Hope Neal, Contributing Editor (hope@ontargetcomm.com)

Unified communications: Microsoft pushes forward with its collaboration vision

Having access to Web conferencing and instant messaging to collaborate with colleagues, supply chain partners, and customers is a good thing. But doesn't it make more sense to collaborate while working with a business application rather than exiting it to start up a collaboration tool? "Affirmative," say some at Microsoft, and in particular, Andres Caldera, senior product manager.