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Here's the headline and blurb that triggered this particular train of thought. Please note that while I picked it up in a news feed from San Diego, it's a Reuter's story.

Microsoft sees billions in sales from VoIP shift

By Daisuke Wakabayashi

REUTERS

12:39 a.m. March 7, 2007

SEATTLE – Microsoft Corp. sees the shift by business organisations to Web-based phone systems running on its software to generate “billions” of dollars in revenue for the company, a top executive said on Tuesday.

The move to Web-based phone systems will gain momentum during the next three years and Microsoft's new server software will transform the telecommunication systems industry the way its Windows operating system changed the computer industry, said Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft's business division.

[Read full story]

I'm reminded of the question "how to I get ahold of my sales guy?"  The most obvious answer is to throw a dollar bill on the floor.  Clearly Micrsoft smells money, and like a shark that smells blood in the water, is on the hunt.

There are other stories on the wire today too.

Microsoft Launches Public Beta Of Its New VoIP System on InformationWeek
Microsoft readies public beta test of VoIP server on PCWorld NewZealand
Microsoft set to offer VoIP server beta on Techworld

One thing Microsoft does know how to do is make a lot of noise. They're a big company with two big nasty ugly monsters giving them a black eye right now. The problem is they're so big they don't even realize the black eye.

Vista. Not pretty. Sure, some people are pretty impressed. Go try to upgrade a machine to Vista. I dare you. Try the one you bought last month. Good luck.

If you're in enterprise space and have MS products deployed anywhere...wait a minute, if you're in enterprise space, you do...watch what happens this weekend when daylight savings time ripples across your organization. For many of uss, the ripples of meetings moving one direction or another, the total disruption of calendars throughout the enterprise is already in full bloom.

Yet Microsoft smells blood in the water money, and is always on the hunt for more.

I personally remain unimpressed with everything they're doing around unified communications. Live Communications Server fills me with ennui and unenthusiasm. There are a couple of people at Miicrosoft who talk a good game, but they're typically just that...talk. If Microsoft could deliver on ten percent of the talk, they'd overwhelm us with more reality than I think they can muster.

I've traded a couple of short notes with a friend who's close to some talking going on right now. A friend I trust fully. He's a wise man who understands far more than he admits. He's at an event (somewhere I won't name) where Microsoft is demoing voice access to Exchange 2007's email inbox, calendar. In one note he said of Microsoft "They may not move quickly but they do know where they are going. Good times good times."

I can't help but wonder good times for who. The last time Microsoft gave me a good time and wowed me was with something called Windows95. Since then, most of what they do makes me want to pount my head on a rock. But my friend and I continued, and I said:

MS may have a vision and know where they're going. I think they and Cisco have a vision that's becoming too fragemented in some areas. Not sure I believe MS will do anything of substance and quality until the heavy lifting is already done elsewhere. Then they'll sweep in and kill the innovators who built it I fear. But that's just me.

I'm pretty free with my opinions, right or wrong. I'm wrong often enough, but I'll take my lumps when I am. I try not to beat around the bush and I think both Cisco and Microsoft are lacking focus. Rather than focus like a laser beam, they are focused like a flourescent tube.

My friends response - Oh, no doubt the innovators will be "netscaped".

Enough on the news noise out of Redmond for today.


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