Qwest, Microsoft Team on Net Calling
Qwest and Microsoft have announced that the two companies will team up to bring voice over IP services to small and medium-sized businesses, and combine their efforts to offer a digital communications suite of products.
Qwest will be the first company to use the Microsoft Solution for Enhanced VoIP Services, Microsoft said Tuesday at the Fall 2005 VON, a twice annual VoIP trade show.
The product combines the Redmond company's various business applications with a VoIP product. Hosted versions of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 and Windows SharePoint Services with Sylantro Systems' Application Feature Server are made available to the user as part of the solution.
"Small and medium-sized businesses want access to the same types of communications services that large enterprises enjoy today, but the investment and resources required to manage those services have traditionally been out of their reach," said Tom Richards, executive vice president of the business markets group at Qwest.
But it's not clear if SMBs are listening. A survey released today at the same conference claims that VoIP providers are missing a huge opportunity.
"The small and medium business market is that gem the entire VoIP industry is chasing, yet this segment isn't well educated about the benefits of VoIP," said John Macario, president of Savatar, the group that commissioned the study.
The study found that a quarter of SMB "decision makers" do not even know what VoIP is, and almost another quarter are only somewhat familiar with the technology.
VoIP providers may also have to lower monthly charges to capture more users. 74 percent say the charges would play a large part in their decision to adopt the technology, a point that Qwest and Microsoft seem to be willing to address in their VoIP offering.
The two companies said they expect the service to be available sometime next year.