SAN FRANCISCO, October 16 /PRNewswire/ --

- Customers report savings of 25 percent to 30 percent from VoIP,
conferencing software; more than 50 partners announce new products and
services.

Today, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., and Jeff Raikes,
president of the Microsoft Business Division, announced the worldwide
availability of Microsoft's unified communications software, taking the first
step toward streamlining workplace communications and helping reduce the cost
of the average corporate voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) system by half.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

"In the next decade, sweeping technology innovations driven by the power
of software will transform communications," Gates said. "Working with
partners, we're making rapid advances that will enable fundamental advances
in the way people communicate and collaborate at work."

Joined by customers and partners, the Microsoft executives launched
unified communications and VoIP software that includes the following:

-- Microsoft(R) Office Communications Server 2007. Software that delivers
       VoIP, video, instant messaging, conferencing and presence within the
       applications people already know and use such as Microsoft Office
       system applications and upcoming versions of Microsoft Dynamics(TM) 
       ERP products and the Microsoft CRM release due later this year
    -- Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. Client software for phone, instant
       messaging and video communications that works across the PC, mobile
       phone and Web browser
    -- Microsoft Office Live Meeting. The next version of Microsoft's
       advanced conferencing service that enables workers to conduct 
       meetings, share documents, utilize video and record discussions from 
       virtually any computer
    -- Microsoft RoundTable(TM). A conferencing phone with a 360-degree
       camera that captures a panoramic view of meeting participants, tracks 
       the speaker and can record meetings
    -- Service pack update of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The industry's
       leading e-mail, voice mail, calendaring and unified messaging platform



"Unified communications software will transform business communications
as fundamentally as e-mail did in the 1990s," Raikes said. "Today, Microsoft
is in the VoIP game, and our customers and partners are already winning with
better economics and new business opportunities."

Dramatic Business Results for Customers

Gates and Raikes were joined today by hundreds of customers
(http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies) reporting dramatic time savings due to
more efficient communications and cost savings of 25 percent to 30 percent
over traditional communications technologies. Gibson Guitar Corp., Global
Crossing, L'Occitane, Quanta Computer USA Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, The Shaw
Group Inc., Virgin Megastores and Volvo Group were among the customers that
joined the event to discuss the positive impact of Microsoft technology on
their business.

"We are deploying Office Communications Server 2007 globally, and already
people are seeing substantial time savings and productivity gains," said
Etienne de Verdelhan, chief information officer with L'Occitane, a leading
global retailer of natural ingredient cosmetics with more than 900 stores in
over 60 countries. "Not only are we able to launch new business
communications with just one click, but user setup and administration is
extremely simple, which is critical for a company growing at our rapid pace."

Supporting these findings, Forrester Consulting found in a study
commissioned by Microsoft that organizations may achieve significant
productivity improvements and cost savings with unified communications. The
Forrester study,(1) created from the results of 15 in-depth interviews of
Microsoft unified communications customers, found that these customers can
achieve more than 500 percent return on investment (ROI) over three years by
deploying Office Communications Server 2007.

Partner Support

More than 50 partners joined Microsoft to announce new products and
services built on Microsoft's unified communications platform. These partners
include the following:

-- Systems integrators. Seven hundred ninety-three partners have achieved
       Microsoft's UC Specialization in less than four months since Microsoft
       opened the program. These partners are trained to help customers 
       deploy Microsoft unified communications software.
    -- Telephony providers. Three global telephony leaders are announcing
       their road maps to build next-generation software applications on
       Microsoft's voice platform:

       - Nortel Networks confirmed pending availability of five software- 
         based solutions and applications to enhance Office Communications 
         Server as part of the Innovative Communications Alliance
         (http://www.innovativecommunicationsalliance.com). Nortel also
         confirmed it is on track to more than double the number of Office
         Communications Server certified engineers in the UC Systems
         Integration practice.
       - Ericsson announced the Ericsson Enterprise Mobility Gateway, which
         will be built on VoIP call management in Office Communications 
         Server to bring office communications to any mobile device, reducing 
         mobile costs and maximizing existing investments.
       - Mitel Networks Corp. announced plans to develop a software-based
         solution that leverages Office Communications Server's VoIP call
         management capabilities to meet the specialized telephony needs of
         small and medium-sized businesses in vertical markets.

    -- Independent software vendors. Independent software vendors announced
       plans to incorporate presence and click-to-communicate features from
       Microsoft's unified communications platform into their software
       applications. In addition, SAP AG plans to integrate Office
       Communications Server with Duet software, which is jointly developed
       with Microsoft and provides access to SAP processes and data through
       Microsoft Office applications. This will enable business users to see
       presence and to click to communicate while working within Duet.
    -- Phone and device manufacturers. Seven manufacturers announced global
       availability of 15 new Microsoft UC-qualified phones and devices 
       today, increasing choices for customers. Microsoft is working closely 
       with more than 15 strategic partners to develop new UC-enabled 
       endpoints including handsets, wireless phones, webcams and laptops. 
       Conferencingleader Tandberg also announced its plans to build a video 
       and webconferencing solution incorporating Microsoft unified 
       communications software to ensure that customers can maximize their 
       investment in existing infrastructure.



Continued Commitment to Interoperability

Microsoft also unveiled Unified Communications Open Interoperability, a
telephony system qualification program, to give customers the assurance that
Microsoft unified communications software works with their telephony systems.
A list of qualified products, including eight products from five companies
that have already received the qualification, is available at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=87482.

To view the keynote address, learn more about Microsoft's unified
communications software or download evaluation copies, customers can visit
http://www.microsoft.com/uc.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.

(1) The full Forrester report, titled "The Total Economic Impact(TM) Of
        Microsoft Unified Communications Products and Services," can be 
        viewed at    
        http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/uc/default.mspx.

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com