Compaq and Lucent Technologies Form Alliance to Accelerate Unified Messaging For Customers Worldwide
Industry Leaders Join Forces to Deliver to Enterprises and Service Providers
Tangible Unified Messaging Benefits Today
HOUSTON and MILPITAS, Calif., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- To accelerate the adoption of unified messaging, Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ) and Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced a business and technical alliance that will make it easy for users to take advantage of unified messaging capabilities. Enterprise and service provider customers will benefit from more efficient integration of voice and data messaging solutions and faster deployments using an open, industry-standard solution.
As part of the alliance, Lucent, the global leader in unified messaging, will integrate and sell its Octel Unified Messenger(TM) for Microsoft(R) Exchange Server on Compaq ProLiant and Compaq AlphaServer platforms. In addition, Compaq, the recognized leader in collaboration and messaging solutions, plans to resell Octel Unified Messenger.
Lucent also will acquire technology from Compaq to provide future enhancements to Octel Unified Messenger, and Compaq will provide engineering support to help develop those enhancements.
Unified messaging is a rapidly growing market. In fact, the PELORUS Group forecasts that unified messaging for businesses worldwide will be worth nearly $1 billion in 2002.
"Compaq's strategy is to help move our customers to the more powerful, cost-effective next generation networks of tomorrow, which allow convergent applications like unified messaging to be deployed," said John T. Rose, senior vice president and group general manager, Enterprise Computing Group, Compaq Computer Corporation. "Combining Compaq's world-class servers, communications solutions and global services with Lucent's leadership in unified messaging will help to make it easier and faster for customers to take advantage of this exciting, new messaging convergence."
"Unified messaging is an emerging, revolutionary market, bridging the worlds of telecom and information technologies," said Bill O'Shea, group president of Lucent's Business Communications Systems unit. "Organizations around the globe want unified messaging capabilities today. By forming this alliance, Lucent and Compaq will offer them a comprehensive package of hardware, software and services that's easy to deploy and that we'll support globally."
Proven Unified Messaging Technology
Delivering on the convergence of voice and data, Octel Unified Messenger integrates with both telephony and IP networks to allow users to create, access and manage all of their voice, e-mail and fax messages from a personal computer or telephone, anywhere, at anytime. For example, mobile professionals can listen and respond to e-mail using their mobile phone, making their time away from the office more productive.
Built on Microsoft Windows NT(R) Server and Microsoft Exchange, and shipping since November, 1997, Octel Unified Messenger combines all voice, fax and e-mail messages into a single mailbox and uses a common directory.
According to a recent end-user study by The Radicati Group, Inc., a leading independent consulting and market research firm based in Palo Alto, Calif., Lucent's Octel Unified Messenger has saved companies 70 percent in messaging-related IT support and administrative costs (see release from The Radicati Group dated 2/9/99).
Compaq is the number one systems integrator of Microsoft Exchange, and 60 percent of Microsoft Exchange solutions run on Compaq servers.
"The Compaq and Lucent alliance enables new customers and the installed base of 25 million Microsoft Exchange users to further increase the ROI for their messaging infrastructure," said Steve Ballmer, president, Microsoft Corporation. "These businesses can now look to Lucent and Compaq, leaders in their respective markets, for enhanced messaging solutions that combine voice and data."
In support of this alliance, Compaq Services will create a portfolio of support services for Octel Unified Messenger-based solutions. The companies will work together to port Octel Unified Messenger to a Network Equipment Building Standards (NEBS)-compliant Compaq AlphaServer system. The companies also will engage in joint sales and marketing activities to help customers and channel partners simplify planning, deployment, and operation of Octel Unified Messenger on Compaq platforms.
Product Availability
Enterprise customers can order a Compaq ProLiant server with Octel Unified Messenger software through Lucent. Shipment of the integrated solution, called Octel(R) 400 with Unified Messenger Software, is planned for this quarter. Lucent also recently announced its Unified Messaging Centrex offer, which is available from the company, and will allow service providers to offer Octel Unified Messenger based on Compaq servers to Centrex business customers. Several configurations are available at prices based on the number of users to meet the needs of small to global customers.
Compaq plans to begin delivering Octel Unified Messenger this quarter to both end users and through channels, first in North America with rollout in other geographies to follow.
Company Background
Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune Global 100 company, is the second largest computer company in the world and the largest global supplier of computer systems. Compaq develops and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, enterprise and network storage solutions, commercial desktop and portable products and consumer PCs. The company is an industry leader in environmentally friendly programs and business practices.
Compaq products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of authorized Compaq marketing partners. Customer support and information about Compaq and its products are available at compaq.com
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronic components. Bell Laboratories is the research and development arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its Web site at lucent.com.
NOTE: Compaq, Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
SOURCE Lucent Technologies
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