14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Corp. and Vodafone Group Plc announced the signing of an agreement according to which Vodafone will offer businesses a single communication and collaboration solution that includes fixed and mobile voice and data, as well as equipment and handsets, and Microsoft Online Services. The Microsoft Online Services are hosted by the Redmond company and added to the carrier's offering, and they are stated to provide enterprise-class communications and collaboration software as subscription services to all businesses.
The Microsoft Online Services will include Microsoft Exchange Online, which includes e-mail and calendars through the PC, phone and browser, Microsoft SharePoint Online, designed for portals, collaboration, search and customized team sites, Microsoft Office Communications Online aimed at instant messaging and presence, as well as the Microsoft Office Live Meeting, which enables webconferencing and videoconferencing.
The Microsoft Online Services are already available in the United States and are expected to become available in other markets as well, starting with the first half of the ongoing year. The mobile phone carrier will start offering the combined solution in Germany and Spain later in 2009, and additional markets will follow after the initial launch.
“The demands on our customers are changing dramatically in today’s complex business and economic environment,” said Tom Craig, Global Business Services director, Vodafone Group. “By combining Vodafone’s fixed and mobile communication services with Microsoft Online Services we can provide all the elements of a fully hosted communications solution, delivering the real benefits of agility, flexibility, productivity and choice that our customers are demanding.”
The new Microsoft and Vodafone offering allows business customers to enjoy the Microsoft Online Services and Vodafone’s voice and data services in a single easy-to-manage solution. The offering is meant to ease the routine maintenance and management tasks, while the focus can be changed towards business-critical objectives. The services will be offered by a single provider, turning the entire experience into a faster, easier and effective one.
“Today’s announcement is a significant step forward in our partnership with Vodafone,” said Martha Béjar, corporate vice president of the Communications Sector at Microsoft. “Through our work with Vodafone, we’re aiming to provide solutions for a growing number of businesses that are looking for new ways to control costs and do more with less, without impacting the productivity of their people, their most valuable asset.”
The carrier will provide direct support for customers, while Microsoft will host its Online Services in its data centers. The two companies also announced that they planned to further leverage their partnership through future collaborations to provide a fully converged fixed and mobile communication solution for businesses with the integration of the Vodafone Voice Services and Virtual PBX as well.