On Monday, March 3, 2008 Siemens Enterprise announced a newly crafted HiPath-based server and SIP PBX to control OpenScape desktop clients, IP phones and HD video endpoints and a PC client.

The idea is that enterprises will increasingly rely on central control of video rooms, modular systems and desktop products to provide higher availability, security and control. Included with a specialized version of the classic SIP PBX, this packages the OpenScape UC server and three room systems with a desktop video client. Key reasons why companies will want a separate SIP PBX just for the video / IP phone environment:

• Accounting of service operations – are there idle devices? Are they missing? Operational?
• Reporting of availability and utilization
• Control of who can call who
• Corporate directory
• Security and network policies compliant
• Messaging – what happens when the target video-ee is not available? Is there a videomail?
• Formation and leverage of shared resources – recording servers, gateway to the outside world, streaming services 

This is a good idea. I have written about how video will need to adopt all of the same features of modern IP PBX – auto attendant , messaging and corporate directory services.

I did get a chance to meet with my friend Brian Collie who is the SVP heading up this new unit at Siemens. This is an exciting announcement for Siemens and is really coming from an unexpected angle. I was expecting a video company to deliver the first of these (there are so many IP PBX open source projects out there, even Nortel is going to market with one), but to see a video-first system (that can do voice too) from Siemens is excellent.  

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