Creating a unified front

Two separate strategic alliances aimed at creating and marketing complete unified messaging solutions were formed last week between unified messaging companies and computer developers.

Compaq and Lucent Technologies teamed to offer service providers and enterprise customers a unified messaging solution based on Lucent's Octel Unified Messenger for Exchange server. The Octel system uses a single mailbox for voice, fax and e-mail messages that users can check and manage using a phone or computer.

Lucent will sell Octel Unified Messenger on Compaq's ProLiant and AlphaServer platforms, and Compaq plans to resell the system.

"A lot of things are going on and carriers want to put things in place," said Vincent Deschamps, general manager of Lucent's unified messaging division.

The companies will also have the marketing muscle of Microsoft behind them, Deschamps said, because "Exchange is an integral part of the software, so [Microsoft] will be a part of the deal."

Lucent currently offers the systems, and Compaq plans to offer a system this quarter.

As part of the bilateral agreement, Lucent will buy unified messaging technologies from Compaq, which were acquired when it bought Digital Equipment Corp.

In a separate deal, Premiere Technologies Inc. entered a non-exclusive relationship with Sun Microsystems to offer a Web-based unified messaging solution. Premiere's Orchestrate unified messaging services will be powered by software that will come out of the Sun/Netscape partnership. This software will include electronic commerce infrastructure and messaging application software.

The companies have also entered a joint marketing agreement and are looking at portals as a way to gain ground. "The idea of having your own personal inbox as a part of your portal is powerful," said John McFarlane, president of Sun's Solaris division.

The companies plan to roll out a product by early fourth quarter.