CommuniGate uses Flash technology for unified communications

Convergence & VoIP This newsletter is sponsored by Logitech Be seen and believed with Logitech. While phone, fax and e-mail are effective ways to communicate, face-to-face interaction is still the most powerful way to establish credibility and make lasting connections. See for yourself. Discover how Logitech Internet communications solutions can deliver quick, cost-effective video conferencing to your business. Click here to learn more. Network World's Convergence & VoIP Newsletter, 08/01/07 CommuniGate uses Flash technology for unified communications By Steve Taylor and Larry Hettick Last month, CommuniGate Systems announced a unified communications interface for its Pronto platform that is based on Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex 2 technology. The interface can be as a PC portal or a mobile device interface to provide access to instant messaging, e-mail, presence, and other multimedia applications, including music and video. The system is designed to support both business and consumer applications, and it can be accessed from any Web browser without the need to install client software. In a prepared statement, Jeff Whatcott, vice president of product marketing of Adobe’s eEnterprise and developer business unit, said: “Using Adobe’s latest rich Internet application technology, CommuniGate Systems has been able to take business and personal communications to a whole new level – delivering design-friendly, rich functionality with the flexibility of a Web 2.0 application.” Using Flash and Flex technology alleviates the need to install additional software on the PC or on most mobile handsets. Following the announcement, we caught up with Jon Doyle, vice president of business development at CommuniGate, to discuss how organizations can use a GUI to improve employee productivity. He said that the converged GUI is moving beyond unified communications toward what he called “unification” — bringing together a flexible desktop interface that includes more that just standard unified communications applications like unified messaging and presence management. He cited one example of a law firm that uses “unification” to automate client billing based on attorney’s outbound call records with a real-time link to the firm’s billing system. In another example, he cited a doctor’s office that links online appointment scheduler with the IP PBX and IVR so the next day’s patients get an automated reminder call about their upcoming appointment. Network World VoIP and Convergence Buyer's Guide Find the right products for your enterprise - fast. Our extensive database of detailed product information will quickly help you pinpoint the hardware or software you need to build out a converged voice and data network. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features and make the best decision for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Buyer's Guide now. The key to success for converged applications, according to Doyle is to make the application easy to deploy for companies that may have IT development resource constraints, make it easy to use for employees, and make it easy to install on the desktop. According to Doyle, ‘small businesses struggle with how IP telephony can help them beyond making cheaper calls. That’s why [easily deployed] custom applications for their individual business process is so important.”   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

TODAY'S MOST-READ STORIES: 1. NAC alternatives hit the mark 2. Online gamers’ dirty little secrets exposed 3. The Simpsons Movie sparks spam blast 4. Cisco muffles Linksys death knell 5. IBM tells employees to behave in Second Life 6. Hogwarts IT director quits 7. E-mail etiquette question: Thanks or no thanks? 8. Tool tests for phishing-attack gullibility 9. Top 15 'networkiest' moments of The Simpsons 10. Industry giants get 'Simpsonized' MOST E-MAILED STORY: Hogwarts IT director quits

Contact the author: Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. For more detailed information on most of the topics discussed in this newsletter, connect to Webtorials, the premier site for Web-based educational presentations, white papers, and market research. Taylor can be reached at taylor@webtorials.com Larry Hettick is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in voice and data. He is Vice President for Telecom Services and Infrastructure at Current Analysis, the leading competitive response solutions company. He can be reached at lhettick@currentanalysis.com This newsletter is sponsored by Logitech Be seen and believed with Logitech. While phone, fax and e-mail are effective ways to communicate, face-to-face interaction is still the most powerful way to establish credibility and make lasting connections. See for yourself. Discover how Logitech Internet communications solutions can deliver quick, cost-effective video conferencing to your business. Click here to learn more. ARCHIVE Archive of the Convergence & VoIP Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007