Posts Tagged ‘microsoft’

Polycom ready to take on competition head-on with Microsoft’s help

The big event that’s happening this week is Microsoft’s WPC, or Wordwide Partner Conference, going on in the nation’s capitol. So far the Redmond Giant has unveiled its cloud strategy (Azure) and mobile devices (Windows 7 tablets and smartphones), but there are more goodies to come (for instance, about its gaming tech Xbox and Kinect).

What we’re most interested in is updates on Communications Server “14,” the next generation OCS which made plenty of headlines earlier this year at VoiceCon Orlando.

Well, nothing new about “14″ has come out of WPC, but partner Polycom did release news about new IP phones made specific for Communications Server “14.” Polycom’s new CX IP phones and telepresence solutions will work with “14″ and the usual Microsoft productivity and collaboration software like Exchange and SharePoint.

I can see Microsoft gaining a slight edge against its competition in the UC space. First, partnerships with companies like Polycom are very important to maintain a thriving UC ecosystem, and Microsoft knows how to win partners. The company is able to focus on what it does best — software innovation — while partners come up with the nifty hardware and accessories. Cisco, on the other hand, favors manufacturing its own fancy phones, UC servers, and whatever software to make them all work.

Then there’s the whole interoperability debate. No matter which side of the debate you’re on, Microsoft can soundly say that it is committed to interoperability with being a founding member (Polycom, too) of the UCIF. Although Cisco has made numerous announcements about committing to interoperability, it shows no interest in joining this industry forum. So Microsoft may have won, for now, the interop publicity battle.

Recently Polycom CEO Andrew Miller went on the record to say that the company is not looking to be bought out. Having Microsoft as a close ally certainly doesn’t hurt…

Official press release from Polycom:

PLEASANTON, Calif. and Washington D.C. – Jul 12, 2010 : As technology leaders convene in Washington D.C. for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2010, Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), a global leader in telepresence, video and voice communications, will profile for the first time several enhanced capabilities of its new CX IP phones before an audience of Microsoft partners. Via native integration with Microsoft Communications Server “14,” a business solution for presence, instant messaging, voice, video and web conferencing that connects people in new ways, anytime, anywhere, Polycom’s new CX IP phones deliver a more affordable, rich unified communications experience.

“The once clear lines between voice communications, video conferencing, telecom, and IT are disappearing, as these previously disparate technologies are unifying under groundbreaking platforms like Microsoft Communications Server ’14,’” said Garry Reichert, vice president of Strategic Partners at Polycom. “Microsoft is an important partner in the Polycom Open Collaboration Network, and with the CX series IP phones profiled at WPC 2010, we are offering real-world solutions for channel partners who are looking to break out of fast-disappearing niches and succeed in a world increasingly defined by end-to-end UC solutions that are complete, compelling and interoperable.”

Polycom Solutions Optimized for Microsoft Unified Communications
The Polycom CX series includes two new network-based IP desktop phones (CX500 and CX600) and the industry’s first and only IP conference phone (CX3000) designed for Communications Server “14.” The three new phones offer one of the most robust feature sets available for Microsoft Communications Server “14,” including Polycom HD Voice™ sound quality and the legendary ease of use of Polycom’s renowned hardware and ergonomic design.

Polycom will also demonstrate additional UC solutions that deliver a richer experience with Communications Server “14″ including the CX700 IP phone, CX5000 Unified Conference Station and Polycom HDX personal and room-based HD telepresence solutions. In addition, Polycom will show its integration with Microsoft in other areas including Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server to simplify the scheduling, joining, recording, streaming and rich content sharing for voice and video meetings. Polycom offers a comprehensive portfolio of integrated solutions spanning voice, video and application integration for Microsoft unified communications.

“At WPC, Microsoft partners from around the world will see how Polycom solutions maximize the reach of Communications Server ’14,’ while offering one of the highest-quality voice communications experiences delivered from Polycom HD Voice technology,” said Kirk Gregersen, senior director of Unified Communications at Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft has worked with Polycom to deliver exceptional voice and video experiences within a unified Microsoft environment. As our partners are learning this week, the CX series is an important part of that portfolio.”

CX IP Phones Features
All three new CX IP phones seamlessly integrate with Microsoft Communications Server “14,” independent of a PC, to provide enhanced unified communications to a broader set of use cases and environments. Some of the new enhancements include:

• Photo-enabled contact information for easier recognition
• Visual voicemail enables users to easily select only the voicemails they want to hear
• Viewable calendar information on phone and join meetings easily with one-click
• Automatic synchronization of call logs between both the phone and the Communicator “14″ PC client, saving users time by reducing the number of look-ups
• Simplified pin authentication for easy sign-in on any device
• “Better together” USB connectivity (CX600 and CX3000) to an associated PC, enabling single sign-in, click-to-dial from a PC and audio coordination between phone and PC.

Partner Opportunities
For WPC 2010 attendees, Polycom will spotlight how its CX series phones enable information workers to access the productivity-enhancing features of Communications Server “14,” delivering a personalized phone experience that makes telephony a more effective part of business communications. Polycom also plans to outline the opportunities the CX series offers to Microsoft and Polycom channel partners. For Microsoft partners new to Polycom, the CX line and Polycom’s video conferencing and telepresence solutions offer an opportunity to enhance the revenue potential of Microsoft UC sales through a comprehensive hardware, software and services solution. For Polycom partners, the CX series offers a way to solve customers’ UC application needs with a unique Polycom solution and benefit from the momentum and new user capabilities surrounding Microsoft Communications Server “14.”

Pricing and Availability
Polycom CX series phones are affordably priced from MSRP U.S. $199 for the CX500 IP phone, designed for use in public areas; $299 for the CX600 IP desktop phone; and $849 for the CX3000 IP conference phone. The new phones will be available in the fourth quarter of 2010. To see a demo of the new phones, visit Polycom at WPC booth no. 339.

About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) is a global leader in telepresence, video, and voice solutions and a visionary in communications that empower people to connect and collaborate everywhere. Visit www.polycom.com for more information and follow us on Twitter @AllAboutPolycom.

© 2010 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. POLYCOM®, the Polycom “Triangles” logo and the names and marks associated with Polycom’s products are trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc. and are registered and/or common law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Contacts

• Kevin Young
  Polycom, Inc.
  +1.303.408.9711
  kyoung@polycom.com

Is Microsoft playing both sides of the interoperability game?

Jamie Stark, Senior Technical Product Manager at Microsoft, posted some updates on the UC Group Team Blog, starting off by addressing recent developments in interoperability:

First off – on Wednesday, May 19^th, industry leaders including HP, Juniper Networks, Logitech / LifeSize, Polycom, and Microsoft announced the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF). UCIF is a non-profit, open alliance of worldwide technology companies that will develop interoperability profiles, certification, and testing programs in order to enable UC interoperability scenarios. The UCIF’s vision is to enable interoperability of UC hardware and software across enterprises, service providers, and consumer clouds, as a means of protecting customer’s existing investments, simplifying their transition to more extended UC networks, and generating incremental business opportunity for all stakeholders in the ecosystem. To learn more about UCIF, including the growing list of companies who have joined the forum, check out the website at www.ucif.org

Of course, Microsoft has been delivering practical interoperability solutions to our unified communications customers since the launch of the UC Open Interoperability Program, or UCOIP, in 2007.   The UCOIP is a qualification program for gateways, IP-PBXs, and SIP trunks services that is intended to ensure that customers have seamless experiences with the setup, support, and use of qualified telephony infrastructure with Communications Server.  Any IP-PBX, SIP/PSTN gateway, or SIP Trunking vendor that meets the qualification requirements, conforms to the specifications, and successfully completes the third party testing performed byTekVizion labs will have their solution published on the UCOIP web site.

The establishment of the UCIF has been welcomed news — for the most part — by vendors and industry analysts. Still missing in its membership are biggies like Cisco and Avaya, and the former doesn’t seem to have any intention of becoming an UCIF member anytime soon. Microsoft gladly signed up to be a founding member, and the company historically actively participates in any sort of industry forum because it knows it has a lot of influence being the top software company in the world.

But as Stark stated, Microsoft launched UCOIP in 2007. Don’t let the name fool you, however. Even though the “O” stands for “Open,” it really only pertains to interoperability with Microsoft’s own communications software. The official overview of the program:

The qualification program for SIP/PSTN Gateways, IP-PBXs and SIP Trunking Services ensures that customers have seamless experiences with setup, support, and use of qualified telephony infrastructure and services with Microsoft’s unified communications software and Microsoft Office Communications Online (BPOS-Dedicated).

So on the one hand Microsoft wants in on UCIF, but continues to spread the Interoperability Gospel According to Microsoft.

One has to wonder: How committed is Microsoft in making its UC products interoperable in the general sense?

One step closer to UC interoperability

The state of unified communications (UC) is anything but. Vendors have reasons not to offer interoperability, but often at the risk of losing customers because it is one issue that’s on top of many customers’ minds. Some major vendors are taking the first step to ease this pain by founding the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF). Kudos to the founding members for initiating this: Microsoft, HP, Juniper Networks, Polycom, and Logitech (LifeSize). The organization aims to model after the WiFi Alliance in terms of establishing interoperability guidelines and certifications based on existing UC technology standards. The Forum doesn’t intend to create standards.

This is a step in the right direction for UC faithfuls. Obviously, the news would’ve been even better if Cisco was already a member. As of now, one cannot help but think this as a defense play against Cisco’s dominance, perhaps to eventually force Cisco to join the interoperability wagon. That depends highly on how well the Forum conducts its business because if it turns out that nobody cares for the “UCIF Certified” sticker, then there’s nothing to be gained for vendors to test their products for interoperability.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Cisco’s Competitors Team Up, Form Unified Communication Interoperability Alliance (gigaom.com)
• Unified comms interoperability alliance launches – minus Cisco (computing.co.uk)

VoiceCon: Wednesday keynote afterthoughts – the invasion of the software giants

My live blogging coverage of today’s keynotes by IBM and Microsoft, and the User Forum, are here.

Honestly, this year’s VoiceCon attendance could probably be categorized into two groups: those concerned about the Avaya-Nortel roadmap, and those who are Microsoft OCS fans. Yesterday the first group got what they wanted from Avaya President and CEO Kevin Kennedy. This morning it was up to Microsoft’s Gurdeep Singh Pall to satisfy OCS fans.

And satisfy he did. Although most people already kinda-sorta knew about the next revision of OCS, dubbed Communications Server “14,” you could still feel the electricity during Pall’s presentation and official announcement. The ballroom was packed and online viewers of the VoiceCon live stream topped 250 (according to my observation — not an official statistic). I’m wondering if it ever became a trending topic on Twitter? And thanks to a smooth live demo with the help of a couple other employees, Microsoft really hit a home run this time.

Some things we learned from the Redmont Giant’s presentation:

• Having long hair is a badge of honor at Microsoft. During a formal event (e.g. VoiceCon keynote and demo) it’s recommended that the long hair be bunched into a ponytail. An additional badge of honor if you have full facial hair.
• Demos should be run like an infomercial with lots of yelling. By the end of the “14″ demonstration I was disappointed that the screens didn’t flash a toll-free number for me to place an order (shipping and handling not included) and perhaps get in on some sort of buy one get one — no, two — no! THREE! — deal. I had an urge to purchase a Slap Chop after watching the “14″ demo.
• “14″ will take into account geolocation information to enable the proper E911 communication.
• It still does voicemail. Fancy voicemail, but still voicemail. But who really uses voicemail these days??? I thought it was a poor feature to demo.
• Most importantly, Microsoft is positioning the Communications Server “14″ as a potential PBX replacement. Yes, Pall had to be somewhat political about stating this, but have no doubt about it — Microsoft is ready to takeover all of your communications needs. Pall said that “14″ plays nice in a multi-platform setting with PBXs and UC servers, but should an organization decide to abandon the PBXs there won’t be a problem with just having “14″ in the house. I would’ve loved to see the faces of Avaya and Alcatel-Lucent execs when Pall mentioned this…

What about the other software giant, Big Blue?

In recent years IBM’s Lotus and Sametime applications have evolved into the buzzwordy, buzzworthy “unified communications and collaboration” (UC&C, or UC2, for short). After all, IBM marketing is well known for its effective branding and re-branding campaigns. Having worked at IBM previously and forced to use Lotus Notes (often referred to as “Lotus Bloats”) and Sametime (referred to as “Sometime” because that’s how often it worked) during the stint, I must say that these products have evolved for the better. Alistair Rennie’s major point was that Lotus and Sametime can help an organization leverage its existing IT assets instead of having to throw them away to adopt newer technologies. He even had on stage a trash bin and threw a PBX and IP phones into it to visually make the point. Only reminded me of how I felt before about Notes and Sametime, but I digress…

According to Rennie the key is middleware and the cloud-based services. Funny, just happened to be the two areas IBM is known for. The demo drove those points effectively, where a sales executive in need of a signature was able to collaborate with his boss to co-edit (via cloud services) a contract in real time and send it to the customer for digital signature (third party middleware). Voilà — real world scenario with real IBM solutions.

But what really impressed me was the Lotus Foundations appliance for SMBs. It’s a simple Linux-based (i.e. low cost) box which features the Lotus email, collaboration, and productivity goodies. It’s touted as a very resilient system for SMBs to get a taste of Lotus sweetness. Mom and pop businesses are now getting the attention of Big Blue too.

It’s apparent that in the fight for UC&C dominance battle lines are drawn but battles fronts are blurred. It’s no longer hardware vs. software, or premise vs. hosted, or standard vs. proprietary. The competition today consists of traditional telecom vendors, data networking companies, software firms, etc., each vying for a piece of the pie. Fundamentally, however, the customer is still king and the customer doesn’t care how it works — just make it work, cheaply.

VoiceCon LIVE – Wednesday keynotes

Today it’s IBM and Microsoft presenting with the User Forum in-between their keynotes.

• Alistair Rennie, General Manager, Lotus Software and Websphere Portal, IBM Software Group
• User Forum
  • Moderators: Eric Krapf, Co-Chair, VoiceCon, and Editor, NoJitter.com; and Zeus Kerravala, SVP Enterprise Research, The Yankee Group
  • Panelists: Duane Longhofer (Telecom Manager, AccuQuote), Jason Norton (Director of Operations and Telecom, Scripps Networks), Donna Zett (Chief Innovation Office, Serta International), and Darrius Jones (Executive Director Channel Management, USAA)
• Gurdeep Singh Pall, Corporate Vice President, Unified Communications Group, Microsoft