Microsoft Vs. Cisco: Part Deux

A battle has been brewing between desktop software kingpin Microsoft and networking chieftain Cisco for years. Yes, even as the two companies swear partnership and allegiance and blah, blah, blah.

But as reported here a few weeks ago, and delved into here by Yankee Group founder Howard Anderson, it's only going to get more heated. And more interesting.

Microsoft comms types dodge the question of competition. They say Microsoft will attack from the application layer, Cisco from the networking layer. However both companies already field real-time communications capabilities including chat, VoIP phone etc etc. You can't get much more overlap than that.

Is there enough turf for both? It seems questionable when ambitions run so high.

Unified communications (as opposed to unified messaging) will be the battlefield. There were some sessions on UC at Tech Ed this week, but look for more marketing firepower to come at a Microsoft confab planned for San Francisco late this month.

Much of the focus will likely be on the next version of Live Communications Server.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sees Unified Communications as one area in which the company wants to excel--in which it can prove to be what he called an "n trick pony."

So far this battle has been eclipsed by the anti-Google jihad. But, look for more sparks to fly soon.

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