Microsoft OCS set to be 'significant force' in VoIP market

Featuring both VoIP telephony functionality and some unified communications (UC) features, software giant Microsoft's entry into the world of internet telephony has been assessed as a "significant force" by one expert in the field.

Zeus Kerravala, writing for Search VoIP, believes that the software applications provided by the Washington-based firm may lead to further innovation in the market.

"Microsoft will redefine the industry," he writes.

"OCS will take communications from being a product to an embedded component of everything we do."

However, Mr Kerravala said that there will likely be some teething problems with the software and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may want to wait until those issues are ironed out.

"For companies planning to test OCS, I do think there will be some quality issues as the product matures...but you need to understand that OCS isn't designed to be a phone system replacement," he said.

"It's meant to be part of an ecosystem…where communications become as important to your organisation as the internet did," Mr Kerravala explained.