A common question I get from customers, and those following the MSFT UC space, is:    what are MSFT’s goals in partnering with PBX vendors on Voice?   (E.g. Om Malik, Blair Pleasant, Jim Burton, and Eileen Brown …)

With OCS 2007 and subsequent releases going forward, Microsoft aspires to be able to provide the main voice backbone, as well as the main voice user experience, for its enterprise customers.  As hinted by Jeff Raikes’ prediction of 100 million end-users accessing VoIP through Office applications in 3 years, this applies across both a broad group of enterprise customers as well as broadly within those enterprises –i.e. to a majority of endpoints in those enterprises.    The “voice backbone” specifically includes voice call control (the “switching” necessary to get a call from Point A to Point B).   This eventually  would have Microsoft replacing core existing PBX functionality at those enterprises, and transform the device & desktop user experience as well.

How does this relate to Partnering with existing PBX and IP-PBX vendors?    In the Microsoft vision, there will always be a key role for PBX vendors & service providers to complement Microsoft’s core voice offering, in at least 4 areas.   First, some key telephony requirements revolve around hardware, and Microsoft’s primary business focus is software, not hardware.  Therefore, for scenarios such as media gateways, site resiliency, and for hard-phone devices, all of which require (some for technical, some for practical reasons) hardware approaches, Microsoft must rely on Partners delivering those components.   Second, several telephony needs involve vertical solutions – such as custom voice solutions for hospitality or retail (think the floor phones for the suits department at your favorite retailer) – and there again, PBX vendors have better domain expertise and business focus than Microsoft to be able to build vertical solutions (but powered by OCS at the core).    Third, some critical voice scenarios necessitate working with service providers in the cloud (e.g. SIP trunking, Public Safety Answering Points for 911), and hence Microsoft will partner with carriers/service providers to complete such scenarios.    Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, Microsoft needs Partners to deliver services around its Voice story – such as architectural design & deployment of the OCS Voice solution, often in conjunction with Partner solutions - and that is a key focus of its Voice Partnerships.