Nortel’s Next Big Move: Software Partnerships

Nortel is taking a close look at the world’s top 10 enterprise application providers and mulling new Unified Communication partnerships, The VAR Guy has learned.

Nortel already has strong relationships with Microsoft and IBM. Next up could be deals involving Oracle and SAP, as well as unified communications initiatives targeting specific vertical markets. Even potential work with Apple Computer, bringing Unified Communications to MacOS, is under consideration, according to Tony Rybczynski, director of strategic enterprise technology at Nortel.

Still, Nortel faces an uphill battle. The company’s enterprise networking business remains a distant No. 2 to Cisco Systems. And Cisco is surely scouring the market for more software partnerships of its own.