Dell Simplifies Unified Communications

Business Wire, Oct 16, 2007

Company Partners with Microsoft, Nortel to Extend Unified Communications to Voice Over Internet Protocol and Deliver a "Business-Ready" Solution

ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Dell's (NASDAQ:DELL) rallying cry is "simplify IT" and today it announced a new solution with products, partnerships and services to help customers reduce complexity and improve their productivity with myriad communications options - e-mail, fax, phone, video or PC - known as Unified Communications (UC).

Dell's Unified Communications solution pre-integrates all the necessary components - desktop to data center computer systems, software, telephony and services expertise - to deliver a "business-ready" solution. Dell's modular approach allows customers to choose the functionality that makes the most sense for their environments, followed by the delivery of a pre-tested and validated configuration. Customers can customize modules within a safe and tested set of configurations to help them reduce risk and complexity - and do so without a lengthy, required service engagement.

Dell has partnered with Microsoft to deliver validated solutions based on the recently released Microsoft[R] Office Communication Server 2007. The company also launched a partnership with Nortel to deliver the telephony, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)1 components and telephony services integral to UC.

"Unlike recent competitive offerings, Dell chose to pre-integrate a solution so customers don't have to purchase and manage separate systems and services," said Rick Becker, vice president of solutions, Dell Product Group. "We want to make it simple for our customers to deploy unified communications so their end users can get access to all their messages in one place - whether its e-mail, phone or mobile device. This will pave the way for more business-ready productivity tools."

UC combines e-mail with telephony, voicemail, audio and video conferencing, instant messaging and SMS text messaging into a single interface. Removing the barrier between phones and computers opens a new world of powerful features; whether it is voicemails and faxes that arrive in the inbox where they can be forwarded or responded to just like e-mail, or a phone call that transforms into a video conference, Dell presents a comprehensive, simplified solution for each customer's communications needs.

Dell and Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007 - Modular Approach to UC

Dell's long-standing partnership with Microsoft enables it to deliver a unique, modular UC solution. It combines Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Office Communicator and Microsoft Outlook with UC-enabled hardware and telephony platforms, along with infrastructure consulting services, that are validated in Dell's labs.

"Dell is putting a stake in the ground and betting big on the Microsoft Unified Communications solutions to deliver innovative and new communications solutions for its customers," said Jeff Raikes, President of the Microsoft Business Division. "Dell took the pain out of buying a PC, and now they're bringing that same simplicity to unified communications."

Customers can implement one or all four of the modules based on their unique business needs. The four modules are:

* Core Office Communication Server 2007 - provides instant messaging and on-premise Microsoft Live Meeting.

* Office Communication Server: Telephony - enables call routing tracking and management, VoIP gateway and public branch exchange (PBX) integration.

* Audio and Video Conferencing - allows point-to-point conference, video conference and VoIP audio conference.

* Exchange Unified Messaging - provides voicemail, e-mail and fax in Microsoft Outlook, and anywhere access of Microsoft Outlook Inbox and Calendar.

Dell Unified Communications solutions can be implemented quickly and easily, and with minimal risk by combining its expertise in Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange and x86 computing environments with the knowledge of its telephony and network partners into a single point of contact. Dell has a strong legacy in providing customers with Microsoft-based services, and Dell has participated in Microsoft's UC Technology Adoption Program. This program intends to provide real-world knowledge for deploying UC in large organizations and building consistent, repeatable service practices.

Dell and Nortel

Dell and Nortel have signed an agreement to offer customers in the United States and Canada a comprehensive UC solution leveraging Nortel's entire Enterprise Solutions portfolio. Dell will offer a suite of professional services to support UC, utilizing reference architectures and best practices such as environment assessment, network design, proof-of-concept, program management and on-going technical support. This collaboration represents a unique value for customers because it combines Dell's expertise in designing and deploying Microsoft solutions for PCs, servers, and storage with Nortel's world-class VoIP, data networking and multimedia-conferencing solutions.