2,500 IT professionals are currently involved in the private beta testing of the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. With the Office Communications Server 2007, the Redmond Company aims to deliver an enterprise voice communications server, designed to integrate VoIP technology with the communications' infrastructure. The voice over Internet Protocol capabilities of the Office Communications Server 2007 will enable person-to-person or multiparty phone calls even from 2007 Microsoft Office applications.

"The convergence of telecom and data networks is happening rapidly. Software will integrate these two worlds, enabling IT managers to deliver new communications possibilities that include VoIP," said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft. "With this open architecture and broad interoperability, Office Communications Server 2007 will give IT managers the flexibility to determine when and how and in what way they move their communications infrastructure forward."

Office Communications Server 2007 is designed to replace Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005, and it supports Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The voice server enables secure corporate instant messaging, on-premise audio, video and Web conferences hosting and VoIP.

"Some of the capabilities available in the private beta of Office Communications Server 2007 are placing and receiving voice calls; advanced call routing; streamlined integration with the new unified messaging capabilities in Exchange Server 2007; multiparty conferencing; call holding, forwarding and transferring; and compliance capabilities, all while working in concert with existing telephony infrastructure," revealed the Redmond Company.