Unified Communications
The communications world is split in two—between the things you do on the telephone and the things you do on the computer.
The split exists because most real-time (synchronous) communications—like telephone calls and voice mail—depend on one network, while message-based (asynchronous) communications—like e-mail—depend on a separate, incompatible network.
The split creates problems:— lots of them. Phones aren't as intuitive as they should be. Just try to start a three-way call without hanging up on someone. On a computer, you can check your e-mail, but not your voice mail. And then there's the enormous cost of purchasing, maintaining, and upgrading two complex infrastructures.
To get your phones and your computers talking, you'd have to tear out your entire telephone system, dump your PBX, replace every desk phone, swap out every phone jack. In short, you'd have to start from scratch.
Microsoft unified communications technologies bridge the divide between computers and telephones with two integrated servers: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. They integrate with your company's existing phone system and deliver complete communications services using your existing data network.
No forklift required: Microsoft unified communications technologies maximize your existing infrastructure by integrating legacy PBX systems through a VoIP/IP-PBX gateway.
With Microsoft unified communications technologies, the computers on your network gain the functionality of advanced VoIP phones. Users can click to call any contact in their address book. A simple phone call can become a conference call or a video conference, on the fly.