The takeaway, it appears, is that Tandberg expects that its immersive video solution will coexist in the combined product line alongside Cisco's own immersive video solution.

IBM talking smack about desksets is so surprising because of the stress the company places on partnering with, not displacing, the PBX developers who are still very much in the business of selling phones.

A twist on the P2P systems of yore, a DECT base station is built into each of the phones, letting users connect a cordless handset or headset to the IP phone for mobility within the office.

This benefit of Avaya Aura Session Manager is so compelling that Cisco this week introduced its own version of the Avaya solution.

The question at this point is when will Cisco and Microsoft jump on the virtualization bandwagon as well.

It seems likely that virtual server support will become a checklist item for all business communications software.

IBM is building an increasingly interesting set of full-featured unified communications appliances without running into direct competition with its business suppliers in telephony.

OCS already has a mobile client that runs on non-Windows Mobile devices.

The proposition seems to be that Nortel customers also deploy Avaya communications platforms and applications, using Aura to connect both companies' platforms to the Aura core.

I came across two very different instances of organizations delivering neither E911 nor 911 services to offices where 911 calls could until very recently be placed.

While there's nothing wrong with HP expanding its UC services, the move could contribute to Microsoft’s other partners getting left in the lurch.

Will it be Norvaya? Nortmens? Norspect?

Product introductions like Xpressions UC are giving me the impression that the days of the standalone presence server are numbered.

Why shouldn't a Nortel reseller remain loyal?

The main--and typically overlooked--talking point of OCS R2 is Microsoft's delivery of an audio conferencing bridge.

There is more cloud than silver lining, but Nortel could--like other businesses that filed Chapter 11--see bright days once again.

I've been intrigued these past few months in the uptick in MCS 5100 sales that Nortel has been announcing.

Foreign languages and time zones. Are these the Achilles heels of video conferencing and telepresence?

Is it the Microsoft enterprise IM software that will be integrated with your company's PBX to create that unified communications solution? Or will it be IBM's? It's like there's no other options out there. Of course, this just ain't the case.

When it comes to voice communications, Microsoft has long maintained a two-pronged approach: Office Communications Server on the one hand and Response Point on the other. Though the two products ostensibly serve a similar purpose – they give Microsoft a play in a business voice communications market previously closed to it – there’s been this "Oh, OCS is OCS and RP is RP, and never the twain shall meet" air about them.

There's been something of a trend recently with developers of the dual-mode voice solutions not just supporting corporate WiFi networks, but also public WiFi hotspots and WiFi access points deployed in the home.

Or rather Boston. I've been spending the early part of the week here at Avaya’s annual analyst conference. There are a number of new faces in the halls, so I thought I’d call attention to a few of them....

Cisco Unified Communications System 7.0 is a portfolio of existing, newly enhanced communications products. System 7.0 is also a way for Cisco to better coordinate and test upgrades of its increasingly large communications system and software portfolio.

Nokia announced that it plans to cease developing or marketing its own behind-the-firewall business mobility solutions: Intellisync, a Nokia product that provides mobile email, device management, file and application synchronization and dual-mode telephony capabilities for a number of business communications solutions.

As Eric pointed out Cisco’s acquisition of Jabber is all about the company delivering a unified communications solution that can go head to head with Microsoft. With its Unified Communications Manager, Unified Presence Server, Unified Personal Communicator, and other software,...

One of the details overlooked in reports I’ve read about Nortel’s acquisition of Pingtel is the fact that the SIPxchange Enterprise Communications Server will no longer be actively sold and marketed to businesses. SIPxchange ECS has been Pingtel’s open source...

There’s been a whole lotta analyst hatin’ over on this other NoJitter thread, so please forgive me for being a bit nervous about returning to the topic of Microsoft as a developer of telephony software. I’ll overlook all those disparaging...

While speaking with Polycom the other day about its recently released Converged Management Application, I learned it includes a desktop client that presents end users with the familiar “buddy list” interface so common to unified communications solutions these days. Status...

Despite the respectable amount of coverage of The Gores Group acquiring majority ownership of Siemens Enterprise Communications, one aspect of the newly formed joint venture that no one seems to be examining in much detail is SER Solutions. SER is...

So you’re deploying Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 for corporate instant messaging. You’re deploying the Office Communicator client on desktops and laptops, but want end users to have access to it from their mobile phones as well. No problem: That’s...

There was some a little nice give and take on this site about the relative value of a VoIP systems developer delivering a unified communications solution with its own home-grown IM presence. The chat centered around ShoreTel 8 and its...

It’s common knowledge that Siemens AG, the Munich based conglomerate that spun off its carrier systems division into a joint venture with Nokia, has been seeking suitors for its enterprise division as well. Nortel and private equity firm Cerberus Capital...

As Eric pointed out, leadership changes are afoot at Avaya. Lou D’Ambrosio has stepped down for medical reasons, Charlie Giancarlo has stepped in as interim CEO, and the company has stepped up its search for a permanent leader....

Tucked into the press release on Cisco’s new Mobile Services Architecture is this line: Mobile Intelligent Roaming facilitates seamless handoff of dual-mode mobile devices between Wi-Fi and cellular networks based on availability, real-time network information and user location....

I’ve been spending a little time coming up to speed with Aastra lately. You may recall that the company just closed on its acquisition of Ericsson’s enterprise business. It was the latest in a string of M&A activity that brought...

One last observation to wrap up my musings on the Microsoft-Aspect alliance. Tucked into the press release announcing the whole shebang was this curious line:...

NoJitter reader Kevin noted that Aspect is by no means the first to integrate Microsoft Live/Office Communications Server with its contact center solution. Mitel has in fact been doing this for a while. It’s a great point, so I spoke...

Will Siemens Enterprise’s announcement of OpenScape Contact Center and Microsoft’s strategic alliance with Aspect lead to widespread LCS/OCS integration in contact center solutions? That’s the $64,000 question in my mind these days....

Some rather sobering stats were issued from our friends at Canalys: In less than a year Apple has apparently become the #2 smart phone developer in the US. That puts iPhone right behind the Blackberry in terms of the number...

Something that was overshadowed in all the hullabaloo over Cisco’s TelePresence marketeering at VoiceCon is that Marriott is deploying HP Halo in a bunch of its hotels around the world. It’s a fantastic move, really. Many companies will simply not...

I read with interest about the Swift-Galvin handshake to test interoperability between Microsoft and IBM’s instant messaging unified communications software at VoiceCon Fall in November. It’s a topic I’ve droned on a bit about before and am glad to see...

NoJitter reader “Gas bag” commented on news that Cisco will use its TelePresence technology to conference in Al Gore as a keynote speaker at VoiceCon:...

Nortel and Microsoft’s Innovative Communications Alliance is a never-ending source of fascination to me. Not so much for the various solutions they introduce, though these are of course interesting in their own right, but for the direction they are clearly...

Who is going to pick up Siemens Enterprise Communications? It’s a question that’s been asked for nearly two years, but the recent workforce reduction announcement has brought it back to the forefront of my mind. Eric Krapf ran through a...

“Hey, you got your PBX in my UC server.” “No, you got your UC server in my PBX!” There’s a certain Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup quality to this week’s product announcement from Siemens Enterprise Communications. The company’s new OpenScape Unified...

In my Breakthrough in Enterprise IM Interoperability? post I bemoaned the fact that at Lotusphere I caught wind of a way of using NEC or Siemens Enterprise Communications software as a means of connecting IBM Sametime and Microsoft Office Communications...

The lack of federation between enterprise instant messaging systems has been the figurative thorn in my flesh for quite some time now. The fact that presence information can be shared among public IM services like MSN, Yahoo! Messenger, and AIM...

Sorry to get all Hardy Boys with you on the blog title - I just couldn’t resist. Here’s the story: I was recently perusing the Inter-Tel product page and noticed that, curiously, the Inter-Tel 7000 is no longer listed. And...

Some pretty big news out of Redmond this week: Jeff Raikes is passing the baton to Stephen Elop to lead the massive $16.4 billion Microsoft Business Division. Reaching outside the company for a top dog to replace the estimable Mr....

My recent post on Digium resulted in a conversation with the company about its multifaceted role as the manager of an open source PBX community, developer of PBX systems, and provider of enabling communications software to rival PBX developers. Here...