Microsoft and Singularity bring presence to Business Process Applications

Singularity sees integrated presence as a key feature for next-generation BPM

31 August 2005

Singularity Ltd. announced today that it is integrating presence and real-time collaboration features into its business process management (BPM) products to help make workers more productive and help people communicate more efficiently across organizations of all sizes. By incorporating the recently announced Microsoft® Office Live Communications Server 2005, the Singularity Process Platform™ makes presence functionality part of day-to-day business processes across a range of industries. Singularity can now add velocity to workflow by routing decisions based on the presence of process participants. The Platform enables organizations to automate and optimize processes operating across multiple sites, routing tasks to people and systems based on availability, capacity and optimal resource load balancing.

Microsoft Corp. introduced on Aug. 25, 2005, controls and new sample code for Microsoft® Office Live Communications Server 2005, designed to make it easier for developers to combine presence and real-time collaboration capabilities with line-of-business applications. As an initial proof point demonstrating Live Communications Server as a premier real-time collaboration platform, the controls and new samples Microsoft has introduced include:

Presence Controls for Microsoft Office Communicator 2005 enable developers using Microsoft Visual Studio® development system to easily insert presence icons into applications to provide status information of contacts. In addition, the context menu within the icons provides integration with Microsoft Office Communicator 2005, allowing users in the application to launch Communicator's instant messaging conversation or telephone call window.
Role Agent Sample for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 provides a sample implementation of role-based instant messaging and presence. The sample gives developers a way to assign a role name, such as “customer service representative,” to a group of people to create a public-facing entity that represents the presence of any individual currently in that role. Requests for an instant messaging session with the role can be dispatched to any or all of the available members in the group.
Custom Alerting Application Sample for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 shows how to build an application that allows team members to determine whether other team members are online, and to send an instant notification to those members. The application is integrated with Active Directory® service and Live Communications Server.
“ It is essential in today's business environment that people have the ability to quickly and effectively collaborate with co-workers, partners and customers in real time within the context of day-to-day business processes,” said Zig Serafin, general manager for the Real-Time Collaboration Group at Microsoft. “With Live Communications Server, we are providing an extensible platform with rich federation capabilities and tools that help partners more easily incorporate real-time collaboration functionality into applications that today's workforces use most, and that span internal and cross-company business processes."

"Combining presence capabilities and business process management technology enables better teamwork, faster communication and, ultimately, better performing business processes," said Dermot McCauley, vice president of Marketing at Singularity. "Integrating presence from Live Communications Server makes sense for us because Microsoft is establishing itself as a market-leading real-time collaboration platform.”

To learn more about business process management and presence-aware process automation, contact Singularity at marketing@profit-thru-process.com. To learn more about the Presence Controls for Microsoft Office Communicator and samples for Role Agent, go to the Microsoft Office Live Communications Server Partner Solutions site at http://www.microsoft.com/office/livecomm/prodinfo/partners.mspx. Customer Alerting Application samples is scheduled to be available this week. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Founded in 1994, Singularity provides business process management solutions that measurably improve customers'

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The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

About Singularity:

Singularity increases the performance and agility of business processes by rapid implementation of its industry-leading Business Process Management (BPM) products.

Singularity’s mission is to populate the world with agile organizations. As the leading Business Process Agility specialist we today serve clients in over 30 countries from our offices in London, New York, Singapore, Ireland and India and through our network of partners globally. Acclaimed by leading industry experts, as the best in our field, we provide a unique combination of thought leadership and practical help that creates a new generation of successful organizations.

For further press information please contact Kathryn McDevitt at Singularity.
Email: marketing@singularity.co.uk, or telephone: + 44 28 71 267767. For more information, please visit http://www.singularitylive.com or http://www.singularity.co.uk

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