Increased productivity, collaboration with Dimension Data`s integrated collaboration offering

Dimension Data, a specialist IT solutions and services company, expects Microsoft Corporation`s unified communications vision will motivate businesses serious about enhancing communication for improved employee productivity to rapidly adopt unified communications solutions.

"Unified communications requires interoperability between communications solutions from all suppliers - whether it is Microsoft, Cisco, Nortel, Avaya or any other. Microsoft`s vision for unified communications and the integration of voice capabilities onto the desktop environment will rapidly change the way employees work and result in dramatically improved collaboration and productivity," commented Ettienne Reinecke, Chief Technology Officer, Dimension Data.

Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 and Microsoft Office Communicator 2005 allow network and telephony availability to be merged into a single online presence. Combined with Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile and Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access, employees have the ability to collaborate with individual colleagues and teams using the most appropriate communications channel. It is as simple as click-to-call, click-to-e-mail, click-to-IM and click to conference.

"Industry-leading companies such as Dimension Data are playing a significant role in delivering collaboration solutions using Office Live Communications Server 2005 as the hub for delivering a unified communications experience to customers," commented Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice-president, Unified Communications Group, Microsoft.

"We are very pleased to be working with Dimension Data, with its strong global capabilities in network integration, enterprise telephony and Microsoft Unified Communications Solutions. We look forward to continuing to work with Dimension Data to help our customers gain the competitive advantage made possible by unified communications."

Reinecke continued: "Many businesses today have heterogeneous environments, potentially from a number of manufacturers. Dimension Data`s unified communications solution makes it possible for employees to collaborate instantly in rich and powerful ways with more secure instant messaging and integrated voice, video and data which are incorporated as part of their core productivity applications."

Dimension Data`s integrated collaboration solution offers enterprise-grade IM as well as integration with enterprise telephony systems. Key features of Dimension Data`s solution include:

* IP telephony: Enables intra-enterprise communications via Office Communicator 2005, including PC alerts for incoming calls, caller ID, dynamic call routing, missed call e-mail notifications, and telephony integration with the desktop including directory search and dial.
* More secure, compliant IM: Robust, more secure corporate IM with the ability to use Live Communications Server 2005 for more secure business to business federation as well as Public Instant Messaging Connectivity, giving customers secure, native connectivity with members of the MSN Messenger, America Online and Yahoo public IM networks.
* Integration with productivity applications: Maximising use and employee productivity through integration with the Microsoft Office system, including Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies as well as the ability leverage Live Communications Server 2005 as a presence platform for enterprise-wide application development.
* Multi-party conferencing: Through partner relationships, the ability to take advantage of Live Communications Server 2005 to facilitate collaboration and communication for desktop multi-party conferencing and Microsoft Office Live Meeting and other Web conferencing solutions.
* Integrated directory services: Expedite the provisioning and synchronisation of IM and voice clients while lowering the administrative burden of duplicate directories. Microsoft Active Directory and PBX directories can be seamlessly synchronised via integration with Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003.

Dimension Data is also committed to working with Microsoft on updated versions of Live Communications Server 2005 and Communicator 2005 - Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 - upon availability.