Nortel last week announced a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook to let companies with its Media Convergence Servers integrate voice and other forms of communication with the widely used e-mail client. The plug-in, called the Multimedia Office Client, is designed to let employees use voice, video and text messaging through Outlook. It will even work with current analog voice switches in companies or analog Centrex systems provided by carriers, the company says. MCS uses Session Initiation Protocol for the translation between current analog voice switches and IP communications applications. The Multimedia Office Client is now in customer trials and is expected to be generally available on the MCS 5100 and 5200 platforms in the fourth quarter, according to Nortel.

VMware last week introduced a service that includes less-expensive access to its virtualization products, with the aim of making it easier for corporate customers to deploy applications in virtual environments. The VMware Technology Network gives developers access to pre-built virtual machines that include applications from companies such as BEA Systems, MySQL and Oracle; a host of resources, including technical support, discussion forums and white papers; and access to all of VMware's products. A yearly subscription to the network, available at www.vmtn.net , is $299.

India's business process outsourcing industry could face a workforce shortage of 262,000 employees by 2009, a senior government official said last week. Estimates place the BPO industry's workforce requirement at 1 million staff by 2009. The BPO industry in India posted exports of $5.2 billion in the fiscal year that ended March 31, up by almost 45% over the previous year, says India's National Association of Software and Service Companies.