Bill Gates announced during a keynote address this yesterday, the name for Microsoft’s integrated communications client, Microsoft Office Communicator 2005, formerly code-named “Istanbul,” and announced timing for its delivery. Microsoft also announced updates to the award-winning Microsoft Office Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005. These include a service pack (SP) and public instant-messaging (IM) connectivity (PIC) that together deliver enterprise-grade connectivity from an LCS enterprise to the MSN, AOL and Yahoo! public IM networks. Microsoft executives demonstrated Communicator and LCS 2005 during a global Web conference event today. (See related announcements issued today at the Microsoft Real-Time Collaboration Group unified launch event.)
As the preferred client for LCS 2005, Communicator provides rich presence; integrates IM, voice, video, telephony and access to Web conferencing; and is the client interface for PIC. Communicator provides information workers with the following:
- Rich presence. Communicator enhances presence with additional availability data, including next-available-meeting timing and out-of-office information. Communicator also routs incoming communications based on users’ presence and personal preferences.
- Integrated communications capabilities. Communicator helps business users take advantage of advanced communications capabilities easily by consolidating communication and collaboration into an intuitive, more integrated, single application interface. Communicator customers can quickly initiate and move between communications modes with IM, audio, video, Web conferencing, and traditional telephony and conference-calling scenarios.
- Enhanced Microsoft Office System integration. Communicator and Live Communications Server enable presence and real-time communications capabilities across Microsoft Office System applications, including Outlook, SharePoint Portal Server and Live Meeting. Users can quickly initiate communication and collaborate directly from familiar Office applications.
Communicator brings together siloed communications capabilities and makes them accessible in Office and line-of-business applications. Its rich presence and integrated capabilities represent a major advance in enabling users to find, connect, communicate and collaborate in real time with colleagues, partners and customers, regardless of location.
Communicator is scheduled to be released to manufacturing in the next 90 days. Pricing and licensing information will be announced before the release.
