Microsoft Makes It Easier for Organizations to Transition to Its Unified Communications and Collaboration Platform

Just to clarify this release from Microsoft, which I find misleading, nothing exists today that will help Lotus customers migrate from Sametime to an LCS or future OCS environment. To imply so in the title of the press release is unfortunate. From Notes/Domino to Exchange (e-mail), yes. From IBM's real-time collaboration tools to Communicator and LCS, no. The term "unified communications" should not have been used (it implies something that's not there).

"With the release of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, the 2007 Office system with SharePoint Server 2007, and solutions such as the next generation of Microsoft Office Live Communications Server in the pipeline, I'm convinced we will continue to see strong adoption of our comprehensive platform in the coming year," said Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division at Microsoft. "Our clear road map and product innovation are helping customers say yes to Microsoft."

Source: Microsoft Makes It Easier for Organizations to Transition to Its Unified Communications and Collaboration Platform

Comments

[Peter de Haas]

Mike,

Good point. I think UC is more related to the latest Exchange version and also from that perspective particularly the UC part (voicemail) is not something within the scope of migration.
Migration ofcourse relates mostly to email / calendar / directory / applications / data and not to RTC / UC related components

[Mike Gotta]

I'm fine with the message of moving people from Notes/Domino to Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint. I just think that using the term unified communications is terribly misleading. Exchange alone, even with unified messaging (which is not in scope of the migration) is NOT unified communications. It's e-mail. Use of the term is simply vendor FUD and Microsoft would be more credible and accurate by not using the term until such migration services are in place.

[Peter de Haas]

Mike,

Fully agree. On the other hand I am gload this has grown into a platform discussion rather than Lotus Domino vs Exchange.
You can not spereate UC from Collaboration anymore. Your simply not going for 2007 Office System with SameTime ...

[Mike Gotta]

I agree, you might glance at my UC comments post-Lotusphere in an entry I put out today. I'll also have a 50 page report coming out soon on Sametime 7.5 and IBM's UC effort(unfortunately only available to Burton Group clients).