D-Link to debut Microsoft IP-PBX in Australia & NZ

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 28 October 2008 01:58

Business IT - Technology

D-Link expects to be the first vendor to introduce Microsoft's OEM IP PBX software product, Response Point, to the Australian and New Zealand market, a year after it was released to OEM manufacturers in the US.

D-Link says it will demonstrate its version of Response Point, known as the D-Link VoiceCenter, to channel partners via a series of hands-on demonstrations / seminars in Australia and New Zealand in November. The company says negotiations with resellers are at an advanced stage and it expects products to go on sale shortly.

Microsoft announced Response Point in March 2007 , a move that put the company in head on competition with the leading IP PBX vendors such as Cisco, Avaya and Nortel with whom Microsoft collaborates to integrate its unified communications tools with their products.

VoiceCenter/Response Point is designed for small businesses requiring up to 50 extensions and supports both VoIP and analogue phone lines. According to -Link it "provides seamless auto-discovery and provisioning of IP phones and gateways allowing novice users to install and customise the system in less than 30 minutes using wizards for phone and service configuration. It features administrative functions including system status monitoring, voicemail usage summary and system settings backup & restore."

A key differentiator is its voice recognition interface: In place of hard-to-remember key codes or awkward menu structures, Response Point uses voice control for transferring, parking and receiving calls. Calls can be placed to people in the company directory or an Outlook address book by saying their name.

Dean Williams, product manager, D-Link Australia & New Zealand., claimed that "anyone can set up, manage and use this feature-rich phone system without the need for professional installation or training. VoiceCenter is powered by the sound of your voice. You tell it what you want to do and let VoiceCenter take control."

D-Link has not announced Australian prices for VoiceCenter. When it launched in the US in October 2007,  D-Link quoted a price of $US3000 for a base unit and five phones.

Also at launch time Microsoft announced Aastra as a new OEMer, joining the initial three: D-Link, Quanta and Uniden. However Aastra Co-CEO Tony Shen, told iTWire in August that the company had no plans to launch the product in Australia.