Now that Microsoft's unified communications portfolio has launched, Cisco partners report that their sales cycles are getting longer as customers stop to consider the impact.

Microsoft's entrance into the space "is putting some fear and doubt into customers. CIOs are asking their staffs to at least think about it," said an executive at one large Cisco partner, who asked not to be identified. "It is lengthening the sales cycle a bit in some cases."

Joe Burton, Cisco's CTO of unified communications, said the vendor is giving channel partners the materials they need to answer questions about Microsoft but downplayed the impact Redmond's VoIP debut is having on the sales process.

"We've put the materials together and we've gotten them out to the field so they can help the customer work through it. The question is being asked and answered in many, many deals, but we're really not seeing significant slowdown in the sales cycle," Burton said.

He did concede that some Cisco channel partners are now spending at least a few extra days to walk potential customers through their options.

"Maybe there's a couple of days of extra conversation while we work through what does Microsoft actually have, what does Cisco have and what are the various ways they can work together," Burton said. "Clearly there are channel partners that aren't used to having to answer that question that are now having to go through that extra step, but no, we're not seeing anything wholesale going on."