IBM System i Servers Get 3Com VoIP

Through the partnership, unveiled last week, IBM for the first time will offer integrated VoIP on its System i5 platform. The VCX software will run on a Linux partition within the server. It already runs on IBM’s enterprise-focused xSeries servers.

The joint offering, which has not been priced and is slated to ship next quarter, will target customers with 100 to 2,000 employees. Executives said the sweet spot is in the 500-to-1,000 employee range.

“This 3Com solution is a great fit because customers can now run essentially their entire business on a single platform,” said Andrew Gorelik, COO of Strategic Computer Solutions, an IBM channel partner in Syracuse, N.Y. Most of SCS’s System i customers are not yet deploying IP telephony, he said.

Gaby Batshoun, president and CEO of VAR Global Business Solutions, Newport, Ky., said uptake of VoIP among System i customers is likely to will be slow. “It’s something new, and it will take time to introduce them to it.”

IBM already has introduced sales training materials to its base of 2,800 worldwide System i partners, with advanced implementation training expected to debut later. 3Com partners wanting to sell the offering will need to join IBM’s partner program.

For 3Com, the partnership opens doors into IBM’s System i channel, which carries business application expertise not commonly found within 3Com’s partner base, said Honor LaBourdette, vice president of global strategic alliances at 3Com, Marlborough, Mass. After examining their channel coverage, the vendors determined that there is an overlap of less than 1 percent between their partner bases, she said.