Want to try Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging? Microsoft is working with a set of select partners to sell a “trial kit” with the hardware you’ll need. Rather, they’re selling some of the hardware you’ll need: an AudioCodes gateway that will link up to 4 analog phone lines with your Exchange UM server via Voice-over-IP. That gives you Outlook Voice Access, play-on-phone, and the Exchange automated attendant. You also get two hours of phone support, which you’ll probably need to set up the gateway.
Is it a good deal? Beats me. I’m completely ignorant of what the AudioCodes and Intel gateways cost in the real world. IMHO the big problem with this setup is that it doesn’t give you call answering (at least if I’m reading the description right). That’s a major omission. Call answering and routing normally requires a PBX, though, and at least with this gateway you can get a taste of how Exchange UM works using real hardware.
Paul's Down-Home Page 