Riding the wave generated by Microsoft’s launch of its heralded Unified Communications (News - Alert) platform, NEC Corporation has announced a set of products designed to easily integrate into businesses’ Unified Communications solutions and allow users to enjoy the multifaceted benefits of today’s advanced technology. The new products, and general Microsoft (News - Alert) integration, are designed to provide a migration path to VoIP, and to integrate Unified Communications into their existing business communications environments.

 

In addition to committing to integrating its latest converged communications technologies with Microsoft Unified Communications product suite — Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Office Live Meeting, Office Communications Server 2007, Office Communicator 2007, Office SharePoint Server 2007 — NEC (News - Alert) has announced a USB handset, collaboration middleware, and a media gateway, all of which will be tightly integrated with OCS 2007 and OC 2007.

 

NEC’s USB handset, the UTR-UC-1, like other USB devices, is a plug and play handset that brings high quality voice, not unlike a standard desktop phone, to the computing environment for both office and mobile users. With the handset, users will be able to conveniently carry on voice communications using Office Communicator, wherever they are. And because of the integration with OC, they will also be able to enjoy the presence features of the Microsoft software. 

 

The MGW media gateway, also designed specifically for use with Office Communicator, enables PSTN/ISDN interconnectivity with OCS 2007. It also acts as a VoIP gateway by providing connectivity to an existing corporate PBX (News - Alert) and KTS for Office Communication Server.

 

Furthering its drive to deliver solutions to take advantage of emerging communications technologies, such as those introduced by Microsoft, NEC also plans to enable its UNIVERGE portfolio to work seamlessly in conjunction with Microsoft’s solutions, to enable real-time collaboration and presence functionality with both fixed and mobile devices.

 

NEC believes that the best way to achieve such efficiency and productivity through communications is to support the Microsoft initiative — given Microsoft’s dominance in the software world, that should prove a wise decision. By integrating with Microsoft, NEC will be able to provide customers with a single source for combined Microsoft and NEC communications environments, making both decision making and implementation easier.

 

“NEC’s collaboration with Microsoft will be important to help customers maximize their existing investments while moving to a software-based communications infrastructure,” said Kim Akers, general manager of Unified Communications at Microsoft.

 

The latest announcement from NEC comes as no surprise, given its 30-year relationship with Microsoft. That relationship has been, and will continue to be driven be the desire to help their customers maximize on the potential of Unified Communications and easily integrate it into their business communications solutions.