 First time I wrote about the Office Communicator Mobile was during the Möbius event last December, when Microsoft previewed it first time publicly. And today it finally happens that it became publicly announced. Today, during his keynote, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, announced the upcoming availability of Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005. Based on the user interface of the Microsoft Office Communicator 2005 desktop client, Communicator Mobile is a unified communications client that provides information workers with a premier mobile collaboration experience through native integration of mobile applications with enterprise-grade, real-time communications tools. The client goes beyond simple voice services, incorporating connected communication modes such as security-enhanced instant messaging (IM), presence awareness and integrated Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony.
 
"Communicator Mobile is one of Microsoft's steps in extending Live
Communications Server's capabilities to mobile devices, enabling companies
to deploy IM and presence-enabled solutions that provide a consistent
real-time communications experience across PCs and smart mobile devices,"
said Gurdeep Pall, corporate vice president for the Unified Communications
Group at Microsoft. "The new client is a key component of Microsoft's vision
for unified communications, putting people at the center and enabling
information workers to have access to real-time communications capabilities
virtually anytime, anywhere, on any device."
Communicator Mobile's integration with Live Communications Server provides
information workers with the advantages of rich presence information and
security-enhanced, enterprise-grade IM for their mobile solutions. Deploying the
Communicator Mobile client with Live Communications Server uncovers new mobile
scenarios for information workers such as on-premise IM and presence on Windows
Mobile -based devices using Wi-Fi networks, remote access to Live
Communications Server systems over mobile phone networks, and remote access to
enterprise collaboration resources from Wi-Fi hot spots or home networks.
"We have deployed Microsoft Office Live Communications Server to a key
customer. Six months later we are extending the environment to allow even
richer unified communications across multiple platforms," said Andy Kerr,
head of strategy and innovation for IT and Media Operations at Siemens
Business Services. "Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile will allow us to
extend the value of Microsoft Office Communicator and Live Communications
Server to our customers with Windows Mobile-based devices."
Communicator Mobile extends the power of real-time collaboration to Windows
Mobile-based devices offered today by 102 mobile operators and 47 device
manufacturers, including HP and Symbol Technologies, in 55 countries. The new
client increases potential data revenue for mobile operators by driving demand
for business-class devices with an enterprise-grade client, adding rich,
real-time collaboration capabilities to mobile data networks. By providing rich
information about peoples' availability, Communicator Mobile enables better call
completion rates and, through support for Session Initial Protocol (SIP) and SIP
for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), gives mobile
operators more flexibility when building their infrastructures.
"Linklaters, a global law firm, has been using Live Communications Server
since 2005 because it provides us with an enterprise-grade IM and presence
platform that helps increase lawyers' productivity while keeping
conversations over IM archived, logged and more secure," said Tim Warburton,
information systems strategy consultant at Linklaters. "We are excited that
the collaboration and security features we have become accustomed to in Live
Communications Server will now be extended to mobile devices."
"Stand-alone systems for messaging, communications and collaboration are
quickly converging, while at the same time information workers are spending
more time away from their offices," said Irwin Lazar, senior analyst at
Burton Group. "Now more than ever, presence is becoming an essential part of
the communications infrastructure, giving customers choices and preferences
for interacting with their co-workers. With Communicator Mobile, mobile
users can set their presence information via their cell phone or engage in
IM group chats from their handheld device, all the while controlling how
their calls are routed."
Communicator Mobile is expected to be available for download for Live
Communication Server customers within 60 days.
Cheers ~ Arne
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