MetaSwitch Intros Desktop Assistant

This week at VON, MetaSwitch takes the wraps off the MetaSwitch Desktop Assistant, a new productivity-enhancing application that the next-gen switch vendor says offers advanced features previously only seen on high-end IP PBXs.

MetaSwitch says it is the first vendor to integrate this functionality into a Class 4/5 softswitch product line. It’s part of MetaSwitch’s UC9000 Unified Communications platform for enhanced services.

Leveraging MetaSwitch’s SIP-based IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Application Server interface, the Desktop Assistant enables enhanced communications capabilities for any endpoint – whether an IP phone or traditional analog line, according to MetaSwitch.

Key features of the Desktop Assistant include the ability for users to see the full contact details of a caller when their phones ring (“Outlook-enhanced Caller ID”); the option to ignore a call or send it to voice mail; the ability manage contacts, the capability to click on a contact name to initiate a call (“click-to-call”); the ability to monitor the presence information of colleagues and friends, and have the option to send an instant message instead of placing a phone call; the option to be alerted to new voice mail messages by a discreet system tray icon; the ability to access recently dialed, received and missed calls; and the option to view and control their phone feature settings – such as turning on "do not disturb" – direct from the main application window.

All of the above features are fully integrated with the MetaSwitch Class 4/5 Softswitch. For example, the recent call list is downloaded from the switch, so it shows all missed calls, even if the Desktop Assistant application was not running at the time of the call.

Similarly, features such as “do not disturb” are not implemented by the client application but control configuration settings on the switch so their operation does not depend on the application continuing to run on the user’s computer. This ensures that the Desktop Assistant enhances – but does not replace or otherwise interfere with – how users currently use their telephone.

In a related release, MetaSwitch today also announced enhanced Auto Attendant functionality, another extension to its UC9000 Unified Communications platform.

Please revisit our Web site later this week for more details on this announcement.

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