Voice Mail Competing Systems? 1

[MitelInMyBlood]

Anyone have any experience w/Microsoft Office Communications Server (MS-OCS)? One of our clients is looking at options for replacement of their 16 yr old Octel system. We suggested NuPoint, but they're getting pushback from an exec wanting to know about MS OCS. If there's any issues or negatives, please let me know. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[paterson]

Well, from what I know about OCS, you only have voicemail for the individual accounts you set up in the Exchange server. So it would seem that 90-95% of what you use a voicemail system for would be taken care of by OCS.

But what about the auto-attendant options, ACD RAD/RAN messages, and other functions of your typical voicemail system? I don't think that OCS has the capability yet, but I could be wrong.

I would venture to say that OCS and NuPoint are similar products, but not competing products. Much like a small car and a truck. They can do similar things, but they also have their limitations.

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Recruiters are pimps and should be treated as such

 

[MitelInMyBlood]

Thanks for the reply.

From what precious little (so far) I can find out MS-OCS is literally brand new, release 1.0 and was released sometime back in 4Q07.

The problem is the client has a huge "enterprise" relationship w/Microsoft (25,000 seat licenses for XP-Pro) so there are some formidable forces at work pushing this from within.

The client today has an Octel 350 that's been just as stable as Jesus for them for many years, but is now growing very long in the tooth (but still as stable as ever). They know the Octel system is M/D and that there's been no new development going on and no upgrades available for the past several years, so they're "looking".

I'm just afraid that the king of their IT dept is going to have us wasting a lot of time building a case against MS-OCS, so I'm looking for some ammunition..... Verifiable FACTS not inuendo we can use to throw cold water on this brain phart before it gains momentum.

 

[paterson]

I hear ya! The biggest problem will be getting facts for and against. With such a new product, the bulk of the info out there is marketing drivel. No bias there!

I would suggest making a case to wait until there are more companies using it and more third party opinions/studies made. Why be a guinee pig?

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Recruiters are pimps and should be treated as such

 

[MitelInMyBlood]

Thanks and you're exactly right. There is nothing to be gained from installing release 1.0 while MS conducts their final "wide beta trials" in the retail channel. We've been down that road a couple times with several vendors and it's not a pleasant ride.

 

[TheMitelGuy]

OCS is NOT a new product. OCS is a rebranded version of LCS, which has been on the market since 2003. OCS is a very stable product.

I have one question, since when does OCS provide voice messaging? (it doesn't).

It is Exchange Server (with the Unified Messaging Role installed) that provides voice messaging.

What, in the end, are you asking for? A comparison between NuPoint and Exchange voice messaging?

 

[TheMitelGuy]

[tt]
MS NP
Auto Attendant
Menu mapping (DTMFS) Y Y - NP More flexible with Call Director.
Speech Rec. Y Y

Mailbox setup (COS) Y Y - NP WAY MORE flexible.
Fax Support on 3300 N Y - MS to be supported (T.38) shortly on 3300.
Email reading/TTS Y Y
Outcalling of VMs N Y
Octel TUI (same prompts) N Y
No. of MBs $ 65,000+ (NP gives you 65K off the bat, MS = $ for each MB).

Resilliency on 3300 Y Y (Hard to implement on MS)

[/tt]

 

[MitelInMyBlood]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!
Precisely what I was looking for.

What competing brands of PBXs is the NP fully compatible with?

 

[MitelInMyBlood]

BTW was it your intention to leave Auto Attendant blank in the two columns?

 

[TheMitelGuy]

Auto Attendant is the heading for the items below it....

Do you need more?

There is really nice features coming out in NuPoint Rls 12, but I'm not sure I can discuss them?

 

[MitelInMyBlood]

Do I need more? Wouldn't hurt. They're planning a "meeting of the minds" to go over this stuff soon so any ammunition (factual) I can bring to the fight means that much greater chance of getting a NP in there.

Please tell me that NP does -not- run on a MS Windows/Intel platform. That little bullet was successful in getting them to stop looking at the Cisco CM a few years ago (when Cisco was still on a Wintel box) which was just long enough to get a sufficient number of 3300s in the door to thwart that from ever being reconsidered.

Also what competing PBXs does the NP support today?

 

[MitelInMyBlood]

Also explain Auto Attendant Outcalling of VMs that you say OCS cannot do. What are you saying here?

Presently (w/Octel) the client has a number of single digit and multi-branch menu trees which when selected send the call out (externally) to the PSTN or to networked (but not always clustered) extensions, ie to a downstream non-Mitel PBX. Can they continue doing that?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this next question but will ask anyway.... is there any database conversion utility to suck in the Octel subscriber list and use it to create mailboxes on either platform (OCS or NP)?

Thanks!!!!