CommuniGate takes on Microsoft in Unified Communications

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CommuniGate takes on Microsoft in Unified Communications

The ink isn't even dry on my Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 post (22 min ago) and I just read an email from a CommuniGate rep with the Subject line "Communigate and Adobe take the pants off Outlook Exchange".  Hmmm interesting. The email explains that CommuniGate Systems is launching their unified communications platform based on Adobe Flash technology, called Pronto! on Tuesday. Hmmm, Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 is in the unified communication space and so is Pronto! -- both making major unified communications announcements today. Greg Galitzine, fellow TMCer just posted an article on CommuniGate that is worth a look.

CommuniGate's email explains, "They really pushed the limits of Adobe Flash to take the email beyond what’s in your normal email exchange programs. Pronto ties in your traditional email and calendaring features plus voice, video, audio and more – a definite upgrade from MS Exchange and Outlook."

They chose Flash for a number of reasons:
1. Its very secure over other standards like Java or AJAX
2. The multimedia aspects are all in one—no need for the program to call up third-party programs (ie. iTunes, Windows Media Player)
3. The portability of it—you can use it over any OS and any browser with the same look no matter what combo, also portable to mobile devices via Flash Lite

CommuniGate explained that this can be scaled and customized to the SMB and enterprise and on the flip side -- any ISP or broadband provider. They added, "There are a lot of things either available now or coming down the road including voice services (voicemail, VoIP), IPTV, flash based games and more." Gee, sounds almost identical to a lot of the functionality in Live Meeting 2007.

CommuniGate added, "With Flash Lite it can be ported to your mobile phone, integrated into a set top box and deployed over your local cable service in addition to your PC or Mac computer."

"Pronto! illustrates how Flex 2 and Flash are reshaping the user’s experience on the web,” said Jeff Whatcott, vice president of product marketing, Enterprise and Developer Business Unit at Adobe. “Using Adobe’s latest rich Internet application technology, CommuniGate Systems has been able to take business and personal communications to a whole new level – delivering design-friendly, rich functionality with the flexibility of a Web 2.0 application.”

“The e-mail and collaboration software markets are merging and converging to enhance support for communication, sharing, and teaming behaviors,” said Tom Eid, Vice President, Gartner Technology & Service Provider Research. “The integrated collaboration market is emerging in response to the demand for a coherent and integrated set of technologies, processes and services that support a broad range of collaborative activities.”

The launch of Pronto! provides a Rich Media interface for the CommuniGate Pro Internet Communications platform, a scalable performance-driven platform that combines VoIP, data communications, and collaboration services. As the industry’s most scalable IP communications platform, CommuniGate Pro continues to set record benchmarks for performance and scalability. Pronto! interfaces with CommuniGate Pro via the XIMSS API (XML Interface for Messaging, Scheduling, and Signaling). This revolutionary API enables ISPs and Enterprises to rapidly develop and design UIs, build portals, interface with cable modems, and link to external applications and services — all without any complex coding or protocol requirements.

Pronto! features include:
• Fully featured E-mail Application
• Calendaring
• Contacts management
• Secure Instant Messaging
• Presence
• VoiceMail Management and Calling Preferences
• RSS Feeds and management
• MyPhotos
• MyVideos
• MyMusic
• Portability to any Flash 9 Player on Windows, OSX, Linux
• Highly secure binary that runs in memory space not browser cache


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