Phone System for Small Business

Response Point, a Microsoft-developed private branch exchange (PBX) solution for small businesses, will be available in North America in the second half of 2007. Initially offered by three hardware OEMs-D-Link, Quanta, and Uniden-the product could interest resellers and other potential OEMs thanks to a pricing model, voice recognition features, ease of setup and administration, and PC client integration that set it apart from competitors in this fragmented market. However, potential partners should note that the first version lacks integration with Exchange Server 2007 and Communications Server 2007, casting uncertainty over the product’s future in Microsoft’s voice strategy.

VoIP for Small Sites

Response Point, originally code-named Edinburgh, is designed for organizations requiring 50 or fewer extensions and consists of a base station and compatible handsets that use Voice over IP (VoIP) protocols, including the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). The base station is a dedicated appliance built on Windows XP Embedded and uses flash memory instead of a disk drive for increased reliability. External inputs can be analog public switched telephone network (PSTN) lines, a T1 voice circuit, or Ethernet ports connected to VoIP services delivered over the Internet. Some OEM models will have analog PSTN or T1 inputs built directly into the base station hardware; other models will simply sport an Ethernet interface and require a separate gateway device.