Answer the phone; it may be Microsoft
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
Microsoft is bound to play a growing role in enterprise telephony systems over the next few years, helping them to evolve beyond the simple features such as speed dial, conference call and voice mail most companies know today. What is less clear is what that role will be. The Redmond, Washington, software giant is likely to muscle in on the territory of traditional vendors of PBXes (private branch exchanges) and even threaten the desktop handset, through PC-based "soft phones," according to some industry analysts. However, Microsoft and some major vendors in that market say they do not see themselves on a collision course. Microsoft may increasingly provide the platform software for telephony, but more specialized vendors will write the applications on top, they said.