Nortel has launched an initiative to use service-oriented architecture (SOA) technology to more flexibly support the communications needs of enterprises and organizations. A number of plans and ideas are associated with the initiative, which Nortel calls "Communications Enablement." The company plans to offer some of its existing products as Web services under this strategy, although the practice isn't new for Nortel. The company currently offers "instant messaging, videoconferencing and presence" as Web services in conjunction with its Application Server 5200 and Communication Server 2000 IP Multimedia Softswitch products.
In addition, Nortel plans to develop a "software-based foundation environment" as part of its Communications Enablement strategy. The environment is essentially an integration layer in an SOA that will support various communications applications, regardless of platform.
