Microsoft Launches Next Wave of Business Communications Software

Customers report savings of up to 30 percent from VoIP, conferencing software; more than 50 partners announce new products and services.

SYDNEY - 17 October, 2007 - Today, Microsoft Australia announced the local availability of Microsoft's unified communications software, taking the first step toward streamlining workplace communications and helping reduce the cost of the average corporate voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) system.

Speaking at the worldwide launch in the United States overnight, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., said, "In the next decade, sweeping technology innovations driven by the power of software will transform communications. Working with partners, we're making rapid advances that will enable fundamental advances in the way people communicate and collaborate at work.”

Microsoft Australia's partners are already delivering value to early adopter customers across a broad range of vertical markets.

Audrey William, research manager, Unified Communications at Frost & Sullivan Australia, said, "Microsoft has done an excellent job of readying the local partner community, and as a result, has experienced broad local adoption from both partners and customers across a wide range of sectors, with particularly strong momentum in the financial services, healthcare and professional services industries. The new opportunities and benefits that Microsoft's software-based approach is creating for both partners and customers are gaining industry recognition, placing the company in a strong position to charge ahead in this space.”

Microsoft launched unified communications and VoIP software that includes the following:

  • Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007. Software that delivers VoIP, video, instant messaging, conferencing and presence within the applications people already know and use such as Microsoft Office system applications and upcoming versions of Microsoft Dynamics™ ERP products and the Microsoft CRM release due later this year;
  • Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. Client software for phone, instant messaging and video communications that works across the PC, mobile phone and Web browser;
  • Microsoft Office Live Meeting. The next version of Microsoft's advanced conferencing service that enables workers to conduct meetings, share documents, utilise video and record discussions from virtually any computer;
  • Microsoft RoundTable™. A conferencing phone with a 360-degree camera that captures a panoramic view of meeting participants, tracks the speaker and can record meetings;
  • Service pack update of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The industry's leading e-mail, voice mail, calendaring and unified messaging platform.

Dramatic Business Results for Customers
Hundreds of customers (http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies) globally are reporting dramatic time savings due to more efficient communications and cost savings of up to 30 percent over traditional communications technologies. Lion Nathan and BHP Billiton were among the Australian customers that joined the global launch event in San Francisco to discuss the positive impact of Microsoft technology on their business.

"HP and Microsoft provided us early access to the Microsoft Roundtable device, which now allows what would previously have been a simple audio conference call with remote parties, to become an immersive meeting containing rich audio, video and data,” said Darryl Warren, CIO at Lion Nathan. "HP Services' effort to bring these products to life has truly redefined the way Lion Nathan performs our team meetings between cities and countries. The Microsoft Roundtable device is the best representation of a 360-degree room I have seen.”

"I think we definitely attained a better understanding of the value of presence within our organisation since deploying the Office Communications Server 2007 solution,” said Ian Hoyle, Principal Architect, Technology Enterprise IT Strategy Group at BHP Billiton. "With distributed groups, it is important to know where people are and when they are available. This helps open communication, saves time, and improves decision-making.”

Analyst Support
Supporting these findings, William from Frost & Sullivan Australia continued, "Microsoft has been one of the most active vendors in the Unified Communications arena and has been instrumental in the overall movement of the space in Australia. The company has clearly demonstrated its value proposition and overall unified communications roadmap in the Australian market. Through its strategic acquisitions and alliances with telephony vendors, as well as working closely with niche application vendors, Microsoft has bolstered its portfolio of solutions and services in the space to provide a compelling end-to-end set of products.”

In addition, Forrester Consulting found in a study commissioned by Microsoft that organisations may achieve significant productivity improvements and cost savings with unified communications. The Forrester study, created from the results of 15 in-depth interviews of Microsoft unified communications customers, found that these customers can achieve more than 500 percent return on investment (ROI) over three years by deploying Office Communications Server 2007.

Partner Support
More than 50 partners joined Microsoft to announce new products and services built on Microsoft's unified communications platform. These partners include the following:

  • Systems integrators. Seven hundred ninety-three (793) partners (including 23 partners in Australia) have achieved Microsoft's UC Specialisation in less than four months since Microsoft opened the program. These partners are trained to help customers deploy Microsoft unified communications software.
  • Telephony providers. Three global telephony leaders are announcing their road maps to build next-generation software applications on Microsoft's voice platform:
    • Nortel Networks confirmed pending availability of five software-based solutions and applications to enhance Office Communications Server as part of the Innovative Communications Alliance (http://www.innovativecommunicationsalliance.com). Nortel also confirmed it is on track to more than double the number of Office Communications Server certified engineers in the UC Systems Integration practice.
    • Ericsson announced the Ericsson Enterprise Mobility Gateway, which will be built on VoIP call management in Office Communications Server to bring office communications to any mobile device, reducing mobile costs and maximising existing investments.
    • Mitel Networks Corp. announced plans to develop a software-based solution that leverages Office Communications Server's VoIP call management capabilities to meet the specialised telephony needs of small and medium-sized businesses in vertical markets.
  • Independent software vendors. Independent software vendors announced plans to incorporate presence and click-to-communicate features from Microsoft's unified communications platform into their software applications. Additionally, SAP AG plans to integrate Office Communications Server with Duet software, which is jointly developed with Microsoft and provides access to SAP processes and data through Microsoft Office applications. This will enable business users to see presence and to click-to-communicate while working within Duet.
  • Phone and device manufacturers. Seven manufacturers announced global availability of 15 new Microsoft UC-qualified phones and devices today, increasing choices for customers. Microsoft is working closely with more than 15 strategic partners to develop new UC-enabled endpoints including handsets, wireless phones, webcams and laptops. Conferencing leader Tandberg also announced its plans to build a video and webconferencing solution incorporating Microsoft unified communications software to ensure that customers can maximise their investment in existing infrastructure.

"Microsoft partners are delivering people-ready communications solutions to a wide range of Australian customers,” said Oscar Trimboli, director of unified communications at Microsoft Australia. "We believe that unified communications software will transform business communications as fundamentally as e-mail did in the 1990s. Today, Microsoft is in the VoIP game, and our customers and partners are already winning with better economics and new business opportunities.”

Continued Commitment to Interoperability
Microsoft also unveiled Unified Communications Open Interoperability, a telephony system qualification program, to give customers the assurance that Microsoft unified communications software works with their telephony systems. A list of qualified products, including eight products from five companies that have already received the qualification, is available here http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=87482.

To view the global keynote address, learn more about Microsoft's unified communications software or download evaluation copies, customers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/uc.

-Ends-

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.

For more information, (media only) please contact:

Cara Leggett, Microsoft Australia on (02) 9870 2220 or i-carale@microsoft.com
Alex Murphy, Howorth Communications, on (02) 8281 3801 or alex@howorth.com.au
Ry Crozier, Howorth Communications, on (02) 8281 3832 or ry@howorth.com.au

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