Unified Communications

The VAR Guy is a strong proponent of unified communications. He has blogged live from major Unified events hosted by Cisco Systems, Microsoft and Nortel, among others. But he’s also watching emerging unified solutions — including open source options and low-cost solutions that could disrupt portions of the market.

Marriott TelePresence: Cisco Checks In, HP Halo Checks Out?

cisco-vs-hp-halo-telepresenceWhen Marriott International announced plans to embrace AT&T/Cisco TelePresence in hotels worldwide, The VAR Guy couldn’t help but wonder: Did an older Marriott relationship — involving HP Halo telepresence — get unplugged?

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Microsoft Kills Response Point Development

microsoft-response-point1After weeks of speculation, Microsoft has essentially killed Response Point — the company’s former VoIP system for small businesses. According to a Microsoft Town Hall meeting today with VARs, the product is in maintenance mode with no future releases planned. Sorry for the following comparison, but Response Point has become Microsoft’s modern day OS/2. Here’s why.

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Microsoft Response Point: Attending Worldwide Partner Conference 2009?

Will Microsoft continue forward or pull the plug on Response Point — a small business VoIP phone system? The answer could be known on June 30, when Microsoft is expected to host a Response Point Town Hall Meeting for VARs. But here’s a clue about the situation: A source close to Microsoft says Response Point will have limited to no presence at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2009 (WPC09). Here’s the scoop.

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Cisco Virtual Partner Summit: Seating for 9,000 (So Far)

The Cisco Partner Summit 2009 (June 2-4, Boston) attracted more than 1,500 solutions providers (and The VAR Guy, of course). But pull up a chair and listen to this. Cisco’s Virtual Partner Summit, running through June 30, has so far attracted nearly 9,000 channel partners, The VAR Guy hears.

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Microsoft Response Point: Decision Day on June 30?

microsoft-response-point-voip-small-business-phone-june-30Solutions providers that sell, service and support Microsoft Response Point — a small business VoIP phone system — may potentially learn more about the product’s fate on June 30 during a Microsoft Response Point Town Hall Meeting. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

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Open Source Investment: Citrix Attacks Cisco Systems

vyatta-citrix-ciscoCitrix Systems has found a new way to be a thorn in Cisco Systems’ side. Indeed, Citrix is among the investors pumping money into Vyatta — which positions itself as the open source alternative to Cisco Systems. The Citrix-Vyatta relationship involves networking, cloud computing, virtualization … and money. Here’s the scoop.

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Apple, Cisco: Video Showdown Looms?

iphone-3g-sWhen it comes to video, even when Cisco Systems Inc. loses the networking giant wins. A case in point: Less than a week after Cisco touted its Flip video camera and essentially bet the company on video, Apple today unveiled the iPhone 3G S — which allows users to shoot and edit videos from their smart phones. But don’t weep for Cisco. Here’s why.

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Cisco CEO John Chambers’ Best Guess On Economy

Cisco CEO John Chambers’ closing keynote at Cisco Partner Summit has started. Here’s a point-by-point recap, including Chambers’ best guess for the timing of a significant economic recovery.

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Cisco Discovers Open Source IP PBX Threat, Opportunity

cisco-sleeping-giant-asterisk-open-source-ip-pbx
The sleeping giant has awakened. It looks like Cisco Systems is addressing the potential Asterisk open source IP PBX threat — and opportunity. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy at Cisco Partner Summit.

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Cisco vs. HP: Three Words of War

cisco-systems-chuck-robbinsAt the Cisco Partner Summit in Boston, Cisco continues to rally partners against Hewlett-Packard. The three latest words of war allegedly come from Cisco’s Chuck Robbins (pictured), senior VP, U.S. Commercial Market. Here’s the scoop.

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