We had the chance to catch up with Quintum Technologies’ CEO and co-founder Cheng T. Chen recently to discuss how the UC space is evolving and, in particular, the role Microsoft OCS will play.
What is Quintum’s view of Unified Communications?
We see UC as the mechanism for taking VoIP to the next level. It will bring explosive growth and take VoIP to heights it otherwise would not achieve. The reason is simple: UC, and Microsoft OCS, in particular, makes VoIP more than just simple voice. It integrates voice communication into daily business operations and makes businesses more productive. We are confident that UC will thrive, and are taking steps to ensure Quintum is a part of it.
What’s keeping OCS from being adopted more widely?
The problem is Microsoft does not have a true branch office solution, and large enterprises need a solution that will accommodate the whole business, including all branch offices. That’s not to say people are ignoring Microsoft — everyone is testing it. But they know it’s not quite ready yet. Our own engineers are working on a survivable branch office gateway solution. We’re doing it without specs from Microsoft through a lot of reverse engineering. We already offer a branch solution, of course, but the survivability feature makes all the difference for enterprises today. HP, for instance, says it won’t sell OCS without a survivable solution.
What has been the benefit of Microsoft getting into the voice space?
One thing Microsoft did very successfully is let the market know that once OCS is fully integrated, its various components can be very useful, even in places where some of these features may have never been used before — like voicemail in Asia. The culture there has never really accepted talking to a machine. Microsoft has done a good job educating the market, and the market is waiting for OCS to be ready. Then they will use it.
Is the lack of uniformity in defining Unified Communications an issue?
I don’t think so. With UC, everyone is able to pick the components and features they like; those they can use. If I ask someone how they like OCS, for instance, everyone tells me which feature(s) they like. Basically, everyone gets what they feel is important from a UC solution like Microsoft OCS. To me, the most important thing is the total integration into the business processes that employees use every day.
What is Quintum’s role in Unified Communications as it develops?
Our goal is to be the #1 gateway supplier — and I’m confident we can achieve that. I truly feel we should be the dominant player two years from now. It’s in our hands, because our competitors simply do not have the product to support UC and OCS. Certainly, our relationship with Microsoft helps, as does our survivability feature, which, as I already said, is a key in today’s enterprise environment.
Another differentiator is our focus on customer service — it’s part of our culture. We improved our customer service over the years, a process with which I was personally involved, so I fully recognize the nature of the change. Service has become part of our DNA — it’s even bigger than the technology for us.
As it relates to Microsoft, we are offering a total care package, a one price, all-encompassing service and maintenance agreement.
What’s next for the UC market?
Once OCS is mature, we will see many more applications created to take advantage of the features UC offers. On one hand, OCS is a product. On the other hand, it’s a platform that will drive development of more applications that will make voice communications an integrated part of the overall business process. That’s when UC and OCS will really take off.
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