Convergence on tap for apps

SAN JOSE - News out of last week's Voice on the Net show might signal that long-promised converged voice/data applications are just around the corner.

Siemens, Microsoft and others laid out application plans, while a host of speakers discussed the role that Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) would play in enterprise integration efforts. Conference sessions - many of them well-attended - dealt with everything from the current state of voice over IP (VoIP) to where the technology is going.

For its part, Siemens displayed OpenScape, a new suite of SIP-based software tools that make it possible to deliver a consolidated view of various back-end communications and collaboration systems. End users employ what Siemens calls a Personal Communications Portal to access Microsoft Exchange e-mail, calendars, instant messaging, presence-based telephony features, and voice and videoconferencing.

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SAN JOSE - News out of last week's Voice on the Net show might signal that long-promised converged voice/data applications are just around the corner.

Siemens, Microsoft and others laid out application plans, while a host of speakers discussed the role that Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) would play in enterprise integration efforts. Conference sessions - many of them well-attended - dealt with everything from the current state of voice over IP (VoIP) to where the technology is going.

For its part, Siemens displayed OpenScape, a new suite of SIP-based software tools that make it possible to deliver a consolidated view of various back-end communications and collaboration systems. End users employ what Siemens calls a Personal Communications Portal to access Microsoft Exchange e-mail, calendars, instant messaging, presence-based telephony features, and voice and videoconferencing.

Users can list their status (for example, "in the office," "working remotely," "unavailable") and input their preferred phone number (desk, cell, remote office, home), and see similar details for colleagues. Buddy lists - similar to AOL's Instant Messenger - show who is available via what media.

The XP-based portal includes click-to-contact features, letting phone or video calls, chat sessions or e-mails be placed by clicking on names in a Microsoft Active Directory-based listing. Conferences can be established by clicking on multiple names. OpenScape has integrated support for WebEx's Internet-based whiteboard and document sharing service.

At the heart of the suite is unified messaging middleware that runs on Microsoft's soon to be released Greenwich Real Time Communications (RTC) server above Windows 2003 Server. An integrated SIP gateway makes it possible to interface OpenScape to IP and traditional telephony systems from Siemens and other vendors, even if they are not SIP-based, says Mark Straton, senior vice president of global marketing at Siemens Information and Communication Networks.

OpenScape is in alpha testing now, with a beta-test version due next month. It will be generally available in the third quarter for about $250 per seat.

With the release of OpenScape, "Siemens is trying to recraft itself into more of a software company, as opposed to a traditional PBX maker," says Brian Riggs, a senior analyst at Current Analysis.

This approach is a trend among other PBX vendors, such as Avaya, Nortel and Alcatel, he says, as they position themselves to compete with Cisco, whose strategy relies entirely on IP and convergence applications.

Basing OpenScape on SIP was a good move by Siemens, Riggs says, but it raises the question of when, or if, the company will fully integrate the protocol into its HiPath IP PBX line, which uses a mix of proprietary protocols and H.323 for call control.