Computerworld | Nortel readies Outlook multimedia plug-in: "Nortel Networks reached out to enterprises with multimedia communications software on Monday, announcing a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook to let companies integrate voice and other forms of communication with the widely used e-mail client.
The plug-in, called the Multimedia Office Client, is designed to let employees use voice, video and text messaging through Outlook. It will even work with existing analog voice switches in enterprises or analog Centrex systems provided by carriers, said Chris Pallen, senior manager of voice and multimedia services at Nortel. Multimedia Office Client will be offered in parallel with the current Multimedia Communication Server (MCS) client, which is a Windows application with a Nortel user interface.
Nortel is introducing and demonstrating the software at the Supercomm trade show in Chicago, where Microsoft loomed large. The Redmond, Washington, software company announced alliances Monday with AT&T, Sylantro Systems and Amdocs that also were focused on VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) and other communications capabilities.
The Multimedia Office Client works with Nortel’s MCS 5100 and 5200 platforms, which are used in enterprise and carrier networks, respectively, for providing IP multimedia communications. Those servers use SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) for the translation between existing analog voice switches and IP communications applications, Pallen said. "
