Innovative Communications Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Innovative Communications Alliance (ICA) is a telecommunications alliance between Microsoft
and Nortel
, created in July 2006, to co-develop, integrate, market, sell, and support unified communications
products. The goal of the alliance is to make integrated hardware and software solutions that join together voice, video, and data communications without requiring gateways or middleware
. Microsoft and Nortel share developing technologies and patent
s for unified communications products.
applications with the Nortel telecommunication hardware (Communication Server 2100
, Communication Server 1000, Secure Router 4134
, and LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540), in order to provide unified enterprise communications products such as secure instant messaging
, presence, voice and video telephony, and web conferencing.
The alliance competes with other competitors in instant messaging such as Google Talk
, Office SIP Messenger, Miranda
, and AIM
. Many of these other products offer instant messaging, Voice over IP (VOIP), and file transfers at little or no cost.
The Carrier Hosted Unified Communications Solution is an integration of the Nortel Communication Server 2000 softswitch with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2000 and Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging, to provide instant messaging, voice services, video conferencing, and other multimedia services.
As of January, 2007, British and Dutch Royal Dutch Shell had deployed approximate 2,000 Nortel phones to work with Microsoft Office Communicator client.
ASUSteK Computer
is using unified communications solutions from Nortel and Microsoft for its internal communications.
and IBM
announced an alliance to bring together "Sametime collaboration" and Cisco Unified Communications Portfolio, to compete against the Nortel-Microsoft product offerings.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and Nortel
Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, was a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
, created in July 2006, to co-develop, integrate, market, sell, and support unified communications
Unified communications
Unified communications is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging , presence information, telephony , video conferencing, data sharing , call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified...
products. The goal of the alliance is to make integrated hardware and software solutions that join together voice, video, and data communications without requiring gateways or middleware
Middleware
Middleware is computer software that connects software components or people and their applications. The software consists of a set of services that allows multiple processes running on one or more machines to interact...
. Microsoft and Nortel share developing technologies and patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s for unified communications products.
Formation of alliance
Nortel and Microsoft announced the Innovative Communications Alliance in July 2006. Nortel and Microsoft agreed to share patents, technology, marketing, and development for unified communications products. The companies have integrated Microsoft Office 2007Microsoft Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007 is a Windows version of the Microsoft Office System, Microsoft's productivity suite. Formerly known as Office 12 in the initial stages of its beta cycle, it was released to volume license customers on November 30, 2006 and made available to retail customers on January 30, 2007...
applications with the Nortel telecommunication hardware (Communication Server 2100
Nortel Communication Server 2100
The Avaya Communication Server 2100 or CS-2100 in computer networking, telecomunications and IP telephony is a carrier grade, IP soft switch or VoIP server solution for large campus and geographically dispersed large enterprises...
, Communication Server 1000, Secure Router 4134
Nortel Secure Router 4134
The Avaya Secure Router 4134 in telecommunications and computer networking technologies is a device manufactured by Avaya that combines the functions of WAN Routing, stateful firewall security, Ethernet switching, IP telephony, and Microsoft mediation into one device...
, and LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540), in order to provide unified enterprise communications products such as secure instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
, presence, voice and video telephony, and web conferencing.
The alliance competes with other competitors in instant messaging such as Google Talk
Google Talk
Google Talk is a freeware voice over Internet protocol client application offered by Google Inc. The first beta version of the program was released on August 24, 2005...
, Office SIP Messenger, Miranda
Miranda IM
Miranda IM is an open source multiprotocol instant messaging application, designed for Microsoft Windows. Miranda is free software distributed under GNU General Public License.- Architecture :...
, and AIM
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
. Many of these other products offer instant messaging, Voice over IP (VOIP), and file transfers at little or no cost.
Joint solutions
Various Nortel products have been integrated with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, including:- Nortel Secure Router 4134: support remote business sites.
- Nortel Multimedia Conferencing: support dial-in audio conferencing for non-Microsoft Office Communications Server users
- Nortel Converged Office: integrate voice services of the Nortel Communication Server 1000 IP-PBX and Communication Server 2100 IP-PBX
The Carrier Hosted Unified Communications Solution is an integration of the Nortel Communication Server 2000 softswitch with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2000 and Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging, to provide instant messaging, voice services, video conferencing, and other multimedia services.
As of January, 2007, British and Dutch Royal Dutch Shell had deployed approximate 2,000 Nortel phones to work with Microsoft Office Communicator client.
ASUSteK Computer
ASUS
ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated is a multinational computer technology and consumer electronics product manufacturer headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Its product range includes motherboards, desktops, laptops, monitors, tablet PCs, servers and mobile phones...
is using unified communications solutions from Nortel and Microsoft for its internal communications.
Unified communications products
- LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540
- LG-Nortel USB Phone 8501
- Microsoft Office 2007Microsoft Office 2007Microsoft Office 2007 is a Windows version of the Microsoft Office System, Microsoft's productivity suite. Formerly known as Office 12 in the initial stages of its beta cycle, it was released to volume license customers on November 30, 2006 and made available to retail customers on January 30, 2007...
- Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007 (OCS 2007)
- Microsoft Office Communicator
- Microsoft Exchange ServerMicrosoft Exchange ServerMicrosoft Exchange Server is the server side of a client–server, collaborative application product developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Servers line of server products and is used by enterprises using Microsoft infrastructure products...
- Nortel Communication Server 2100Nortel Communication Server 2100The Avaya Communication Server 2100 or CS-2100 in computer networking, telecomunications and IP telephony is a carrier grade, IP soft switch or VoIP server solution for large campus and geographically dispersed large enterprises...
- Nortel Communication Server 1000
- Nortel Secure Router 4134Nortel Secure Router 4134The Avaya Secure Router 4134 in telecommunications and computer networking technologies is a device manufactured by Avaya that combines the functions of WAN Routing, stateful firewall security, Ethernet switching, IP telephony, and Microsoft mediation into one device...
Competing solutions
In March, 2007, CiscoCisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
and IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
announced an alliance to bring together "Sametime collaboration" and Cisco Unified Communications Portfolio, to compete against the Nortel-Microsoft product offerings.
See also
- Microsoft Office 2007Microsoft Office 2007Microsoft Office 2007 is a Windows version of the Microsoft Office System, Microsoft's productivity suite. Formerly known as Office 12 in the initial stages of its beta cycle, it was released to volume license customers on November 30, 2006 and made available to retail customers on January 30, 2007...
- Unified communicationsUnified communicationsUnified communications is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging , presence information, telephony , video conferencing, data sharing , call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified...
- Microsoft Office Communications Server
- Unified MessagingUnified messagingUnified Messaging is the integration of different electronic messaging and communications media technologies into a single interface, accessible from a variety of different devices....
- List of Microsoft - Nortel (ICA) products
- WebExWebExWebEx Communications Inc. is a Cisco company that provides on-demand collaboration, online meeting, web conferencing and videoconferencing applications...