NEC Corporation announced today that it is working with IBM (News - Alert) Corporation to deliver advanced unified communication and collaboration capabilities to businesses around the world.


As a global player in enterprise communications, NEC (News - Alert) will integrate its UNIVERGE IP communication servers with the IBM Lotus Sametime 8.0 collaboration platform, an enterprise messaging software for enterprise customers.

 

Using NEC’s UNIVERGE gateway module for IBM Louts Sametime, companies will be able to view online presence information, as well as leverage click-to-call services from within a Lotus Sametime instant messaging chat, Web conference or IBM Lotus Notes e-mail inbox.

 

This new integration uses the open Eclipse-based Lotus Sametime platform and the Lotus Sametime Telephony Conferencing Service Provider Interface (TCSPI) to support the convergence of voice and data.

 

Click-to-call access can be gained by businesses implementing NEC’s newly developed TCSPI interface plug-in software in the UNIVERGE gateway module for Lotus software. The extensible framework of Louts Sametime and its efficient operation through a centralized helps to make the implementation of NEC’s plug-ins simple.

 

NEC Australia plans to deliver its first beta release of the UNIVERGE gateway module for IBM Lotus Sametime to an IBM Australia customer, in February of 2008.

 

The incorporation of communications and collaboration capabilities into business work processes for professionals can improve the speed and efficiency of customer services, producing faster outcomes and better customer satisfaction.

 

IBM’s Lotus Sametime 8.0 unified communications and collaboration platform and NEC’s UNIVERGE IP communication server enable users to find specialists quickly based on location and topic and collaborate immediately through instant messaging or a VoIP phone conversation.

 

This integration with Lotus Sametime software is expected to benefit healthcare facilities, the hospitality industry and educational organization that have a need to communicate rapidly and immediately to resolve issues, collaborate or find the right specialist at the right time. 

 

"The goal of IBM's UC2 strategy is to drive business agility and innovation by simplifying and unifying communications and collaboration in the context of where and how people work every day,” said Bruce Morse, Vice President, Lotus Software Group, IBM Corporation, in a Monday statement. “With today's announcement, NEC customers will have the choice to integrate their communications into Lotus Sametime, to help streamline business processes.”

 

“It is exciting for customers to be able to integrate Lotus Sametime, the industry's leading instant messaging and "on premise" Web conferencing solution, with the superior reliability of NEC’s UNIVERGE IP communications servers,” said Kazuo Tsuzuki, Associate Senior Vice President, Enterprise Solutions, NEC Corporation, in Monday’s statement.

 

Tsuzuki continued: “Whether it is advancing a business decision via rich collaboration in a web conference or using Lotus Sametime click-to-call features, these complementary offerings from IBM and NEC will deliver the best solution to our mutual customers.”

 

NEC’s UNIVERGE gateway module for IBM Lotus Sametime will be available in the US, Europe, Japan, and Australia in early April, 2008.  

Businesses throughout the world are discovering the benefits of unified communications. As a result, the opportunities for companies such as NEC and IBM are expanding rapidly.

By partnering together, these two companies are not only addressing a key challenge in the industry and providing exactly what these businesses need to propel their own communication capabilities, they are also working together to help drive demand. Such a strategy will help each to effectively continue to expand their market reach and continue to dominate.