Orange launches 'Business Together with Microsoft' service

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Orange has unveiled a new service that will see it implement and manage solutions based on Microsoft's unified communications portfolio for businesses around the world.

The first companies to benefit from 'Business Together with Microsoft' will be large multinational companies, but smaller companies will be targeted in the future and the UK could benefit by next year, according to Axel Haentjens, vice president of global strategy at Orange Business Services, who believes that businesses can expect a typical return on investment (ROI) of less than 18 months for the new service.

As part of the new offering, Orange will assess, design, implement and manage a bespoke solution, based on individual customer needs, created from a blend of current Microsoft solutions such as Office Communications Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2007.

Users will then be able to access their e-mails, voicemails, contacts and calendar information as well as making calls, all from a single Windows Outlook interface using a web browser. Real-time communication is also possible using instant messaging or audio, video or web conferencing facilities in the solution.

The ultimate aim of Business Together with Microsoft, according to its creators, is to accelerate the use of unified communications and its associated benefits, such as keeping in contact with key stakeholders and aiding more effective information dissemination, in the corporate world.

"There is a huge demand for collaborative solutions in today's working environment," said Laurent Kocher, vice president of global service at Orange Business Services.

"Cooperative work between employees in different locations across time zones is expected to make up more than half of a typical office employee's work time by 2015. Companies need to provide staff with the tools to respond quickly to constant demands for attention and an efficient way to manage multiple types of contact."

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