What Jabber Means To Cisco
What it means is that Cisco Systems is serious about collaboration and Microsoft and IBM had better take notice.
Jabber will integrate into the collaboration software group. Consider their purchase of Postpath, a messaging platform designed as a replacement for Microsoft’s Exchange. Cisco’s collaboration offering has now added secure instant messaging.
Along with their strengths in voice conferencing, WebEx web conferencing, telepresence, and the most recent addition of enterprise email solution, Cisco has put together a package with enormous potential and value. Given the right execution, integration, and presence, Cisco is putting together what is probably the market-leading offering. Also let’s not overlook the value of a one-stop enterprise solution.
Another interesting point is the very nature of Jabber thickens the plot. Jabber is built with the objective of scalability, it’s that nature that allows it to connect across all the major instant message services such as AOL, Yahoo, ICQ, Windows Live, etc. Could that compatibility be built in to hardware devices that Cisco builds? You bet. Meaning devices, services can message instantly on a whole bunch of information. And control much information as well. Absolutely that’s part of where they will go with this. Also look for integration to WebEx conferencing. Jabber’s scalability features will certainly help in the move to the cloud. Once again it all comes down to integration.
And Cisco isn’t done shopping yet, if Cisco analysts are to believed, they have other targets to fill up their bets on their buzzword focus namely, video, collaboration, and virtualization. Meanwhile Ebay is sitting on Skype, another hot property that fits into the Unified Communications puzzle.
Cisco is fleshing out their strategy, in compelling fashion. Now, it’s up to Cisco to deliver on integration, security and reliability. Will corporations sign on? Yeah I think so. And the whole paradigm has just moved over to Cisco. Who’s next?
The day of Unified Communications is nigh.