25
Wed, Dec
0 New Articles

IBM and Nortel Team Up on System i SMB Communications Solution

Managed Services / SaaS
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

Nortel and IBM have unveiled plans to deliver a simple and cost-effective solution for businesses that makes the move to IP telephony and unified communications as easy as a software upgrade, the companies said. As part of IBM's unified communications and collaboration (UC2) strategy, this new solution will combine leading software and hardware from IBM with advanced IP telephony and multimedia capabilities from Nortel.

The Nortel-IBM System i Unified Communications solution, targeting small to medium businesses (SMBs) and branch offices, will integrate IBM's System i platform and the Lotus Sametime unified communications and collaboration platform with Nortel's suite of VOIP and multimedia technologies into a complete unified communications solution that runs on a single system.

The Nortel-IBM solution will allow for the consolidation of VOIP, multimedia collaboration and other core business applications onto a single, robust and highly scalable System i platform that will be complemented by a portfolio of SIP clients and allow for connectivity to Nortel's purpose-built data portfolio for SMBs.

The integration with Lotus Sametime will deliver advanced telephony plug-ins to Lotus Sametime's existing unified communication and collaboration tools, which include capabilities such as instant messaging (IM), Web conferencing, mobile device support and voice and video chat. The Nortel-IBM System i Unified Communications solution will provide users the flexibility to select the method of collaboration best suited for the task at hand along with the integration and reliability of the System i platform. For example, Lotus Sametime users will be able to review their contact list to determine who is on their Nortel phone, and also click-to-call or click-to-conference to immediately connect with contacts via their Nortel telephony system on System i.

"Combined with Nortel's unified communications technology, the simplicity of System i allows small and medium-sized clients to take advantage of IP telephony in an accessible form that also delivers rich functionality," said Mark Shearer, general manager, IBM System i. "The Nortel-IBM System i Unified Communications solution will be designed to run the business processing and real-time collaboration needs of a small or medium-sized business simultaneously with IP telephony on a single system, so IT employees can focus on the business, not managing technology."

The solution will be sold through approved Nortel resellers and IBM solution providers who will be provided with training and tools for selling and supporting the product. The solution complements Nortel's existing SMB portfolio of voice and data offerings such as the Business Communications Manager (BCM), Business Ethernet Switch (BES), Business Secure Router (BSR) and Business Access Point (BAP).

"This offering provides Nortel channel partners with a remarkable opportunity to grow with a unified communications solution from two worldwide leaders, and represents our commitment to open platforms and applications with industry-leading partners," said Lori McLean, Nortel general manager, Nortel-IBM Alliance. "This integrated solution makes the move to IP telephony along with unified communications as easy as a software upgrade on IBM System i."

According to InfoTech's 2007 InfoTrack for SMB IP Telephony Market Analysis and Forecast, the combined revenue for SMB converged applications is expected to grow from $526M in 2006 to $1.83B in 2011. The report also confirms that SMBs strongly believe that unified communications applications represent the greatest potential business value and the highest IT spending among the various categories of SMB converged applications. Nortel and IBM understand this trend. Their collaboration on the easy-to-manage, easy-to-secure and highly reliable System i platform will enable SMB customers to realize the benefits of unified communication.

In addition to IP-PBX call features such as call routing, voice mail and unified messaging, the solution is expected to integrate with select e-mail clients. The Nortel-IBM System i Unified Communications solution is expected to be initially available in the fourth quarter of 2007.

About IBM

For more information about IBM, visit ibm.com. For more about System i, visit www.ibm.com/systemi.

About Nortel

Nortel is a recognized leader in delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, ignite and power global commerce, and secure and protect the world's most critical information. Our next-generation technologies, for both service providers and enterprises, span access and core networks, support multimedia and business-critical applications, and help eliminate today's barriers to efficiency, speed and performance by simplifying networks and connecting people with information. Nortel does business in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit Nortel on the Web at www.nortel.com. For the latest Nortel news, visit www.nortel.com/news.
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: