Response Point Team Blog

Response Point Product Announcement

sprague — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Since 2008, we’ve worked to bring you news and updates about Response Point and we’ve appreciated your engagement as we’ve worked to support and deploy this product for small businesses in North America. If you’ve been following, you probably know by now that last year we made the decision to transition Response Point to engineering maintenance status in May of 2009.

After taking a good look at the Microsoft Response Point offering and the needs of small businesses, we’ve decided to discontinue the sale, support, and development of the Response Point phone system for small businesses, effective August 31, 2010. If you’re a current customer, you’ll be able to keep using your Response Point system per the terms of your equipment manufacturer’s purchase agreement.

I’m sure that many of you are asking why we decided to make this decision. We’ve been encouraged since the launch of Response Point by the positive response we’ve seen from our customers and channel partners who have been using the solution. However, even given this progress, we’ve determined that the demand that has materialized in the time since launch isn’t enough to sustain Response Point as a healthy, viable standalone business moving forward.

So, what does this mean for our current customers and partners?

§ As I mentioned before, all current Response Point customers will be able to use their system after August 31, 2010 according to the terms of their equipment manufacturer purchase agreement.

§ In support of our partners and current customers, we’ll continue to maintain the current web pages at www.microsoft.com/responsepoint until November 1, 2011.

§ For any return policy questions, you’ll need to contact the retailer or equipment reseller the system was purchased from directly.

To continue to support the needs of the small business community, we expect to consolidate our efforts and offerings in this space around Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS).

In the end, we’re thankful for all of the support we have received from our partners to date, and we’re committed to continuing our support of current OEMs, Service Providers and resellers through the end of August.

Thank you,

John Frederiksen

2 Free VOIP Training Webcasts for Partners from TechEd's Top Speaker!

sprague — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:45:00 GMT

Introduction to Response Point Analysis with Wireshark (Part 1 of 2)
October 6th, 2009, 9:00 - 10:00am PDT
MRP01PAL

Registration URL: https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/LMS_ActDetails.aspx?UserMode=0&ActivityId=552695

This online seminar provides the foundation for troubleshooting Response Point communications with Wireshark, the open source analyzer, or other analyzer products. Beginning with the troubleshooting methodology and the tips/tricks to locating the cause of network problems related to VoIP communications, Laura demonstrates the visible evidence of the most common network infrastructure problems. If the infrastructure isn't performing properly - no network-based applications will perform properly. That includes Response Point.

Response Point Analysis and Troubleshooting (Part 2 of 2)
October 28th, 2009 9:00 - 10:00am PDT
MRP02PAL

Registration URL: https://training.partner.microsoft.com/learning/app/management/LMS_ActDetails.aspx?UserMode=0&ActivityId=552698

This online seminar follows the Introduction to Response Point Analysis with Wireshark event with a focus on issues that affect Response Point communications. Beginning with the overview of telephony protocols and typical communication processes, Laura delves into the numerous issues that affect the visibility and performance of Response Point systems, walks through a series of Response Point trace files and demonstrates how to use Wireshark's telephony-specific troubleshooting features. Finishing up this event is a summary of problems that may be caused by firewall issues and add-on service problems.

My New Role

Xuedong David Huang — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:10:00 GMT

For the past three years I have had the opportunity to lead three startup efforts at Microsoft. Response Point is the earliest one that we brought to market. One of my other startups is Mobile Search & Advertising, which is also a critically important area for Microsoft. I’d like to announce that I will be taking a new job in Microsoft’s Online Services Division to help our new mobile search and advertising efforts.

This has been a difficult decision for me. I have really enjoyed working with so many talented people in the RP community. I deeply appreciate all the support and advice you provided for me and my team. Moving forward, I am pleased John Frederiksen will continue to provide his leadership for RP.

If there is anything I can be of assistance in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me at xdh@microsoft.com.

Regards,

Xuedong Huang

Response Point Town Hall Meeting

sprague — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:01:00 GMT

Response Point Town Hall Meeting - Update on Recent Changes
Microsoft has made some changes to the Response Point business. I am not expecting impact on current customers as we will maintain the current version of the product. We want to take a good look at the next version of Response Point and ensure it addresses the needs of Small Businesses. We are thankful for the support we have received from our partners to date.

We will continue to support our current OEMs, Service Providers and resellers that are selling Response Point v1.0. We will also continue to promote the product and our partners on-line. We believe there is a plenty of room for delivering breakthrough products in the communication space and will continue to investigate the opportunity in the small business segment.
John Frederiksen, General Manager of the Response Point Product, will update partners and answer questions during this live meeting.

Please monitor the official Response Point blog for updates and information. http://blogs.technet.com/rp/

Date: June 30th, 2009 (Tuesday)
Time: 1:00 - 2:30pm PDT (Redmond Time)

Note: This session will be recording and you can find it in the PLC. If you register and can't make it, you will be sent the location where you can find the PLC on demand URL.

Here is the URL from the event if you missed it:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=269038

Next chapter for Response Point

sprague — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:01:00 GMT

This week we made some changes to the Response Point business. I am not expecting impact on current customers as we will maintain the current version of the product. We want to take a good look at the next version of Response Point and ensure it addresses the needs of Small Businesses. We are thankful for the support we have received from our partners to date. We will continue to support our current OEMs, Service Providers and resellers that are selling Response Point v1.0. We will also continue to promote the product and our partners on-line. We believe there is a plenty of room for delivering breakthrough products in the communication space and will continue to investigate the opportunity in the small business segment.

If you have questions or concerns please feel free to contact me (johnfre@microsoft.com , GM for Response Point).

VPNs and Remote Workers

sprague — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:46:44 GMT

Erik Lagerway at the SMBPhone blog has a nice overview of how he installed a VPN to support a remote worker. It includes specifics like exactly which router he used, which Response Point hardware, and how he configured everything. He concludes:

The Response Point phone and Assistant worked as expected and the VPN provided other benefits related to file sharing etc.

We know that remote workers are an important scenario asked for regularly by customers, so Erik’s piece is a good read if you want to learn how to get one working for you.

New Aastra firmware available immediately

sprague — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:07:18 GMT

From our friends at Response Point OEM Aastra:

Aastra Telecom is pleased to announce the availability of software maintenance release 2.4.1_RP.1014. Available for download from the AastraLink RP website, this release offers a fix to the Call Park issues customers experienced when attempting to park a call on phones with multiple Lines/Users.

Please visit www.aastralinkrp.com and click on Software Downloads Area to obtain the new firmware

Call Manager and Analytics from RiteTech LLC

sprague — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:05:00 GMT

Our friends at RiteTech LLC have been busy with some of the new features in SP2. They just announced a limited public Beta test of their RPCalls Call Manager and RPTrends Call Analytics Web-based applications. Definitely worth checking out.

RPCalls is an easy to use, customizable “lightweight CRM” and contact-tracking application that integrates with Service Pack 2’s URL-launching feature.

RPTrends provides analysis and enhanced reporting for Microsoft Response Point call logs.

For more information, please visit http://www.rpconnect.net. To sign up for the Beta, complete the request form at http://www.rpconnect.net/public/request.cfm.

NEW! Syspine 6 Phone Promo Packages Boost Partner Margins!

TechNet Archive — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:09:22 GMT

News from our OEM partner Syspine today:

Introducing Syspine P406 and P806 promotional packages. These custom packages have six (6) 310M IP phones and include a award winning Syspine 4 or 8 line All-In-One A50 server. While supplies last, the packages will also ship with the integrated Security Gateway at no extra charge.

The Syspine promo packages are simple to order. Just one part number gets you started with Syspine's All-In-One Solution... and all in one carton!

SYS - P406 package: 4 line DOS-A50 Base w/ 6ea. 310M IP Phones
SYS - P806 package: 8 line DOS-A50 Base w/ 6ea. 310M IP Phones

Get in the door and lead with the Microsoft RP brand, features, and applications. Follow the presentation with a Syspine value proposition that will close the deal. Walk out the door with the higher sales margin your company deserves. You now have the winning combination. Product, price, and support packaged with a higher margin opportunity to truly make the Syspine Microsoft RP system an important part of your business model.

Contact Tom Burgess, Syspine National Sales Manager at 480-528-3040, or Tom.Burgess@Syspine.com for pricing details and additional information.