The convergence of computing and communications has been a major theme as major players pave the way for a brave new world of ubiquitous networked computing. At the same time, in support of that broader initiative, convergence is also occurring in the area of communications and collaboration.

This week, Siemens Information and Communications Networks, a subsidiary of Siemens AG, introduced OpenScape 1.0, a next-generation communications and collaboration suite that removes location and time barriers to people and information access, according to Mark Stratton, senior vice president of global marketing for the subsidiary. The software framework ties together phones, voice mail, e-mail, text messaging, calendaring, instant messaging, and conferencing services. It also provides a portal interface to manage online presence and the communication and collaboration services.

OpenScape 1.0 is the best example that I have seen of a platform that merges telephony services, with voice over IP (VoIP), and collaborative applications into a fully integrated, real-time framework that greatly simplifies work flow.

As an example, you can start an audio or video Web conference by selecting participants from a buddy list or a workgroup. You can use a cell phone to check e-mail (and have it read to you) and change your presence state by phone. The software also allows users to set access preferences for various communications media, identifying which people you will take calls from or allow to IM you. Users can also specify the best mode to communicate with them on first try.

The audio conferencing application in OpenScape 1.0 allows files to be connected to a session, but doesn't offer any document sharing or annotation features. Siemens has integrated WebEx, a Web-based multimedia conferencing application, into the platform. The company will likely also integrate Placeware, a product with similar capabilities to WebEx recently acquired by Microsoft. OpenScape supports SIP (Session Initiation Protocol--a signaling standard for multimedia communications over IP networks, such as voice over IP) and SALT (Speech Application Language Tags) for telephony access to data, applications and Web services on a variety of devices. A communications broker allows for integration of in-place systems and connectivity to other applications and Web services. The product also offers management features for deployment and for generating usage reports.

OpenScape 1.0, however, requires Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Server 2003 and Greenwich collaboration server. Future versions will support other platforms, such as IBM's WebSphere J2EE environment, Stratton said.

Vijay Bhagavath, infrastructure and telecom analyst at Forrester Research, believes that OpenScape 1.0 is the wave of the future. "OpenScape brings together IP communications and business applications in the enterprise," Bhagavath said. "Currently, phone systems, PC networks, and business applications are islands. With VoIP you have the advantage of using IP and spanning the software layer to business and communication applications."

Bhagavath also sees the integration of Web services and IP telephony systems as a way to tie enterprise applications into the OpenScape platform.

"An AT&T call center with CRM, for example, has been a very sophisticated and high end application," Bhagavath said. "With VoIP, every rank and file employee can have a call center experience and simpler ways to communicate by having applications talk to each other through unified messaging. "

Chris Kozup, a senior research analyst at Meta Group, agreed that Siemens has latched on to an important emerging trend, but pointed out some challenges.

"Conceptually, Siemens is definitely moving in the right direction, but the solution is software-based and might have scalability issues," Kozup said. "The company is pushing OpenScape as a departmental application, but for larger scale bridging and conferencing, hardware-based solutions may be needed."

Kozup also brought up the challenges of convincing customers to spend IT dollars on softer ROI tools like OpenScape, which is a nice-to-have, but not essential in the context of the cost pressures facing corporations.

You can expect to see the groupware players like IBM Lotus and Groove Networks, as well as companies like Oracle and Sun, move to integrate IP-based voice services into their collaboration platforms in the coming months. Over time, concepts like groupware will fade away as Web services allow users to better control their online presence and break down the barriers between enterprise applications, communications and collaboration.

Siemens' Stratton said OpenScape, which is currently in beta test with 50 customers, is expected to ship in the fall or whenever Greenwich becomes available. It will be targeted at workgroups and branch offices, with a list price per seat of around $400.