Nemertes Impact Analysis

The Impact Analysis is a weekly quick-take on breaking IT news.
Nemertes provides expert insight on how recent IT news affects you.

Microsoft Ups the IP-PBX Ante

Microsoft updated Office Communications Server 2007 to add beefed-up
telephony features. Microsoft's move underscores the reality that most
organizations have not yet accepted the viability of OCS as an enterprise IP-PBX
replacement.

Just 27% of participants in the Nemertes' benchmark, Unified
Communications and Collaboration, said that Microsoft's entry into the UC
space has changed their telephony plans. Since 99.1% have already begun to
implement VOIP, Microsoft, to succeed, must offer a compelling business value to
get customers to change plans on which they have already begun to execute.

Impacts:

Enterprises: Receptive to PC-based telephony? Microsoft's new telephony and
UC features may prove attractive; evaluate OCS as part of your go-forward
strategy.

Vendors: Opportunities exist to support OCS in areas such as management,
security, interoperability and remote site resilience.

Investors: Microsoft's move will increase pressure on VOIP vendors such as
privately held Avaya, Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO), Nortel (NYSE:NT), and privately held
Siemens.

Irwin Lazar, Principal Research Analyst and Program Director

http://www.nemertes.com/benchmarks/unified_communications_and_collaboration

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/oct08/10-14OCSR2PR.mspx