COMPLIMENTARY ADVISORY REPORT

Microsoft Premature in Throwing Down the Gauntlet to PBX Vendors

| February 5, 2009 | Enterprise Communications | Advisory Report

| Analyst: Brian Riggs, Research Director, Enterprise Software and Communications

When Microsoft introduced the first version of Office Communications Server in October 2007 the company was careful to draw attention to what it called its “PBX partners.” Microsoft saw the support of developers of PBX systems as critical to the success of Office Communications Server as the company expanded the voice features inherent to OCS. PBX vendors continue to provide integration between their various voice systems and the corporate instant messaging features of OCS.

But in this week’s launch of OCS Release 2, Microsoft made no meaningful reference to OCS integration with PBXs and instead focused on the product’s ability to displace PBXs as the basis for voice communications services within the enterprise. How close is OCS Release 2 to being the PBX alternative Microsoft wants it to be?

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