Microsoft Predicts Their Own Success with Office Communications Server. Surprised?
Brian Riggs has a nicely written piece on Mcirosoft and the disappearing PBX over on VoIP Loop this morning. I think the number cited are wildly optimistic and don't personally believe Microsoft will find the kind of success they're flouting over the next three years. I'd say they're off by a long shot. But as Brian points out, this is marketing bluster, and Microsoft excels at bluster and bravado.
Only time will tell, but I don't believe Microsoft will do as well, or well as quickly as this article suggests.
The Disappearing PBX?
Any lingering doubts you’ve had about Microsoft’s aspirations in the voice communications market should have been completely dispelled by now. It’s not that there was anything surprising to the VoiceCon announcement – the public beta of Office Communications Server and a couple specifications that facilitate OCS interoperability with existing voice systems. Both are necessary steps along the road to the general availability of OCS, which is still scheduled for sometime around midyear.
There was the usual marketing bluster – Microsoft’s anticipation of 100 million people placing and receiving calls via OCS within the next three years, of VoIP software adding billions in revenues to coffers in Redmond, and of the price of voice systems being cut in half, presumably because they are no longer based on the largely proprietary technology of PBX vendors but on Microsoft’s largely proprietary VoIP technology instead.
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Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Office Communications Server, VoIP, unified communications
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Comments
Ken,
Don't sell MS sort. I've been watching them for 20 years now and know that by about their third iteration of a product it is pretty darned good.
OCS is basically the second coming of LCS which is a SIP proxy server at its core. I would predict we'll see a more refined product coming about 18 months down the road.
They've done something smart in wrapping the UM functionality into Exchange 2007 for no more cost to the customer than the CALs that most customers already have. So, if you've already got your UM server...
MS also already has Polycom on-board with their phones and integrating with OCS.
All the pieces aren't in place yet... and thus the relationships with Nortel & Mitel. 18 to 24 months from now things will look quite different. I think things will also hinge a bit on how willing people are to adopt softphones... skype seems to be helping that out a bit.
Sorry for the long post...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Picher | March 12, 2007 6:18 PM
Ken,
Don't sell MS sort. I've been watching them for 20 years now and know that by about their third iteration of a product it is pretty darned good.
OCS is basically the second coming of LCS which is a SIP proxy server at its core. I would predict we'll see a more refined product coming about 18 months down the road.
They've done something smart in wrapping the UM functionality into Exchange 2007 for no more cost to the customer than the CALs that most customers already have. So, if you've already got your UM server...
MS also already has Polycom on-board with their phones and integrating with OCS.
All the pieces aren't in place yet... and thus the relationships with Nortel & Mitel. 18 to 24 months from now things will look quite different. I think things will also hinge a bit on how willing people are to adopt softphones... skype seems to be helping that out a bit.
Sorry for the long post...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Picher | March 12, 2007 6:20 PM
Mike,
Never worry about a long post. I really appreciate all the value and your thoughtful comments.
I too have watched MS closely for many many years. I know OCS is the next evolution of LCS. I think they're still at least two generations from something that will fly. And they aren't viewed as a telecom company.
They're too focused on playing in telecom space and articulating it that way. If they'd concentrate more on collaboration tools, they'd do better. I've just watched their pitch to large enterprises several times recently. It pitches into the ditch leaving major execs walking away wondering why they'd trust mission critical voice apps to Microsoft.
I know they'll compete and be solid, but they'll also get shown the door a lot in the next couple of years. They don't understand telecom, and come across like they do. Then struggle with some basics.
It's not their ability, but their skill at articulating it well and attention to detail that leaves me quite skeptical. Frankly, I've seen enough stumbles that I wouldn't even let them in to make a pitch right now. And that's not unique to me.
Posted by: Ken Camp | March 12, 2007 8:29 PM