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Plugging the Communications Time Drain: Page 6 of 19

Communité 2.2. Interactive Intelligence, (317) 872-3000. www.inin.com

Cisco's Unity came in second by default. But that's saying a lot, looking at the large number of vendors that did not meet the minimum requirements for this review. Unity easily cleared the bar with SIP support but fell short of the features and functionality provided by Communité, and Cisco came in long on price. But if you have a Cisco-supported infrastructure, the single-vendor approach may be the way to go.

Unity is a component of Cisco's IP Communications portfolio for enterprises. That portfolio also includes Cisco IP Telephone, IP Video/Audio Conferencing, IP Video Broadcasting and Cisco Contact Center Solutions. Like Communité, Unity provides e-mail, voicemail and fax in the inbox of the supported mail application, and end users can view inboxes from multiple devices, including a Web browser. It also supports SIP and provides integration with SIP-based proxy servers, media gateways, phones and clients.

With Cisco's CallManager acting as a PBX, Leagles would have its IP-enabled UM solution. Alternately, Unity can work with CallManager and a traditional TDM-based PBX in a "dual switch" configuration that would wean Leagles from its legacy PBX without the pain of an in-place upgrade. Unity also supports a wide number of fax servers, including Captaris's RightFax, Biscom's Faxcom for Exchange, and Topcall's eponymous product. But unlike Communité, fax support requires a third-party solution.

Cisco, like Interactive, recommended that Leagles use its data network also to transmit voice and call-control protocols. It also recommended Cisco IP Phones 7905G, 7940G or 7960G for the desktops at a cost of $165, $395 and $495, respectively. These phones will interoperate with IP telephony systems such as CallManager or systems using H.323 and SIP. The high-end 7960G and 7940G are programmable; the low-cost 7905G offers a core set of business features and four interactive soft keys to configure call features and functions using an LCD. Because Unity does not provide a softphone for the PC, as does Communité, these phone sets would be necessary for end users to receive the full benefits of UM, and the low cost of $165 per phone would make a compelling argument to include them in the Oakland implementation. But note that the price of phones was not included in the price comparison.

Cisco also recommended its MCS7827 server configuration for Unity. It supports as many as 32 ports on a single 1.13-GHz Pentium III with 512 MB of RAM and a 40-GB ATA drive. Like Communité, Unity runs on Windows NT 4 or 2000, but Unity does not support LDAP. Its directory support is limited to Exchange 5.5 (X.500), Active Directory and Domino. This would take care of Leagles' East and West Coast offices, but Chicago would be left out in the cold.