Surface Pro, the long-awaited tablet from software giant
March 11, 2013
scott gode
Surface Pro, the long-awaited tablet from software giant Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), may be getting all the big attention these days as IT clamors after a device that offers the portability that their C-level executives want, but now with Office integration that lets business users be truly productive. But Microsoft may soon slowly be making inroads with another product — one that isn’t a household name like Office, Surface or Windows. Here’s the scoop.Lync is Microsoft’s answer to modern unified communications in business — a PBX replacement — with IM and presence, video conferencing, meetings, and telephony. And it’s fair to say that it hasn’t been a huge hit. Companies have been slow to move off their old PBX solutions. So why might Lync’s day be coming? We spoke with Scott Gode (pictured), now a senior director at Avanade, the joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft (and formerly with Microsoft MSP Azaleos which was acquired by Avanade last year). Admittedly Gode works for a company that sells Microsoft-based solutions, so one would expect him to be promoting those solutions. But he had some interesting insights when it came to the rise of the cloud and a changing of the guard in old-time enterprise telephony solutions and unified communications.