Nortel Takes Cisco to Task
Nortel and Cisco are sparring over unified communications at Voicecon in Orlando. Frankly, they are providing the best fireworks at a trade show since Cabletron attacked Cisco at Networld+Interop in the 1990s.
Although Cisco announced new efforts with IBM and Microsoft at today's event, Nortel promptly took Cisco to task. A Nortel source sent The VAR Guy an email alleging that:
Although Cisco announced new efforts with IBM and Microsoft at today's event, Nortel promptly took Cisco to task. A Nortel source sent The VAR Guy an email alleging that:
Nortel and Cisco are sparring over unified communications at Voicecon in Orlando. Frankly, they are providing the best fireworks at a trade show since Cabletron attacked Cisco at Networld+Interop in the 1990s.
Although Cisco announced new efforts with IBM and Microsoft at today’s event, Nortel promptly took Cisco to task. A Nortel source sent The VAR Guy an email alleging that:
- Cisco apparently is repackaging news from last year’s VoiceCon show in demonstrating support for Lotus Notes in its UC products, the Nortel source says.
- Cisco is playing catch-up in the unified communications space. With Nortel’s Innovative Communications Alliance relationship with Microsoft showing “impressive customer adoption” in the first six months—dozens of customers already with hundreds in the pipeline—Cisco realized they couldn’t win the UC space on their own, the Nortel tipster alleges.
- The planned UC capabilities that Cisco is announcing with both IBM and Microsoft are available today through Nortel and Microsoft’s Converged Office solution, which become available last year, according to the tipster.
The VAR Guy is on the move at the show, so it has been difficult for him to secure an official response from Cisco. However, here’s a few observations based on his recent meetings with Cisco:
- First, Cisco has alleged that Nortel VARs are moving into Cisco’s camp, which apparently has forced Microsoft to hedge its relationship with Nortel and reach out to Cisco.
- Second, even The VAR Guy knows that more than 70 percent of organizations are running Cisco networks with Microsoft servers in place. It’s only natural for the vast majority of customers and VARs to demand more integration between Cisco and Microsoft.
to the very last bullet: I don’t see how the devices over which the data travels (i.e. Cisco routers) have much to do with the unified communications architecture which is implemented at the client and at the server end, not in the middle. Hence, I don’t see how it is natural for the customer to demand more Cisco integration for devices that, other than generic QOS, do not need to be integrated.
Joe,
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Some additional observations: Cisco’s goal is to tie together its Call Manager software (now renamed as Unified Call Manager) with clients. So Cisco does, indeed, have that back-end play in place as well. And, with all due respect, I think it’s only natural for joint Cisco/MSFT customers to push both companies for unified systems designed to work with one another.
-joe p
The potential cost benefits and synergies of ICA would not be realised under a Cisco based solution. Also a key focus of the Microsoft Nortel ICA is developing a services organisation that will make the network layer transparent irrespective of vendor. Services will be key amp; I’m not sure Cisco are geared up for providing a services business?
Cisco itself isn’t geared up for services, but you can bet Cisco will gear up its channel to offer the services.
a few observations:
I would be worried if I was one of Microsofts large channel partners that Nortel was gearing up to provide UCC services ( hmmm now theres a thought!).
Similarly I would be worried if I was a Nortel partners on the future of a platform that has been “given” to Microsoft( …have Nortel really given away their crown jewels?).
More worried should be the numerous Customers out there, who own or have recently bought a platform that Nortel has silently declared EOL(ouch!).
All sounds too good to be true for the likes of cisco and other competitors…doesn’t it?