Microsoft Gulf unveils Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2

Office Communications Server 2007 R2 delivers important new functionality that extends software-powered voice, particularly for remote and mobile workers; provides on-premise audio and video conferencing to help reduce operational costs; and introduces new developer advances, including the ability to build communications-enabled business processes.

These enhancements will improve business communications through a unified infrastructure and user experience. This will also enable businesses to greatly reduce their communications infrastructure cost and will allow instant access to people on company network.

"Office Communications Server 2007 R2, highlights the pace of communication innovation that is possible with software,"

said Shahab Ahmed, Information Worker Business Group Lead, Microsoft Gulf.

"This new release puts Microsoft on a rapid path to deliver communications software that does much more at a much lesser cost. Customers and partners in the Gulf are embracing Microsoft's unified communications platform, which streamlines communications by combining e-mail, instant messaging, conferencing and voice communications onto a single software based platform.This new release reiterates Microsoft's commitment to deliver innovative communications solutions that allows organizations to improve their bottom line."

Businesses have begun migrating their workers off their PBXs to Office Communications Server for all their telephony needs.

Partners such as LINKdotNET are already using Office Communications Server to provide employees with innovative communications solutions and help reduce operational costs.

"As a regional company with employees dispersed across geographic locations, LINKdotNET, has benefited from Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 with improved communications and more flexibility for our employees," said Sherif Dahan, GCC Territory Manager for LINKdotNET. Today over 500 employees who frequently travel, use Office Communications Server 2007 as their primary voice solution."

Organizations are leapfrogging an entire generation of Internet protocol (IP) PBX technology to move straight to unified communications and software-powered voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). Office Communications Server interoperates with legacy PBX and IP PBX investments, allowing customers to transition to the new platform without undergoing an expensive rip-and-replace upgrade of their network. It allows customers and partners to take the next step toward replacing their PBX with Microsoft's unified communications software and managing voice in the same way as other applications such as e-mail and instant messaging.

Key new features of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 include next-generation collaboration tools including dial-in audio conferencing; desktop sharing; enhanced voice and mobility applications and new developer tools for business applications.