Microsoft's Office Communications Server Beta Includes VoIP

Microsoft unleashed the public beta of its Office Communications Server 2007 on Monday.

The VoIP server software marks the company's first foray into the IP telephony market and truly unified communications. Microsoft is pitching the software as a less-expensive-to-maintain replacement for both conventional PBXs and IP PBX systems.

Using the server software in conjunction with Microsoft's Office 2007 productivity suite, end users can place a call from their desktop or laptop by clicking on an address book entry. The Office Communications Server also supports a number of other capabilities, including IM and videoconferencing.Microsoft has been working with Nortel Networks as part of a larger alliance to combine the companies' collaboration and unified communications products, positioning the pair to compete with traditional networking vendors, most notably Cisco Systems.

Both the VoIP server software and Office Communicator 2007 for mobile devices are available for download from www.microsoft.com/uc.