HP today announced the expansion of its unified communications and
collaboration portfolio with offerings optimized for Microsoft Communications
Server “14,” the next version of Microsoft’s unified communications platform.
The new offerings help clients improve productivity and lower costs
by consolidating infrastructure, devices and management tools.
Communication modes, technologies and devices are multiplying
within organizations, often in isolation from each other and critical business
operations. This creates a communications environment that slows
decision-making, spends valuable IT resources on maintenance and drives up
operations costs. The new HP offerings enable clients to improve business output
and reduce travel, telecom and IT operating costs by integrating with Microsoft
Communications Server “14.”
Building on the unified communications and collaboration initiative
between HP and Microsoft announced in May 2009, the offerings include:
- The HP Survivable Branch Communication zl Module reduces IT
infrastructure at remote branch offices and extends the business productivity
and reliability of Communications Server “14.” It combines Microsoft
Communications Server “14” and HP ProCurve software within HP ProCurve Switch
8200zl and 5400zl series products. - Four existing PC models designed to provide a rich business-grade
voice and video user experience at a lower total cost of ownership are now
tested and qualified as optimized for unified communications by Microsoft.
“Organizations face growing challenges with a mobile workforce,
increasing complexity and business performance pressure,” said Meg Shea-Chiles,
vice president, Microsoft Strategic Alliance, HP. “With these new offerings, we
are enhancing how people interact, shorten business decision cycle times and
connect remote employees to company culture.”
Reliable voice infrastructure for branch offices
The HP Survivable Branch Communication zl Module, expected to be
available later this year, delivers:
- Survivability: Branch offices can now better
maintain network availability in a Communications Server “14” environment with a
reliable distributed public switched telephone network backup in case of wide
area network failure. - Simplicity: Organizations can increase efficiency
and scalability by rapidly installing, deploying and migrating from legacy PBX
and key systems with centralized remote management, across branch offices for
Microsoft Communications Server “14” environments. - Cost efficiency: Organizations can reduce costs
by eliminating specialized technology infrastructure, expertise and management
tasks required at branch locations.
PCs provide high-quality user experience, lower total
cost of ownership
HP PCs qualified for Microsoft Communicator “14” eliminate the need
for additional devices to place and receive voice or video calls. The models
include:
- HP TouchSmart 9100 Business PC – For businesses in hospitality,
retail, healthcare and government verticals looking to engage their customers
with immersive, interactive content through a multitouch user interface. It is
an ideal device for businesses seeking to extend their customer communications. - HP EliteBook 6930p Notebook PC – Sets a new standard for
on-the-move productivity with all-day battery life(1) and
business-rugged features. The premium EliteBook p-series notebook PCs meet
military standards(2) for vibration, dust, humidity,
altitude and high temperature. - HP EliteBook 8530w and 8730w Mobile Workstations – Features
workstation-caliber graphics that are tested, optimized and certified to run the
most demanding professional applications for mobile power users.
“Today’s increasingly mobile workforce introduces technology and
support challenges requiring end-users to become more self-sufficient,” said
Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president, Office Communications Group,
Microsoft Corp. “Communications Server ‘14’ combined with HP’s Survivable Branch
Communication zl Module and UC qualified PCs delivers reliable voice
infrastructure for branch offices as well as a high-quality user experience.”
