Product
Background
Lucent Technologies Octel Unified Messenger allows a user, residing on a Microsoft
Exchange Server, to access voice mail, e-mail and fax through a single interface.
A user can either retrieve his/her messages from a standard touch-tone telephone,
or from multi-media enhanced laptops or workstations. The unified messenger
uses a text-to-speech conversion engine for transmitting e-mails over a telephone
line; the system will also notify the user if an attachment is contained within
the e-mail. Retrieving faxes via a telephone line is different. The user must
forward the fax directly to a machine where the user can manually retrieve a
copy. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology needs to improve to the
point that faxes are accurately processed for export to the text-to-speech engine.
The product is especially valuable to remote users who do not always have Internet
and/or computer access. This is especially true when traveling internationally
or in remote rural regions. Although the technology is not perfect, it is certainly
a step in the right direction. Lucent's first release of the Octel Messaging
Server (1993), was generally considered useful, but too expensive and the technology
too immature.
The
Unified Messenger is a step towards the "universal inbox" arena, but will require
additional enhancements to achieve a well-rounded product. The main competing
unified messaging product is produced by MaiSoft and is called the " MaiSoft
Unified Messaging System". The core technology behind the product is from Lucent
and looks very much like the Octel Messaging Server environment. Through a strategic
alliance with MaiSoft, Lucent is effectively monopolizing the voice-mail, fax
and PBX e-mail integration market.
Product
Strategy and Trajectory
Lucent is looking into the future with the Unified Messenger Product and MaiSoft's
Unified Messaging System. The product is presently only supported with the Microsoft
Exchange Server messaging system due to development costs. Over the next 2-5
years, Lucent will release a Unified Messenger for Lotus Notes and the leading
flavors of Linux and Unix (probability 95%). Lucent will also improve the OCR
engine, by partnering with an OCR company such as Xerox in order to provide
accurate porting of facsimile and attachment data to the text-to-speech engine
(probability 95%).
Product
Strengths
Lucent's
Unified Messenger product is useful for any remote user that needs a robust
connection to the corporat infrastructure. The ability to have a user's inbox
available from anywhere at any time is appealing to all levels of the corporate
organization, due to increased remote end-user production. The product integrates
well with Microsoft Exchange under the Windows NT Server platform and offers
support for a wide-array of PBX systems. Lucent has also stated that it will
provide integration services for those PBXs not currently supported.
Product
Challenges
Lucent's
Unified Messenger product challenges include limited platform support (NT/Exchange
Only) and sheer expense, especially hardware expenditure. A PBX telephone system
is a prerequisite to installation, in addition to a dedicated and robust Messaging
Server. Disk storage will grow at exponential rates, given that a one-minute
voice-mail message will take up 240 times more disk storage space than a one-page
e-mail. Lucent Octel's clients are not implementing the Unified Inbox on a corporate
wide level, but for specific departments comprised mainly of remote users in
order to reduce implementation costs. Lucent must develop a compression method
to improve on the 240K per minute storage requirements.
Vendor
Recommendations
Lucent
should collaborate with a well-known third party fax application server such
as RightFax or Optus FacSys to bolster faxing ability. Octel needs an OCR engine
that will convert faxes to speech, so that an end user does not have to re-direct
the fax to a potentially unsecured environment. The cost of the product must
be driven down to offset the hardware and implementation expenses. At the present
time, the cost of the solution is the one major roadblock which Lucent must
overcome. If OCR, compression and facsimile capabilities can be improved and
Lucent can keep the product price competitive, the product will lead the way
into the Unified Mailbox field.
User
Recommendations
Users
should be hesitant in acquiring this technology, not because of poor functionality,
but due to cost constraints. If your organization consists of a majority of
traveling sales users who require frequent access to e-mail, consider a limited
implementation. The product is solid and functions as advertised. The text-to-speech
voice engine is computerized and can be difficult to understand, particularly
when connected via a cellular telephone, which may render the application virtually
useless. We recommend waiting 12 months until the technology catches up with
the marketing hype. While this is the messaging wave of the future, it is a
bit too futuristic today.