Small Business Phone gets VoIP - Microsoft Response Point SP1

Microsoft has announced at their Small Business Summit 2008 that their Microsoft Response Point system will be getting a great upgrade. Called Microsoft Response Point SP1 (what else?), this will enable small businesses to easily supplement their existing phone service with VoIP services.

Since small businesses have ebbs and flows in employee hiring (read that as hire & fire at will), Microsoft says that Response Point SP1 will take advantage of the flexibility of VoIP to allow small businesses to scale much more rapidly and cost-effectively than with traditional PSTN lines. If IP service is in place, using a simple VoIP account setup wizard in the Response Point Administrator, a small business can connect with Internet telephony service providers to add new VoIP phone numbers in a matter of minutes. Users can also use a local VoIP phone number.

Microsoft added that Aastra Technologies Ltd., D-Link Corp. and Quanta Computer Inc., all Response Point hardware vendors will ship new end-to-end Response Point phone systems, pre-loaded with SP1, this summer onwards.