Microsoft Plans Small Biz Phone System

D-Link, one of the OEM partners that will be selling products based on the Response Point software, plans to offer the forthcoming wares through its existing VAR and distribution channels, said Brian Nickell, product manager at D-Link, Fountain Valley, Calif. There are no current plans to sell through retail channels, he said.

For channel partners, the new product line -- which will carry an as-yet-undetermined D-Link product family name -- represents a solution that is easy to sell and implement, Nickell said.

"It's literally plug-and-play," Nickell said. "You plug in the base unit, the phones and the ATA gateway, and the base unit discovers everything on its own."

The system also includes voicemail, auto-attendant and speech-recognition features that allow users to place calls, tap into voice mail and initiate call transfers without dialing in codes or memorizing key sequences, Nickel said.

"[Microsoft has] taken all of the headaches out of the phone system and made it easy to use," Nickell said.

D-Link plans to offer bundles that will include the D-Link DVX 2000-MF base unit, a gateway and five to ten IP desktop phones, targeting customers with up to 20 to 25 users. The company is looking to offer a system for larger users sometime in the future, he said.

Pricing for the forthcoming system, which will enter beta testing with D-Link partners and customers in April, has not yet been set. The company expects to begin shipping systems in the July/August timeframe, he said.