Cisco, Citrix expand click-to-call
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(InfoWorld) - Citrix Systems Inc. has teamed up with Cisco Systems Inc. to let users easily call phone numbers that appear in any application they're working on. With Citrix Presentation Server, enterprises can run applications centrally and have employees simply work with an image of the application on each client device. Through integration with Cisco's CallManager VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) system, the companies have been offering a click-to-call feature for a limited number of applications. After rolling a mouse over any phone number that appears in an application, users see a pop-up menu and can click on the option "Call" to dial the number on a Cisco phone. Starting in mid-January, the companies will make that feature work any application deployed via Presentation Server. Along with expanding the capability, they also plan to add other communication functions, including e-mail, instant messaging and Web conferencing, to the drop-down list, said Barry Phillips, senior director of product marketing at Citrix. VOIP turns phone calls into one more application running over the same network that carries data, so integrating voice and other communications into applications is a major thrust in the use of the technology. The convergence of voice and data originally was promoted as a way to save money and simplify administration. Now Cisco and Citrix, along with other vendors, are downplaying the economic argument in favor of new ease-of-use features for end users. Presentation Server is designed to slash client systems management and give IT managers more control over enterprise applications. It runs the applications on a central server that registers keystrokes and mouse clicks from client devices and sends an image of the running application to the user's screen. The City of Winter Park, Florida, doesn't run any applications on Presentation Server but uses other Citrix software to link its Cisco VOIP phone system with Active Directory and enable additional features. The combination has worked well, delivering capabilities including a one-click dialing feature that works in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer, said Parsram Rajaram, a senior systems analyst for the city. Cisco and other vendors are also working on putting voice-calling functions in standard applications that reside on clients. "Over time, we're going to expect this as a core functionality of our applications," said Elizabeth Herrell, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc. It's part of the move toward unified communications, which will bring together different forms of communication along with presence technology that detects how a person should be reached at a given time, she said. The click-to-call feature will be part of the Application Gateway and Citrix Voice Application Suite. Priced at US$50 per user for a perpetual license, the suite also includes other features such as tools for handling voice mail through the phone's display and paging employees and groups through phone speakers. It runs on Cisco's Application Gateway, which costs $5,115. The offering is part of Cisco's standard catalog and any Cisco reseller can offer it, the companies said.ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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NEW YORK -- Cisco Systems Inc. on Tuesday will introduce new products aimed at protecting and expanding one of its biggest sources of revenue - computer-networking equipment for small businesses and branch offices.
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NEW YORK - Cisco Systems is aggressively trying to build its presence in key growth markets, and it&#39;s using both new products and new acquisitions to do it.
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Cisco Systems (Quote, Chart) has modified its Catalyst switching products to help small and medium-sized businesses deploy converged data, voice and video networks.
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Additions to the new Asterisk Version 1.4 include support for GoogleTalk and Cisco's IP phone protocol, as well as several other protocol and application support upgrades.
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Cisco Systems has expanded its range of Catalyst switching products and services with the launch of offerings specifically targeted at small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
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Cisco Systems Inc., the world&#39;s largest maker of computer-networking equipment, formed an alliance with Fujitsu Ltd. to increase sales to Japanese telephone carriers.
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The World Series of networking services IBM and Cisco are expanding their Global Services Alliance, er globally.â¦
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Cisco Systems, which has been under growing competitive pressure lately in the high-end router space, announced a series of initiatives this week designed to improve its market position, as well as bolster its relationship with telecom service providers.
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Cisco said that its IP Phone allows unconstrained Gigabit Ethernet-enabled bandwidth from the network to desktop phone. Cisco&#39;s Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 32 has been enhanced to allow customers to enable
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Cisco is rolling out today a router, switch, and enhancements for branch-office networking.
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(InfoWorld) - Cisco Systems and IBM are expanding a cooperative support offering from the U.S. to 46 other markets. Through the offering, called Managed Maintenance Solutions (MMS) for Cisco Products, enterprises that use IBM as a systems integrator can get Cisco technical support by calling IBM. It is designed to simplify IT administrators' jobs and prevent them from having to choose between turning to Cisco or IBM for help, said Cisco spokeswoman Mandy Knotts. Cisco has a worldwide technical support organization but is not a systems integrator. The companies began working together on support three years ago as part of the Cisco Global Services Alliance, Knotts said. Over time they developed the MMS offering, which so far has been available only in the U.S., Knotts said. It is now being expanded to markets in Europe and Asia, including the U.K., France, Germany, China, Australia, South Korea and India, as well as Canada. The expansion was set to be announced Monday. Customers with MMS can make all their calls for Cisco technical support through the IBM Technical Support Center, which can provide network specialists trained by Cisco. The service also includes escalation of issues to Cisco Technical Assistance, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, plus operating system updates and hardware replacement, according to Cisco. Â
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Cisco is announcing an eight-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet module for its Catalyst 6500 switches, doubling the number of ports available to users and increasing overall switching performance by 60%.
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Citrix Systems and Microsoft announced this week a new technology cross-licensing deal meant to assure the continued enhancement of Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite for Microsoft Windows Terminal Services.
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IBM and Cisco Systems have expanded a partnership to provide businesses with automated identity and access security to networks. The two companies announced on Thursday that they have integrated IBM&#39;s Tivoli
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8/24/2004 -- Cisco Systems yesterday announced a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Communications Connector for Microsoftâs CRM offering.
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Network equipment maker Cisco Systems  Inc  on Monday launched a new switching product aimed  at large data centers, and forecast strong sales despite  worries of a slowdown in U.S. technology spending.