Is Microsoft going to replace your PBX?
With the upcoming release of Microsoft’s Office Communication Server (OCS), the successor of Microsoft Live Communication Server (LCS), discussion is heating up and people start talking. Is Microsoft attacking the PBX market and are they after your PBX.
According to Microsoft’s Unified communication manager, Mark Deaking, they’re not: “One of the questions I get asked at events, almost without fail, is ‘Are Microsoft creating a PBX replacement?’ … Quite the contrary actually, OCS will bring ‘VOIP as you are’ … no need for rip and replace …. just add software to what you have already”.
Of course Microsoft doesn’t need to pick a fight with PBX vendors, when they can happily co-exist next to each other. Microsoft really isn’t interested in connecting your server to your E1 or provide a driver for that FXS card you have lying around. Let the PBX take care of the dirt.
“VoIP=software” according to Microsoft’s new campaign. We’ve been saying that for over a year now and while some companies still need to get used to that, apparently the idea is taking off. It just remains to be seen of Microsoft’s appetite stops at OCS, or if it just is an intermediary step to consuming your entire PBX.
