| Weve heard all about the benefits of
unified messaging. Its like a really great closet organizer that keeps
all of your pants, shirts, shoes, and hats neatly in one place. You open
your closet door, and there are all of your clothes. Likewise, with
unified messaging, you open up your messaging program, and there you find
voice mail, e-mail, fax messages, and sometimes even video, all in easy
view, ready for you to review as needed.
Fueled by IP networks and the Web, unified messaging is seeing a new
incarnation as a service offering. Recent developments of software
offerings and hardware tools make it possible to create powerful and
customizable unified messaging services. But unified messaging is more
complex than single-media applications.
One option is subscribing to a unified messaging service via an
application service provider (ASP). Interactive Intelligence, developer of
the Enterprise Interaction Center (EIC) communications server, announced
that it has acquired 19 percent of Interactive Portal, an ASP which plans
to offer a wide variety of subscription-based, enhanced communications and
application services. Interactive Portal plans to provide unified
messaging, one-number follow-me, conferencing, appointment
scheduling, and other virtual office services on a monthly subscription
basis to home office workers, mobile workers, and businesses of all sizes.
The company will use a new Interactive Intelligence product, EIC for
Service Providers, as the basis for its offerings.
But what if this option isnt right for you? Eicon Technology
recently introduced the DIVA Server Suite Version 2.5, software that helps
with the management of Eicons line of ISDN Server hardware. This
software also helps give network administrators the tools they need to
efficiently set up and manage ISDN remote access servers for unified
messaging. The use of ISDN for unified messaging servers makes a lot of
sense for both corporate and home office users, as multiple media types
can be integrated over a single line, and the necessary advanced
communications features (caller ID and call forwarding) are supported more
efficiently than other forms of connectivity, such as analog or T1 lines
(this allows a corporation to put up a unified messaging server that can
then transfer calls back to the PBX, in case a remote employee decides to
push 0 for the operator, for example).
No matter what your specific needs are, there is a unified messaging
solution out there that can help simplify communication, and streamline
the way employees do work. This section examines a few options in this
area to get you started.
Corporate Solutions
News
55,000+ Clients Using OfficeDomains Integrated
Messaging Service
HO2 Partners L.L.C. has led a $5 million private placement in
OfficeDomain, the developer of a client-based unified messaging platform
that has over 55,000 users worldwide. According to HO2 general partner
Charles B. Humphreyson, OfficeDomain is an excellent investment
opportunity. The explosion of voice, fax, and e-mail messaging systems
creates a huge demand for unified messaging services, Humphreyson said.
OfficeDomains management team has a proven track record for growing
technology businesses, and its core product, Message ASAP, offers benefits
that are far ahead of its competitors. Supported by the financial
resources and industry contacts of HO2 and our prominent co-investors, we
believe OfficeDomain can capture the lions share of the emerging
unified messaging market.
No. 520, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Interactive Intelligence Rolls Out New Features For EIC
Interactive Intelligence has rolled out the latest upgrade to its
Enterprise Interaction Center (EIC). This software update, known as EIC
1.3-B, makes performance improvements and adds major new features targeted
at service providers, enterprises, and call centers. Previous versions of
EIC integrated well with Microsoft Exchange Server and Lotus Notes for
unified messaging. EIC 1.3-B adds support for any e-mail platform
supporting the popular SMTP and IMAP protocols including Novell Groupwise
and Sun/Netscape Messaging Server. EIC 1.3-Bs SMTP/IMAP functionality
is designed for enterprises as well as large-scale service providers
needing to handle hundreds of thousands of mailboxes.
No. 521, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
PhoneSoft And VSI Fuse Technologies
PhoneSoft and VSI have announced the global roll-out of a pure
Notes unified messaging solution for Lotus Notes Release 5 (R5). PhoneSofts
Unified Messaging for Lotus Notes product, in its newest release, supports
VSIs VSI-FAX for Notes 3.0.1. The combination of features offered in
each companys products addresses the worldwide market demand for
unified messaging with fax capabilities for enterprise-wide
communications. VSI-FAX for Notes is recommended by PhoneSoft as the
enterprise fax solution for PhoneSofts unified messaging product
because of its pure Notes integration tools, ease of administration, and
reliability.
No. 522, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
RedRock Technologies Offers Free, Unified Messaging
Solution
RedRock Messaging, the messaging services arm of RedRock
Technologies, has announced the release of its free, flagship service
RedMsg.com. RedMsg.com is a complete unified messaging solution providing
flexible access options and powerful communications services to enable
users to retrieve and respond to e-mail, voice mail, and fax messages
anytime, anywhere in the world. Designed for mobile business professionals
and private users alike, RedMsg.com enables members to keep in contact
conveniently and simply via secure access whether they are out of town on
business, on the way home from work, or visiting friends and family.
No. 523, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
serVonic Announces New Features For ixiFAMILY
serVonic has unveiled the latest features of the ixiFAMILY,
allowing users to access their unified messaging service independent of
e-mail system, time, and location. ixiFAMILY enables the user to access
and manage messages anywhere and at any time. With ixiCTI the user can
make a phone call directly out of a PC application, such as Microsoft
Outlook, Word, and Access, Lotus Notes, and R/3 address books.
The ixiMOBILE service enables the user to access an e-mail system while
away from the office using a mobile phone. The SMTP-support of serVonic's
ixiFAMILY takes advantage of Internet standards, so users can access
unified messaging independently of the basic e-mail system. There is also
a voice-controlled menu that allows users to access all messages, or only
the new ones.
No. 524, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Rare Medium Group Acquires Notus Communications
Rare Ventures, the investment arm of Rare Medium Group, announced
that it has completed the acquisition of Notus Communications, a privately
held Internet communications company that has developed a
business-to-business Internet unified messaging technology solution. This
acquisition by Rare Medium Group continues the companys commitment to
building a multi- dimensional business-to-business Internet Telephony
Group within the Rare Medium Group portfolio. This is Rare Mediums
sixth incubator company. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
No. 525, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
AVT-Sponsored Study Demonstrates Rapid ROI For Unified
Messaging
AVT Corporation has announced the results of its unified messaging
return on investment study, which indicates tremendous time and cost
savings using the AVT CallXpress unified messaging solution in both a
Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange environment. Results from the study,
analyzed by Comgroup, an independent telecommunications consulting firm,
and available on the AVT Web site,
showed that both office and remote employees can gain a significant
increase in productive time using the CallXpress unified messaging
solution. Utilizing the AVT solution, mobile users experienced a
time-savings gain of 70 percent as compared with the traditional means of
checking messages. The first facet of the study compared users who were
able to review and manage all of their voice, fax, and e-mail messages
over the telephone using CallXpress unified messaging with those who check
messages on the road the conventional way by calling in over the telephone
to listen to voice messages; calling an assistant at the main office to
send faxes to the nearest fax machine; and connecting to the Internet with
a laptop computer to download and check e-mails.
No. 526, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Call Sciences, Nuance Team Up
Call Sciences announced that it has formed a partnership with
Nuance to add a natural language interface to its unified communications
management services, including its flagship Personal Assistant product.
With the new voice-driven capabilities, telecommunications carriers can
offer a service which will give subscribers the ability to speak naturally
to retrieve, browse, control, and respond to voice, fax, and e-mail
messages. Call Sciences will also offer Personal Assistant with the
Nuance-powered natural language interface directly to consumers through
its direct sales division, Virtel. Call Sciences unified communications
management services enable subscribers to manage messages from multiple
devices including PCs, Web browsers, and telephones. Nuances family of
speech recognition and voice authentication products provide extremely
high accuracy, scalability, and reliability, which is essential for
carrier-grade services such as unified messaging and voice portals.
Through the integration of Nuance software with Call Sciences Personal
Assistant product, carriers and ISPs are able to offer a convenient
service with an easy-to-use voice interface.
No. 527, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
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|
| Launch
A Successful UM Application
Whether youre a service provider or an enterprise, there are a few
critical steps you must follow in order to successfully launch a unified
messaging (UM) application. Here we will discuss four steps that will lead
you to success.
RFP PROCESS
The RFP process is the time to identify your needs based on your
business goals and match your requirements against the vendors bidding for
your business. Dont shortchange yourself at this stage. The better job
you do up front, the better off youll be in the long term. Be sure to
ask questions about the reliability and scalability of the UM product, and
ask what networks are supported now and what will be in the future IP
and wireless might not mean anything to you today, but it could a year
from now. Verify that it is true unified messaging that it has a
single message store, no synchronization process is required, and that all
media types like voice mail, e-mail, and fax are accessed and managed from
any terminal.
Other questions you should ask include:
- How modular is the solution?
- Is it easy to bundle services for various classes of users?
- Are voice recognition or multilingual text-to-speech offered as enhanced
services?
- What kind of Internet support is offered?
Dont be afraid to ask the vendor about future plans for emerging
technologies that you might want to take advantage of later like WAP
(wireless application protocol) and video.
IMPLEMENTATION STAGE
The next critical stage is implementation. Many good applications get
a bad name because the implementation is poorly done. Look to your vendor
to help you through this phase. They should give you a checklist of things
that need to be done before the equipment even comes in the door from
making sure theres enough room for equipment, to ensuring plugs are
conveniently located, to checking that the right number of lines are
ordered and live at installation, to confirming that the vendor knows how
to integrate with your switch.
ROLL-OUT TO CUSTOMER
It is always wise to roll out a new application to a small group of users
first the early adopters for whom the solution is critical. Work
closely with your vendor to ensure the interface works well with your
users, and confim that proper training and documentation is available when
the application is launched. Follow-up is also key. Its not enough to
just turn on the switch, hand out literature to users, and then leave.
Within a week or two, while users are still experimenting with the system,
vendors should be available to answer any questions.
ONGOING OPERATIONS
Finally, plan for the ongoing operation of the application. Understand
how the system is run before the vendor hands over the keys to you. In the
RFP stage, ask about the administration features of the system and the
interfaces used. Make sure your people are trained to properly operate the
system. And before you sign on the dotted line, know how problems are
going to be handled after the application is deployed. What kinds of
warranties are available; what kind of support do they offer; and are they
committed to making sure your application is up?
CONCLUSION
Remember, you and your vendor should work as partners. If you do, youll
have a lasting relationship that will ensure your unified messaging
application runs smoothly and that you will be able to stay ahead of the
technology curve, helping you reduce churn and remain competitive.
Jan Bergeron is marketing manager of Nokia Intelligent Applications.
For more information, visit the companys Web site at nokia.com
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