Microsoft OCS - Will It Disrupt?

Gary Kim has 2 posts about Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 (here and here). Gary thinks that this will turn telco on its head:

Microsoft also is bringing to market its own "quality of experience" server that automatically tracks end user voice quality no matter where a call is placed--from inside the enteprise or at a hotel. No network test probes are required.

Between the growing MS Mobile handsets and the number of VAR's around, there is a huge chance that Microsoft will steal share from PBX vendors (already having a hard time); Asterisk vendors (already too many of them); and some VoIP Provider (too many of them that look the same and offer no value).

Hosted PBX for the Under 25 handset group is probably safe, since owning and maintaining MS OCS 2007 will be expensive, but 25 to 99 will be where the fight is.

The monitoring and the presence will be hot buttons for the 100 to 250 IT management set. Overall this is a nice space for ISP's to move into - Hosted MS OSC 2007.

Thanks Bill for the opportunity and watch him here.