t together in the same room.
  
  ...
• Non-verbal communication was resurrected.

...

This session was my a-ha moment about the power of video to transform virtual meetings. It's time for me to get a Web cam.

Source: Microsoft RoundTable: An IMAX Movie Experience After Listening To FM Radio In Your Car
Erica Driver
Date Published: Fri, 07 Dec 2007 03:59:23 GMT

Forrester: The State Of Enterprise VoIP And Unified Communications Adoption In Europe: 2007

Yet another proofpoint of the UC momentum in Europe :

... Enterprise implementation of voice over IP (VoIP) in Europe is firmly entering the mass adoption phase. Most enterprises (76%) are going down the IP PBX route — either installing the equipment on their own premises or contracting a managed service from a hosting center.

Enterprise interest in hosted VoIP is also increasing, although from a very small base, and the growth of IP contact centers appears to have stalled. Unified communications (UC) are firmly on the agenda — 35% of firms say UC is a priority, and 18% have implemented some element of UC. However, very few firms today have enterprisewide strategies for UC; the obstacles that they face include cost justification, internal organizational issues, and the need to deal with multiple vendors in a complex and constantly changing market. However, enterprise sourcing professionals need to grasp the nettle and develop a sourcing strategy for UC, as there is growing evidence that a successful UC deployment can improve a firm's competitive position and its bottom line. ...

Source: The State Of Enterprise VoIP And Unified Communications Adoption In Europe: 2007
"Phil Sayer"
Date Published: Thu, 06 Dec 2007

Microsoft's Persistent Group Chat Now Available as a Hosted Option

A hosted Solution for Microsoft's Persistent Group Chat ... Through Carl Tylers blog  :

mindSHIFT Technologies is now offering Microsoft's Persistent Group Chat (Parlano) as a hosted option.  I imagine we'll see a few more announcements like this as the OCS partners come to grips with the Mindalign technologies.

Source: Microsoft's Persistent Group Chat Now Available as a Hosted Option
Author: Carl Tyler
Date Published: Wed, 05 Dec 2007

Mike Gotta: Microsoft Introduces Unified Communications Tools for Developers

Mike Gotta of Burton Group gives his view on the recently announced Unified Communications Tools for Developers.

As you may know the 'partner eco system' (ISV's Developers, SI's, Telephony vendors, etc) is vital in Microsoft's approach. These tool will speed up the process of integration, optimisation and development of new functionality ...

.... How credible is Microsoft's position in the unified communications space?

Very credible but it has different areas of competency that are at different levels of maturity. Microsoft’s core strengths are in the real-time collaboration re: IM, presence, web conferencing. They are rapidly moving into the area traditionally dominated by communication vendors – VoIP/IP Telephony, audio/video conferencing. But right now, I believe most organizations are going to deploy OCS and “get stable” around the real-time collaboration capabilities, then move to VoIP and integration with existing communication vendors as driven by business requirements. I don’t see anyone ripping out their existing IP-PBX infrastructure in the short run. I do expect more rapid adoption of Round Table however given its price point, form factor and integration with Live Meeting. But make no mistake, Microsoft is in the UC game for the long run and fully intends to dominate it from a platform perspective - that includes mobile and speech as a standard application interaction model.

Who is the typical "developer" they're targeting for this stuff?

Different segments – Microsoft wants to make it easy for the average developer to UC-enable productivity applications, deliver deeper, more complex UC-centric systems and extend the modality of applications with speech interfaces – so I really think it is across the board – from the historical “VB”-like developer to the IT Pro who might be developing at a core infrastructure level. ...

Source: Microsoft Introduces Unified Communications Tools for Developers
Author: Mike Gotta
Date Published: Fri, 30 Nov 2007

Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1

Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 is here. Improvements and new functionality :

The new capabilities of Exchange Server 2007 deliver the advanced protection your company demands, the anywhere access your people want, and the operational efficiency you need.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) has been designed specifically to help meet the challenges of any business and the needs of all the different groups with a stake in the messaging system. Exchange Server 2007 SP1 is a mission-critical communications tool that enables employees to be more productive and access their information anywhere and anytime while providing a messaging system that enables rich, efficient access to e-mail, calendar items, voice mail, and contacts. For the administrator, Exchange Server 2007 SP1 provides advanced protection options against e-mail security threats, such as spam and viruses, as well as the tools to help manage internal compliance and high availability needs.
In Exchange Server 2007 SP1, several new features and improvements will extend the Anywhere Access capabilities of Exchange Server 2007 to help make employees more productive on whatever device they’re using, provide additional Operational Efficiency tools for administrators seeking a streamlined management and deployment experience, and enable advanced Built-in Protection for more robust high availability and compliance scenarios.
Improvements in Exchange Server 2007 SP1 include:

Anywhere Access
• Integrated Exchange Unified Messaging functionality with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.
• Outlook Web Access additions, including public folder access, S/MIME support, personal distribution lists, and mailbox rules editor.
• Webready document viewer supports Microsoft Office 2007 documents in addition to Microsoft Office 2003 documents.
• Extended language support in Outlook Web Access with Arabic and Korean spell checking.

Operational Efficiency
• Support for Windows Server 2008 deployments, including benefits in flexible clustering, advanced networking, and simplified management.
• Additional tools in the Exchange Management Console, including public folder management and configuration options for clustering and POP/IMAP access.
• Improvements to the Exchange Management Shell syntax and import-export PST in the move-mailbox command.
• Wider variety of web services for application development, including public folder access, delegate management, and folder level permissions.

Built-in Protection
• Addition of Standby Continuous Replication (SCR) for site resilient high availability deployments.
• Extended Exchange ActiveSync policies for mobile policy enforcement.
• Information rights management pre-licensing by the Hub Transport role.
• Secure Real Time Protocol (SRTP) support in the Unified Messaging role.
• Support for IPv6 when using Windows Server 2008.

Source: Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1
Date Published: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:00:44 GMT

Microsoft Unified Communications stunt

Jeroen van DutchCowboys blogt over een van de aandachttrekkers rondom de Microsoft Unified Communications Launch in Nederland van afgelopen vrijdag :

Afgelopen vrijdagochtend stond er een glazen kantoor in de file. De vrouw in het kantoor kon door middel van de nieuwste technologie van Microsoft ook op een hele andere plaats dan op haar echte kantoor gewoon doorwerken.

Met deze stunt wil Microsoft ook op haar eigen manier de strijd aan gaan met de fileproblematiek. Met de slogan 'U kunt toch ook thuis werken?' worden werknemers, werkgevers en Minister van VWS Camiel Eurlings uitgedaagd om na te denken over een technologisch alternatief van de fileproblematiek...

Source: Microsoft Unified Communications stunt
Author: Jeroen
Date Published: Tue, 13 Nov 2007

Planning, Deploying, and Managing Unified Messaging

 

The purpose of this document is to help you plan, deploy, and manage Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging servers.

Source: Planning, Deploying, and Managing Unified Messaging
Date Published: Wed, 07 Nov 2007

Forrester: Microsoft Is A Leader In Enterprise Instant Messaging

Next to Gartner Group (focussing on Unified Communications rather than 'just" Enterprise IM), Forrester Research recognises Microsoft as a leader in the field of Enterprise IM :

In the fall of 2007, Microsoft released Office Communication Server (OCS) as a major upgrade to its existing Live Communication Server offering. New to OCS are on-premise Web conferencing, videoconferencing, improved presence capabilities, and a host of partnerships to extend the value of the underlying platform. With excellent integration into Office 2007 and SharePoint and a strong unified communications strategy, the value of OCS extends well beyond basic chat.

Source: Microsoft Is A Leader In Enterprise Instant Messaging
Author: "Rob Koplowitz"
Date Published: Tue, 30 Oct 2007

InfoWorld: IBM taps Alcatel for unified communications strategy

... Deal brings together Alcatel-Lucent's OmniTouch Unified Communication software and IBM's Lotus Sametime to take on Microsoft's Office Communications Server package

IBM and networking provider Alcatel-Lucent are teaming up to take Microsoft head-on in the unified communications market. ...

IBM and Alcatel against Microsoft ... but doesn't that also mean against Cisco and Avaya and other IP PBX vendors ? 

Microsoft by the way announced partnerships and support for Office Communications Server 2007 by a list of IP PBX vensdors back in May of this year.

Yes its a difficult and very fast converging market and also IBM can not be friends with everybody can they ?

... IBM is positioning itself as an open-standards alternative to unified communications offerings from Microsoft, which made a big splash earlier this month in San Francisco when it launched Office Communications Server, the linchpin of its unified communications strategy. Microsoft also has cozied up to telecommunications companies, as well as networking and wireless handset providers to push its products in this market. ....

... Other companies that have built unified communications plug-ins for Sametime include Cisco and Avaya, which have both built click-to-call features for Sametime, and Polycom and Radvision, which also offer audio- and videoconferencing add-ons to Sametime.

Microsoft also has tapped some of these same companies to support its Office Communications Server. However, Saeedi said that Microsoft also has built audio and video features into its platform that compete with offerings from its partners. Taking a different tack, IBM wants partners to add value to Sametime and does not plan to build features that compete with plug-ins they provide, she said. ...

More open ?, not competing only complementing ? I doubt it. Look at what IP PBX vendors such as Cisco are doing. They buy software / services companies. Where is the fruit of the IBM SameTime / Cisco partnership ?

Thinking of IBM's strategy / approach with regards to SameTime and the UC market this picture popped in my mind (I couldn't find a picuture of a blue labrador):

HP's Unified Communications Journey, A real customers experience

CAsestudy about the UC implementation at Hewlett Packard :

... HP began deploying Exchange 2007 and Office Communications Server 2007 in live internal and customer environments long before these products came to market. In this session you will hear about the trials, tribulations and ultimate success of implementing a consolidated Exchange 2007 environment across multiple geographies, complete with Unified Messaging and then Office Communications Server 2007 integrated with Cisco Call Manager.

 
Understand the business objectives and requirements that lead to this implementation including the unexpected benefits as highlighted in the case study. Learn from our mistakes, understand the real value, and pre-requisites for full functionality and ultimately streamline your own deployment! ...

Source: Unified Communications Journey, A real customers experience
Author: Date Published: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:54:25 GMT

The Total Economic Impact (TEI) of Microsoft Unified Communications Products & Services

A Forrester Research report (commisioned by Microsoft) on the benefits of the Microsoft UC platform

... In July 2007, Microsoft Corporation commissioned Forrester Consulting to examine the Total Economic Impact (TEI) and potential return on investment (ROI) that enterprises may realize by deploying UC products and services (UC products). To understand the financial impact of Microsoft’s UC products, Forrester conducted in-depth interviews with 15 Microsoft customers and compiled their results into a composite case study of a 4,000-person digital marketing services company. 

In conducting these in-depth interviews with Microsoft UC products customers, Forrester found that organizations can achieve significant productivity improvements and cost savings by deploying Microsoft UC products.  ...

Source: The TEI of Microsoft Unified Communications Products & Services
Date Published: Thu, 25 Oct 2007

OCS 2007 deployment guides

With the introduction of OCS 2007 lot's of documentation becomes available. Below you find the deployment guides for the Standard and Enterprise Edition of OCS 2007 :

• Office Communications Server 2007 Document: Enterprise Edition Deployment Guide 
  This document describes the process of deploying Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 Enterprise Edition.
  
• Office Communications Server 2007 Document: Standard Edition Deployment Guide
  This document describes how to deploy Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 Standard Edition.

Ericsson Develops Mobility Solution Using Microsoft Unified Communications Software

Next to Microsoft's own expansion in the enterprise, the eco system in mobilty and Unified Communications keeps growing :

... Q&A: Urban Gillstrom, president of Ericsson Enterprise, discusses why the company is taking advantage of Microsoft’s unified communications platform to increase enterprise productivity among mobile workers.

Microsoft introduced the future of business communications with the launch of Office Communications Server 2007. More than 50 partners announced services, products and devices that support and enhance Microsoft’s unified communications platform, including global telephony leader Ericsson. PressPass spoke with Urban Gillstrom, president of Ericsson Enterprise, to learn more about the company’s strategy for unified communications and the recently announced Ericsson Enterprise Mobility Gateway, which will be built on the VoIP call management in Office Communications Server and turn the everyday mobile phone into a complete enterprise communications device. ...

Source: Ericsson Develops Mobility Solution Using Microsoft Unified Communications Software
Author: Date Published: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:50:00 GMT

Mike Gotta: Reviewing Microsoft's UC Launch Event

Over on the Burton Group Collaboration and Content Strategies blog Mike Gotta posted a comprehensive overview of Microsoft's UC Launch. Very good read and much more detail on Mike's 'regular' blog (highlighted in his post)

... Microsoft officially launched its UC platform last week in San Francisco at the Bill Graham Auditorium. A webcast of the keynote is available here. Please note that if you scroll down, there are also links to case studies as well as the launch presentations and demos. I attended the event and posted a series of entries on my Collaborative Thinking blog.

• Microsoft UC Launch Event: Getting Ready
• Microsoft Launch Event: Bill Gates Keynote
• Microsoft UC Launch: Jeff Raikes & Bill Gates
• Microsoft UC Launch: VoIP Quality of Experience
• Microsoft UC Launch: Anywhere Access
• Microsoft UC Launch: Embedding UC In LOB Applications ...

...

... I expect most organizations to take a pragmatic, long-term view on Microsoft's UC platform. Decision makers will examine all of the components: Exchange, OCS, Exchange Unified Messaging, Round Table, Live Meeting and so on. For those organizations looking to move from LCS or to take their first step, the catch-phrase "get current & get stable" comes to mind. That means deploying OCS as a IM and presence platform to the point where you have stabilized operational and change management procedures. After that - the conservative move would be to turn-on web conferencing. This could also include hooking OCS up to room environments using Round Table. The more aggressive path would being to deploy VoIP/IP Telephony integration with existing PBX systems and opening up the UC platform to external parties. In any case, the intelligent (and obvious) strategy is to avoid the "big bang" approach. On top of the technology complexity, issues related to organizational readiness and governance will also slow down rapid deployment in large enterprise environments. ...

 

Source: Reviewing Microsoft's UC Launch Event
Author: Mike Gotta
Date Published: Mon, 22 Oct 2007

NYTimes: Bill Gates Presents the One (Really Big) Ringy Dingy

I am looking forward to Tuesday ...

... For Cisco, Nortel, Avaya and the other companies that make telecommunications equipment, this Tuesday is a sort of D-Day.

That day, Bill Gates plans to introduce Microsoft’s invasion into their business, with a new line of software for what the company calls “unified communications.” That means it is meant to integrate all the ways that people talk to each other: voice, video, instant messaging and more elaborate forms of online collaboration.

If it is successful, this software will accelerate the shift of communications from specialized devices and networks onto Internet-based networks, desktop PCs and microprocessor-based servers. And that, in turn, could challenge the economics of the remarkably profitable telecommunications industry.

There is a great deal of brave talk from existing players about being both a partner and competitor to Microsoft, but in fact they should be about as glad to see Microsoft as the minicomputer industry was to see the upstart three decades ago.

In fact, Microsoft is opening a new front in its software strategy that mimics its Windows and Office approach to desktop and corporate computing.

On Tuesday Mr. Gates and his lieutenant Jeff Raikes will focus on marketing three software packages: Microsoft Communications Server 2007; a client software application dubbed Microsoft Office Communicator 2007; as well as a collaboration program, Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

Now, he argues, the economics of the microprocessor and the Internet will alter the way we communicate.

“As more and more of our communications and entertainment is transmitted over the Internet thanks to e-mail, instant messaging, video conferencing, and the emergence of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), and other protocols, a new wave of software-driven innovations will eliminate the boundaries between the various modes of communications we use throughout the day,” he writes in a memo that will be distributed as part of his presentation to be given in San Francisco on Tuesday. ...

Source; New York Times

UC End User Experience

Very good presentation to help you understand the value of Unfied Communications even better ...

Learn how to communicate within applications.

Source: UC End User Experience
Date Published: Tue, 09 Oct 2007

Uitnodiging TechNet Masterclass: Office Communications Server 2007

Geachte heer, mevrouw,

Graag nodigen wij u uit voor de TechNet Masterclass - “Office Communications Server 2007” op 30, 31 oktober & 1 november 2007 en 20 t/m 22 november. Deze driedaagse sessies wordt gehouden bij Microsoft te Schiphol-Rijk.
Communicatie is bedrijfskritisch geworden, maar hoe gaan gebruikers en IT-afdelingen om met alle communicatiemiddelen? E-mail, videoconferencing, instant messaging - het moet en kan allemaal nog veel beter.

Er is een verschuiving opgetreden in de manier waarop we werken. Organisaties zijn steeds projectmatiger ingericht en staan veel meer in contact met anderen: klanten, partners, leveranciers. Er moet snel worden gecommuniceerd en samengewerkt, in een meer virtuele omgeving, dus onafhankelijk van de fysieke locatie. De snelheid waarmee klanten worden bediend, is enorm toegenomen. Dit vraagt het nodige van de eigen medewerkers; zij moetenl beter bereikbaar zijn en sneller op de hoogte zijn dan vroeger het geval was.

Met Office Communications Server 2007 biedt Microsoft een krachtig serverplatform dat in staat is om Instant Messaging en Presence-informatie te combineren met On Premise Audio en Video Conferencing en Enterprise Voice en VoIP-oplossingen. In combinatie met hardware devices als de Office Communicator Phone Edition en de Roundtable wordt op die manier een integrale oplossing geboden.

In de OCS 2007 Masterclass bieden we u de mogelijkheid om in drie dagen diepgaande kennis en hands-on ervaring op te doen op het gebied van OCS 2007 en OCS clients.

» Meer informatie

Integrating Telephony with Office Communications Server 2007

Lot´s of downloads today on the UC front ... This whitepaper is a must read if you or your organisation is serious about UC ...

Clearly unified communications means, above all else, the integration of telephony with other important forms of communication to provide streamlined communications for business users. Therefore, telephony integration is a critical component of Microsoft’s unified communications strategy.

Source: Integrating Telephony with Office Communications Server 2007
Author: Date originally published: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:26:15 GMT

Office Communicator Mobile 2007

What I think is a great asset at Microsoft, is the fact that when new Server Products in the Information Worker space are released, mobility is an integral part of the solution. It is there for Microsoft Exchange 2007, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and ofcourse also for Office Communications Server 2007 ...

Meet Office Communicator Mobile 2007 :

• Office Communicator Mobile (2007 Release)
  Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile is a unified communications client for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Communicator Mobile runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 or 6.0 software for Pocket PC and smartphone devices.
  
• Communicator Mobile (2007 Release) Frequently Asked Questions
  The Communicator Mobile Frequently Asked Questions document provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about Communicator Mobile (2007 release).
  
• Communicator Mobile (2007 Release) Planning and Deployment Guide
  The Communicator Mobile Planning and Deployment Guide describes server and client requirements and procedures for installing Communicator Mobile.
  
• Communicator Mobile (2007 Release) Quick Reference Card - Installation and Configuration
  The Communicator Mobile Quick Reference Card for Installation and Configuration describes the minimum tools and procedures required to install and configure Communicator Mobile (2007 release).
  
• Communicator Mobile (2007 Release) Quick Reference Card - Instant Messaging (IM) and Presence
  The Communicator Mobile Quick Reference Card for Instant Messaging (IM) and Presence describes the most commonly used Communicator Mobile (2007 release) features.
  
• Communicator Mobile (2007 Release) Release Notes
  The Communicator Mobile release notes document describes known issues about Communicator Mobile (2007 release) and suggested resolutions.
  
• Communicator Mobile (2007 Release) Troubleshooting Guide
  The Communicator Mobile Troubleshooting Guide describes the resolutions to issues that some users of Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile encounter under particular circumstances.
  
• Communicator Mobile (2007 Release) User's Guide
  The Communicator Mobile User's Guide describes how to use Communicator Mobile (2007 release) features.

Office Communicator 2007: Enhanced Presence Model White Paper

 

This download includes the Communicator 2007 Enhanced Presence Model White Paper

Source: Office Communicator 2007: Enhanced Presence Model White Paper
Author: Date originally published: Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:34:45 GMT

Microsoft Office Live Meeting Events Quick Reference Card

 

This quick reference card provides the basic steps for creating and scheduling an event using Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

Source: Microsoft Office Live Meeting Events Quick Reference Card
Author: Date originally published: Tue, 02 Oct 2007 06:17:29 GMT

Bart: Reverse Demo-ing

Mijn collega Bart, de bedenker van "Reverse Demo-ing" powered by Office Communications Server 2007 :-)

Vandaag zit ik in Kopenhagen in ons lokale kantoor, maar ik moest in het auditorium in Nederland een demo doe over SharePoint… probleempje dus…

Gelukkig hebben we de mogelijkheid om een Live meeting te starten met OCS, dus toen mijn presentatie aan de beurt was heeft Bram mij een invite verzonden en heb ik middels desktopshare mijn presentatie en demo gedaan. Erg leuk, maar vooral erg handig om snel de mogelijkheid te hebben om ergens iets te presenteren. Het leuke was dat ik in een kamer zat waar een "Microsoft Denmark" bord aan de muur hing en dat was achter mij zichtbaar via de webcam. Gaf een beetje "here are the results from the Danisch jury" gevoel.

Ga ik zeker vaker doen
Bart

Source: Dit moet ik vaker doen!
Author: Bart Wessels
Date originally published: Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:52:00 GMT

Microsoft Web Conferencing Choices White Paper

 

This white paper reviews common business requirements for Web conferencing and describes how Microsoft is helping businesses meet these requirements with two enterprise-class Web conferencing solutions:

• Microsoft Office Live Meeting
• Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007

The white paper also provides information to help organizations determine how they can best use either one or both of these Microsoft Web conferencing solutions to meet their requirements.

Source: Microsoft Web Conferencing Choices White Paper
Date originally published: Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:44:47 GMT

Unified Communications and Collaboration:Pervasive Capabilities for Where and How People Work

 

This whitepaper describes the Unified Communications and Collaboration platform from Microsoft and how Microsoft's approach to unified communications and collaboration delivers the capabilities for people to collaborate on-demand – anywhere, anytime.

 

Source: Unified Communications and Collaboration:Pervasive Capabilities for Where and How People Work
Date originally published: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:40:50 GMT

Office Communications Server 2007 Document: Enterprise Voice Planning and Deployment Guide

So many angles to OCS 2007 ... I can tell you that 1:1 and 1:many Communicator calls (VOIP without PBX) work awesome. I do almost all of my internal voice/video calls via VOIP.

This document provides information to help you plan and deploy Enterprise Voice in your Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 infrastructure.

Source: Office Communications Server 2007 Document: Enterprise Voice Planning and Deployment Guide
Date originally published: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:13:05 GMT

PGGM gebruikt Office Communicator 2007

 

PGGM, een Microsoft klant die innovatie als een belangrijk middel inzet in haar processen heeft al enige tijd een innovatie blog. Tot mijn schaamte kom ik daar nu pas achter, maar beter laat dan nooit.

Op dit blog kwam ik de ervaringen die PGGM als 'early adopter' heeft met Communicator tegen ...

... Afgelopen maart lanceerde Microsoft de opvolger van Live Communicator Server, Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 (public beta). En sinds 2 weken heeft PGGM deze software ook draaien en zit ik in het testteam. Mijn eerste ervaringen wil ik delen in deze post.  ...

... Een toegevoegde waarde zit ook in de simpelheid om een conference chat of call te organiseren. Het is een kwestie van contactpersonen uitnodigen en accepteren en een chat of call is opgezet. En gewoon via de microfoon en luidsprekers van de pc of laptop. Daar komt geen fysieke telefoon bij kijken.

Een optie die ook aangeboden wordt is het beluisteren via een normale telefoon van je voicemail, agenda en e-mail berichten. Daarbij kun je ook voice gestuurd signalen geven om bijvoorbeeld een afspraak een half uurtje te verschuiven wanneer je in de file staat (de genodigden krijgen ook automatisch een wijziging toegestuurd). De menusturing is nog in het Engels, maar een vriendelijke vrouwelijke stem leest de e-mail berichten in Nederlands voor. En dat doet ze best aardig. Aangezien ik uitgerust ben met een PDA en Windows Mobile zal ik waarschijnlijk van dit spraakgedeelte weinig gebruikmaken. Ook de voicemail berichten worden straks gemaild, dus die krijg ik per e-mail binnen. Waar ik wel gebruik van zal maken is de mogelijkheid om iemand te bellen vanuit de spraakbesturing. Scheelt weer moeilijk doen op mijn touchscreen PDA. [ik begrijp net dat dit onderdeel is van Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging: thanks Hans]

Op dit moment wordt de Communicator alleen nog getest door een beperkt aantal collega's binnen PGGM en staat de verbinding nog niet open naar buiten voor externe contacten. Ik hoop dat dit wel snel zal gebeuren.

Ik ben enthousiast over de mogelijkheden en het gebruiksgemak dat Communicator biedt en zal het ook zeker blijven gebruiken. Sterker nog, ik denk dat het gebruik alleen maar zal toenemen, vanwege de verschillende communicatiemogelijkheden. En ik ben ook blij dat de IT afdeling van PGGM het initiatief heeft genomen om een pilot te starten met het doel om het uiteindelijk onderdeel te laten zijn van de beschikbare communicatieset van PGGM. ...

Bron: PGGM Innovatie Blog