VoiceCon: Microsoft launches newest UC effort - "14"

Using their keynote as a launching point, Microsoft made some waves at VoiceCon this week by revealing its latest unified communications (UC) offering. Called Communications Server 14, the offering provides enterprise telephony while integrating with Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Exchange.

In the keynote address, Gurdeep Singh Pall, VP of Microsoft's Office Communications Group, demoed the new software showing off the system instant messaging, presents and cloud computing features. The demo revealed the '14's' skill search feature which extends presence features to find the right person for a job based on a qualifications and availability. Just type in a skill tag and the right people show up on the screen. The software also finds people based on location using wired and wireless connections.

Microsoft's powerful software-based UC option was just one of the suites on display at the show. Simplified communications and presence features were on display all over the show floor. "With software at the center, innovation in this industry has accelerated, leading to the introduction of new capabilities that leapfrog traditional hardware-bound communications systems," Pall said.

For more:
- read the release for all the details

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