Join the Alliance

Forgent today released a new software scheduling suite that integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes and is used to book rooms, video equipment and network time, and even catering services if need be. Forgent Alliance adds a number of options to the standard calendar entry interface found in Outlook and Notes. Users can choose to reserve a room based on the equipment it contains, ports on an MCU or gateway from any vendor, and have the software setup the virtual part of the meeting before participants arrive in the physical room. The catering aspect just sends a message to the business services group outlining what is required, when and where. (Here in the Network World editorial department, catering usually consists of “Would you like a cup of coffee?”) The goal of Alliance is to bring scheduling of all meeting aspects under a single window. The Scheduler piece of Alliance starts at $20,000 and depends on the number of users. The Alliance Media Manager provides integration with endpoints, MCUs and other media devices. It is priced at $5,000 and depends on the number of devices being managed.