Microsoft Office Communicator To Go Mobile

February 14, 2006; 09:24 AM
Today, during a keynote address at 3GSM World Conference 2006, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corp., announced the upcoming availability of Microsoft ^® Office Communicator Mobile for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005. Based on the user interface of the Microsoft Office Communicator 2005 desktop client, Communicator Mobile is a unified communications client that provides information workers with a premier mobile collaboration experience through native integration of mobile applications with enterprise-grade, real-time communications tools. The client goes beyond simple voice services, incorporating connected communication modes such as security-enhanced instant messaging (IM), presence awareness and integrated Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony.

“Communicator Mobile is one of Microsoft’s steps in extending Live Communications Server’s capabilities to mobile devices, enabling companies to deploy IM and presence-enabled solutions that provide a consistent real-time communications experience across PCs and smart mobile devices,” said Gurdeep Pall, corporate vice president for the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft. “The new client is a key component of Microsoft’s vision for unified communications, putting people at the center and enabling information workers to have access to real-time communications capabilities virtually anytime, anywhere, on any device.”

Communicator Mobile’s integration with Live Communications Server provides information workers with the advantages of rich presence information and security-enhanced, enterprise-grade IM for their mobile solutions. Deploying the Communicator Mobile client with Live Communications Server uncovers new mobile scenarios for information workers such as on-premise IM and presence on Windows Mobile ^® -based devices using Wi-Fi networks, remote access to Live Communications Server systems over mobile phone networks, and remote access to enterprise collaboration resources from Wi-Fi hot spots or home networks.

“We have deployed Microsoft Office Live Communications Server to a key customer. Six months later we are extending the environment to allow even richer unified communications across multiple platforms,” said Andy Kerr, head of strategy and innovation for IT and Media Operations at Siemens Business Services. “Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile will allow us to extend the value of Microsoft Office Communicator and Live Communications Server to our customers with Windows Mobile-based devices.”

Communicator Mobile extends the power of real-time collaboration to Windows Mobile-based devices offered today by 102 mobile operators and 47 device manufacturers, including HP and Symbol Technologies, in 55 countries. The new client increases potential data revenue for mobile operators by driving demand for business-class devices with an enterprise-grade client, adding rich, real-time collaboration capabilities to mobile data networks. By providing rich information about peoples’ availability, Communicator Mobile enables better call completion rates and, through support for Session Initial Protocol (SIP) and SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), gives mobile operators more flexibility when building their infrastructures.

“Linklaters, a global law firm, has been using Live Communications Server since 2005 because it provides us with an enterprise-grade IM and presence platform that helps increase lawyers’ productivity while keeping conversations over IM archived, logged and more secure,” said Tim Warburton, information systems strategy consultant at Linklaters. “We are excited that the collaboration and security features we have become accustomed to in Live Communications Server will now be extended to mobile devices.”

“Stand-alone systems for messaging, communications and collaboration are quickly converging, while at the same time information workers are spending more time away from their offices,” said Irwin Lazar, senior analyst at Burton Group. “Now more than ever, presence is becoming an essential part of the communications infrastructure, giving customers choices and preferences for interacting with their co-workers. With Communicator Mobile, mobile users can set their presence information via their cell phone or engage in IM group chats from their handheld device, all the while controlling how their calls are routed.”

Availability

Communicator Mobile is expected to be available for download for Live Communication Server customers within 60 days. More information is available from an account representative or at http://www.microsoft.com/rtc . In addition, people attending 3GSM can visit Microsoft at the event in Barcelona, in Hall 1, stand C41.

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