Reducing telco costs with unified communications

11/19/08

As VoiceCon 2008 wrapped up last week in San Francisco, the usual announcements about new products, more interoperability demonstrations, and end-user case studies were standard fare. But another theme emerged about how unified communications deployments are being affected by current economic conditions as several company executives shared their views. The bottom line: Unified communications can be used to reduce telco costs and improve employee productivity - and proving these in a business case are especially critical in uncertain economic times.

IBM and Microsoft demonstrate 'interdomain federation'

11/17/08

VoiceCon San Francisco wrapped up last week with more news on the unified communications front. Perhaps the most noteworthy item came from IBM and Microsoft following up on a commitment, made in Orlando in March 2008, to improve interoperability. The companies announced they have now demonstrated "interdomain federation" between Microsoft OCS and IBM Sametime and that the feature will be available in products within the next few months. 

ShoreTel's Converged Conferencing integrates conferencing with instant messaging

11/12/08

Continuing our highlights of pre-announcements at VoiceCon San Francisco 2008, today we'll check in with product announcements from ShoreTel, Marshall Electronics' MXL Technology Division, Polycom, Vixxi Solutions, and VoIPshield Systems.

VoIP, UC network planning and management the focus at VoiceCon 2008

11/10/08

VoiceCon San Francisco 2008 opens this week with a flurry of product announcements and demonstrations, so in this week's newsletters we'd like to highlight a few news items that were released in advance of the show. Today, we'll focus on tools designed to improve VoIP and unified communications network planning and management from Mindsharp, NetIQ, NetQos, and Psytechnics.

Aspect adds instant messaging, presence to contact center platform

11/05/08

Aspect, a unified communications and contact center software and services provider last week released Aspect Unified IP 6.6, scheduled for general availability in December 2008. The update will include an "ask-an-expert" feature using the instant messaging and presence technology provided in Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Aspect announced back in March 2008 that it planned to improve unified communications capabilities in the contact center and in a separate announcement, Aspect and Microsoft announced an alliance to incorporate Microsoft OCS into contact centers.

Verizon, AT&T further plans for femtocell services

11/03/08

AT&T and Verizon were last week reported to be moving further with their femtocell plans. According to Fiercewireless, Verizon is waiting for FCC approval for its femtocell base station and the company may launch its service in 2009. Unstrung.com reported that AT&T is conducting lab tests and plans to trial the technology later this year and into 2009. Femtocells are cellular base stations used in the home of office to improve wireless phone coverage using a broadband data service to carry mobile calls over the Internet.

Acme Packet leads in IMS-support for session border control

10/29/08

Acme Packet, a provider of session border control products, said it is involved in more than 100 IP-Multimedia Subsystem deployment projects, with European providers accounting for 50% of the IMS efforts. That figure is followed by 22% in Asia-Pacific, 15% in Central & South America and 13% in North America. Interestingly, nearly two-thirds of its IMS projects deliver services only to wireline access networks.

Covad targets small businesses with integrated phone and Internet service

10/27/08

Covad last week unveiled an integrated phone and Internet service targeted at small businesses with up to 35 employees per location. The Covad Integrated Access service is delivered over a T-1 line and works with customers' existing phone systems. The service uses SIP trunking and supports a range of IP, digital and analog PBXs, according to the company.

Nortel rolls out Business Communications Manager for midsize companies; Sylantro puts Synergy in the cloud

10/22/08

Three news items today: the global availability of Nortel's Business Communications Manager 450, Sylantro's support of Amazon Web Services' Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for its Synergy platform, and the merger between the IMS and NGN forums.

BroadSoft, Microsoft announce hosted UC service; Microsoft unveils OCS 2007 R2

10/20/08

It has been a busy month so far in the convergence market with BroadSoft and Microsoft announcing the general availability of a BroadSoft hosted UC service based on Microsoft software. There was also the debut of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2, Nortel's launch of BCM450 IP PBX targeted at midsize businesses, Sylantro's release of hosted voice applications on Amazon's EC2 Cloud, and the decision by the IMS Forum and the NGN Forum to merge. Today we'll focus on BroadSoft and Microsoft's announcements and discuss the remaining news in our next newsletter later this week.

Inside Cisco Unified Communications System 7.0

10/13/08

Cisco showcased its Unified Communications System 7.0 at the company's recent UC Partner Summit. The release aims to improve ease-of-use, openness, interoperability, and total cost of ownership. It also includes upgrades to Cisco's Unified Mobile Communicator, MeetingPlace and WebEx integration, a Unified Customer Voice Portal, deeper integration with IBM and Microsoft desktop products, and extended third party development opportunities with a unified applications environment.

Unified communications e-book suggests 3 questions to consider when deploying UC

10/13/08

Today, we'd like to draw your attention to a new chapter in a unified communications e-book titled "VoIP: Do You See What I'm Saying?" authored by NetQoS and available on Webtorials. This is a continuation of a great tutorial series. In the chapter, unified communications is carefully defined in terms of what it is and what it isn't. It covers the impact of UC on network performance and examines the needs and methods for managing and monitoring UC. Just as with the other chapters, for readers just learning about VoIP, this is a super starting point and UC experts will find it to be a great reference.

ShoreTel VoIP supports seven new countries

10/08/08

ShoreTel has expanded its offerings with ShoreTel 8.1, which adds support for seven new countries, plus support for ShoreTel's Unified Communications desktop client. Also included are VPN-enabled phones and two new voice switches. The company has also established new offices and expanded its distribution channels to support the increased global portfolio.

Skype now on Digium's Asterisk open source telephony platform

10/06/08

Digium and Skype announced recently that they are collaborating to bring Skype to Digium's Asterisk-based open source telephony platform, allowing customers to make, receive and transfer Skype calls from within their Asterisk phone systems. The collaboration is targeted at small and midsize businesses, with an emphasis on providing low rates. The beta version of the product is limited to a select number of users, developers and integrators; system administrators and developers are invited to apply here http://www.astricon.net/skype. Following the beta period, Skype For Asterisk will be sold and distributed by Digium and its worldwide network of resellers, according to the two companies’ joint statement.

DiVitas adds voice, messaging software to smart phones

10/01/08

DiVitas Networks announced system upgrades with Version 2.0 for its Mobile UC platform. The DiVitas Mobile UC solution adds voice and messaging applications onto smart phones that can run on Wi-Fi networks, cellular networks or both. The latest software edition provides an improved GUI, extended PBX features over the cellular network, visual voice mail, a Voice Quality Engine (VQE), and new management and control tools. With the release, DiVitas moves away from including a hardware appliance to a software-only model, and adds a hosted deployment option.

Agito adds 'dual persona' to fixed-mobile convergence gear

09/29/08

Agito Networks earlier this month launched the next-generation version of its RoamAnywhere Mobility Router. The router supports fixed-mobile convergence in the enterprise and uses both proactive and reactive metrics to deliver sub-100 millisecond handover of mobile voice between Wi-Fi and cellular networks. The new version adds security features to deliver voice outside the enterprise, expands support for additional PBX systems, adds least-cost routing, and comes with a "Dual Persona" capability so users can appropriately use a single mobile phone for both business and personal calls.

Genband beefs up security, control and packet inspection through NextPoint buy

09/24/08

IP gateway supplier Genband announced last week that it had acquired NextPoint Networks, a provider of carrier-grade security products, including session border controllers (SBC) and security gateways for fixed-mobile convergence. The acquisition adds security capabilities to Genband's gateway products and "puts the company on an aggressive product development path aimed at the integration of emerging technologies like security, control and packet inspection," according Genband.

Aculab's gateway bridges legacy PBXs with new IP PBX software

09/22/08

Today, we'll highlight some of the announcements made at the Internet Telephony Conference and Expo held last week in Los Angeles. Among the announcements include Fonality's upgrade of its unified communications platform to include SMS and mobile; Aculab's gateway that connects new IP PBX products with legacy PBXs; and Quintum Technology, which released a gateway for Microsoft's Response Point phone system for small businesses.

Zeacom adds presence management to its Communications Center; VoIP Logic adds real-time reporting to call records

09/17/08

Today, we'd like to highlight a few announcements from IT Expo West 2008, which kicked off yesterday in Los Angeles. Among the news: Zeacom announced a presence management capability designed for the mobile phone and VoIP Logic has introduced a call detail record manager for its Cortex module.

Ericsson releases IMS-integrated IPTV middleware; Nokia broadens support for Microsoft Exchange Active Sync

09/15/08

Today we'd like to highlight a couple of announcements from trade shows last week that caught our attention. The first comes from Ericsson at IBC 2008; the company is extending its TV offering with what it claims to be the world's first IMS-integrated IPTV middleware. The second announcement made at CTIA comes from Nokia, which released plans to expand the number of Nokia devices that can support Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.

NetIQ releases Microsoft Office Communicator Server VoIP management module

09/10/08

NetIQ, an Attachmate business, Tuesday announced the availability of a VoIP lifecycle management module for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. The NetIQ AppManager for Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) is designed to better manage server performance, determine performance thresholds and demonstrate service delivery, and track application performance with session activity and failure metrics for aggregated reporting, according to the company's announcement.

Tango steps up close to Microsoft Ofice Communications Server

09/08/08

Tango Networks announced last week that its Abrazo fixed-mobile convergence product is now interoperable with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Abrazo is designed to connect any mobile phone, through any wireless network, with any PBX and requires a server in both the enterprise and mobile provider's network. The announcement also noted that Tango Networks has now been accepted into the Microsoft Unified Communications Open Interoperability Program. The interoperability test was conducted by tekVizion Labs.

IBM releases tools to enable mobile devices to mimic the PC

09/03/08

IBM last month announced software and services to enable mobile devices to closely mimic the desktop features that were only available on the PC. According to the company, the new software includes products with business intelligence, collaboration, social networking and business performance capabilities. IBM is also providing developers with tools to make existing software applications run on most mobile platforms including the BlackBerry and iPhone, as well as Windows Mobile- and Symbian-based handsets.

Mitel and Sun add unified communications to Sun's thin-client platform

09/01/08

Late last month, Sun Chairman Scott McNealy, and Mitel Chairman Terry Matthews delivered a Webcast on their thoughts on convergence in a thin-client environment. The discussion follows two March 2008 announcements by the companies unveiling the availability of the Sun Ray Unified IP Client from Mitel and availability of the Mitel Communications Suite on the Sun Fire X4150. McNealy and Matthews were both very bullish on their joint progress, and we had a chance to follow up with Matthews after the Webcast.

SMB managed service providers challenged by green IT, security, managed VoIP

08/27/08

We recently spoke with Charles Weaver, president of the MSPAlliance about his observations on the evolutionary trends in the SMB market. The MSPAlliance is a professional association and accrediting body for the managed services industry. According to Weaver, VoIP and unified communications are at the heart of managed services growth - whether the managed services provider is offering a hosted VoIP or a premise-based VoIP solution. Noting that MSPs can either become the enterprise's fully outsourced IT department or simply work with the IT team, Weaver attributes the growth of MSPs to the availability of management tools and platforms that are much more effective today than they were five years ago.

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Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.