Cisco offers all-in-one links

Networking giant Cisco today announced a suite of communications products integrating voice, data, instant messaging and video links in what it described as its most important launch for six years.

Features of the Unified Communications system include the ability to connect to someone on a single number, regardless of where they are. But users will also have the option to declare themselves unavailable for calls.

Conversely you can plug into a broadband link anywhere in the world and use the system as if you are in your office.

The system, based on Cisco's recently announced service-oriented network architecture (SONA), can also switch automatically to a video call if users at both ends have the required equipment.

Cisco claims companies, with sizes ranging from 20 to thousands of users, can save money by integrating telephony and data. One way is by cutting down on the use of expensive mobile phones for internal calls on large company sites.

Cisco engineers demonstrated a new and impressively light Nokia Wifi phone could be switched from a paid-for GSM call to free local wireless in mid call without dropping the connection.

Central to the system is a module called Unified Call Manager 5, which can either be installed on a Windows system or pre-loaded in a Linux-based appliance.

This links with a Presence Server, which collects information about where a user is and what equipment they are using.

End users have a Unified Personal Communicator module that mediate all their communication, including messaging and phone calls.

Tim Stone, senior marketing manager for Unified Communications, said the system can work with Notes and Microsoft Live Server, where these have been implemented.

More details of the system are available here