Microsoft's OCS weighs in as a stronger UM vehicle than IP-PBX

Product Test and Buyer's Guide This newsletter is sponsored by Avnet IDC Whitepaper: Storage Encryption: Implementing the Linchpin of Data Security Encrypting Data in transit is a start, but encrypting data in storage is widely recognized as the next frontier in security. Find out how you can mitigate financial risk, prevent identity theft, block internal leaks and more, while keeping your vital information accessible and manageable. Product Test and Buyer's Guide, 06/28/07 By Christine Burns In Tuesday’s edition of this newsletter, we pointed readers to our test of the beta code for Microsoft’s Office Communications Server (OCS) in which engineers from Network World Lab Alliance partner Miercom assessed how it stacks up to the wide range of SIP-based IP-PBX systems they’ve tested over the past five. To test OCS in that fashion was our idea, not Microsoft’s. We did so because Microsoft includes most of the IP-PBX features necessary to compete in smaller environments. Taken in that light, OCS holds its own even if it lacks some of the more enterprise worthy IP-PBX features such as call park and whisper page as well as many of the call-routing and call-handling features. But it has always been Microsoft’s stated marketing contention that you really can’t achieve the full benefits of OCS unless it’s running in a full Microsoft environment replete with Window Server 2003, Active Directory (running in native mode with DNS), Exchange Server 2007, SQL Server 2000, IIS 6.0 and Certificate Server on the back end, with Windows XP clients running Office Ultimate 2007 and a beta version of Office Communicator 2007. Wireless Products Buyer's Guide From wireless adapters to WiMax repeaters, we've got detailed information on hundreds of products that will quickly help you pinpoint the hardware or software you're looking for. We've categorized each product into one of 10 specific wireless market segments, so you can drill down, compare and contrast products in only the areas you need. Click here for more.> Miercom also tested OCS from this angle and concluded that the complete package does indeed serve up easy end user access to e-mail, voice mail, instant messaging and conferencing capabilities from the same interface. Obviously, this is an all-Microsoft all the time endeavor. If you care to make a comparison on how OCS stacks up against the non-Microsoft unified communications competition in terms of platforms supported as well as feature sets available, you can tap into the Network World Unified Messaging Buyer’s Guide for detailed information a half dozen other products in that space.

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Contact the author: Christine Burns is the Executive Editor of Testing. She can be reached at cburns@nww.com This newsletter is sponsored by Avnet IDC Whitepaper: Storage Encryption: Implementing the Linchpin of Data Security Encrypting Data in transit is a start, but encrypting data in storage is widely recognized as the next frontier in security. Find out how you can mitigate financial risk, prevent identity theft, block internal leaks and more, while keeping your vital information accessible and manageable. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: security.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007