Microsoft Arabia launched an exclusive roadshow last Sunday in partnership with Jabra and Polycom across the Kingdom. The roadshow kicked off in Jeddah and will move to Al-Khobar and Riyadh. Microsoft Lync, the next generation of unified communications solutions from Microsoft, claims to be able to help businesses in Saudi Arabia meet their needs for real-time collaboration, and give them access to an integrated solutions that enables users to communicate from anywhere in a cost-effective and secure manner. Microsoft Lync is a single communication platform that works from the desktop, browser or handset integrating instant messaging, presence, audio, video, web conferencing and voice into a single interface. Where Microsoft excels is its ability to provide customers with a solution that works seamlessly with common business products such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Exchange. The launch of Microsoft Lync comes at a time when the overall market for unified communications is witnessing rapid expansion and businesses are looking for new ways to boost productivity and cross-boundary collaboration while driving down costs. “Microsoft Lync connects users in new ways, regardless of their physical location providing a fresh, intuitive user experience that is directly accessible from Microsoft Office applications to deliver the best productivity experience across the PC, phone and browser,” said Samir Noman, President of Microsoft Arabia. “The roadshow will be a great opportunity for all customers, big or small, to gain deep insights into how the unified nature of the system can help reduce costs and facilitate rapid user adoption. Moreover, because Lync is broadly interoperable, it also fits into existing IT infrastructure for easier deployment and migration.” “We are very pleased to be partnering with Microsoft at this roadshow,” said Hani Hanna, Head of Jabra Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Our award-winning corded and wireless headset solutions integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Lync, providing a reliable, easy to use and cost effective user experience across multiple devices and platforms.” According to Charles James, Microsoft & Polycom Alliance Director, “Polycom today provides a complete, standards-based, and interoperable UC solution for voice, video, conferencing, and collaboration, giving customers a choice through the scalable Polycom infrastructure and Microsoft Lync platform. We look forward to engaging with customers to give them a sense of on how we are supporting the transformation of business communication at the roadshow in partnership with Microsoft.” __
