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NXTcomm08
Microsoft Makes Its Presence Known in the Hosting Arena
| Jun 18, 2008 | Internet/Managed Services - U.S. | Show Update
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Analyst: Amy Larsen DeCarlo
Current Perspective: Positive
Vendor Importance: Moderate
Market Impact: High |
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Event Summary
June 16, 2008 -- Microsoft Corp. is showcasing its platforms and services at NXTcomm 2008, which the software company says will help carriers transition to “Telco 2.0,” a concept the vendor is touting as an opportunity for service providers to tap into demand for outsourced application offerings to deliver hundreds or even thousands of new services. Microsoft will demonstrate a range of business and consumer services that can provide up-sell opportunities for operators across broadband/wireless networks. With the availability of the Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration Version 4.5 (HMC 4.5), Microsoft offers service providers a platform to integrate into their networks and deliver streamlined communications services to businesses of all sizes. Microsoft and Nortel announced a fully hosted carrier solution that delivers a unified communications experience to small and midsize businesses (SMBs). The hosted solution is based on the Nortel Communications Server 2000 (CS 2000), an Internet protocol multimedia softswitch, and the Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration Version 4.5 (HMC 4.5), which comprises hosted versions of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. In a related announcement, Microsoft and Concentric announced new hosted e-mail service offerings for SMBs.
Analytical Summary
• Current Perspective: Positive on Microsoft’s launch of Hosted Messaging and Collaboration (HMC) 4.5, because the latest version of the company’s platform for managed services providers adds Office Communications Server, along with the latest versions of Exchange Server and SharePoint, to its solution set. This gives providers a packaged solution that will allow them to offer a full complement of hosted messaging and collaboration solutions, including VoIP, presence, and instant messaging capabilities supported in the Office Communications Server solution.
• Vendor Importance: Moderate to Microsoft, because while the launch could be seen as simply another anticipated step in the company’s hosted services strategy, the addition of Office Communications Server support, along with the accompanying announcements with Nortel Networks and Concentric, serve as decisive evidence the company is entering a new era in its history in which the service provider contingent may become its most important distribution channel.
• Market Impact: High on the hosting and messaging markets, because as Microsoft continues to demonstrate its seriousness in investing resources in engaging telecom providers as partners to deliver applications to new and existing clients, the software giant provides both the software products and the marketing firepower to help propel the software-as-a-service (SaaS) market forward.
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Current Perspective
Competitive Positives and Concerns
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