WINNER
Siemens Communications Inc.
HiPath Openscape 2.0
Siemens Communications HiPath OpenScape 2.0 is this years eWEEK Excellence Awards winner for Enterprise Collaboration because of its ability to extend presence and real-time collaboration beyond instant messaging through SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) to seamless voice and Web conferencing. The ease with which users can initiate collaboration through task and calendar sharing particularly impressed judges.
Based on Microsoft Corp.s Live Communications Server 2003, HiPath OpenScape goes beyond IM by extending presence information to telephone voice systems, using either traditional TDM (time-division multiplexing) or IP-based PBX.
The judges liked the ease of managing contact information, including the use of presence information to indicate the best means to reach a team member. HiPath OpenScape also includes a document-sharing feature that gives team members the ability to easily share and collaborate on documents.
In addition to a Web-based portal for managing team collaboration, HiPath OpenScape can be configured to allow voice access to groupware features such as e-mail, calendars, tasks, journals and documents. More information is available at enterprise.usa.siemens.com.
FINALISTS
Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005
As a finalist in the Enterprise Collaboration category, Live Communications Server 2005 changes instant messaging from the either-or proposition of public or private IM platforms. Through Live Communications Servers new proxy architecture, this release enables companies to build trusted IM networks with business partners, a feature that judges believe will significantly change the way companies collaborate.
This release includes significant improvements in the way Live Communications Server is managed and scales across large organizations, changes that show IM can be deployed in an enterprise environment without unduly weighing down administrative staff.
Go to www.microsoft.com for more information.
Netspoke Inc.
Netspoke Conferencing
By providing a simple-to-use interface without sacrificing features, Netspokes Netspoke Conferencing garnered finalist honors in eWEEK Excellence Awards judging.
In addition to combining Web conferencing with voice conferencing services in a packaged solution, Netspoke Conferencing provides presenters with reporting and content management features that impressed Excellence judges during our evaluation.
Netspoke (www.netspoke.com) also earned high marks for providing a solution that makes it easy to both start and join conferences quickly. Netspoke doesnt install or require a client component to join or launch a meeting, which was an important factor in differentiating it from numerous other Web conferencing solutions entered this year.
Excellence Awards Winners and Finalists:
- Analytics & Reporting
- Application Development
- Business Integration Systems
- Business Relationship Management
- Desktop & Mobile Hardware
- E-Business Foundations
- E-Mail Management & Security
- Enterprise Collaboration & Messaging
- Enterprise Storage Hardware
- Enterprise Storage Software
- IT Quality Assurance Tools
- Productivity Applications
- Server Hardware
- Networking & Management Tools
- Networking Infrastructure
- System & Application Management
- Authentication & User Management
- Network Data-Stream Protection
- Vulnerability Assessment & Remediation