By Sharla Sikes

For those who fear Microsoft dominance, be very afraid: New Microsoft unified communications phones have hit the marketplace on Monday, according to Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service.

Microsoft also recently released its beta version of Communications Server software.

The new phones are manufactured by a number of well-known marques, including Samsung, LG-Nortel, NEC, Plantronics, Asus, GN, Polycon, Tatung and Vitelix. The phones will have a sticker proclaiming their compatibility with MS Office communications software, part of a public beta program. The program will bring together e-mail, instant messaging and video conferencing when the software is combined with other Microsoft products.

Microsoft’s goal is to streamline communications for Office users, and standard desk phone features are supported as well as click-to-call functionality. The phones will connect via USB, and some have Bluetooth and video capability as well. Microsoft said it required the handsets to include wideband audio support and comply with VoIP codecs to qualify for its certification of approval.

VoIP is a market that Microsoft is looking to dominate; Gohring says its new communications software will compete with VoIP products from Cisco and Avaya. To the software behemoth, VoIP is a ripe fruit ready to be plucked; the company predicts that in three years, VoIP for businesses will cost half what it does today, and that VoIP use will double.  It’s not going to miss out on such a lucrative opportunity.

According to Microsoft execs, many IT departments still shy away from VoIP due to cost. A report from Gartner Research shows that the cost of branded IP handsets is still a “main obstacle.”

Microsoft hopes to address the cost issue of switching to VoIP for business clients by making its Communications Server the streamlined source for consolidating communications needs. MS Communications Server is said to integrate with a “broad array” of phones, applications, services and other tools, and calls it the “most important communications tool since Outlook.”

While that’s debatable for some, you can’t deny that for Microsoft users, their Communications Server and plug-and-play VoIP phones will be a useful tool and an easy way to make the leap to VoIP.

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