14 DAY TRIAL // With the unified communications platform business delivering strong growth in the background, Microsoft has revealed that it is expanding the reach of its software-powered videoconferencing to desktops, being what the solutions initially offered. With a strong focus on interoperability, the Redmond company announced that Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 would begin to play well with videoconferencing systems.
"I am excited at the enthusiastic customer and partner response to our unified communications launch. In the last six months, we have seen some amazing customer testimonials, triple-digit business growth and widespread adoption that are bringing the power of face-to-face, high-quality videoconferencing out of the boardroom and to the broader organization," explained Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president for the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft.
In this context, the Redmond company indicated that it's ready to pour additional fuel into the growth of its unified communications solutions. March 17, 2008, marks the day when Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator 2007 start to play well with over 60% of the business conferencing systems deployed worldwide. This has been achieved via the new interoperability between the Redmond company's software-based videoconferencing offerings and conferencing systems from Polycom and TANDBERG.
Peter Nutley, Director of Global Product Marketing TANDBERG, emphasized that as video is an indispensable component of any strategy at corporate levels, its communications solutions will indeed offer customers interoperability with Office Communications Server 2007.
"Polycom is committed to providing voice and visual communications solutions that work with Microsoft's open unified communications platform. Offering interoperability with Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator 2007 will allow customers to use Polycom visual communications as an extension of the Microsoft applications they already use to communicate with others, and will help make visual communications easier to manage in a Microsoft unified communications network," said Joe Sigrist, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video Solutions Polycom.