Skype has hundreds of millions of users all over the world, and the popular VoIP service from Microsoft continues to gain traction in the business world. So, it"s not exactly a shock to learn that Cisco, who has its own remote communications business, is trying to get people to see Skype, and its owners at Microsoft, in a bad light.
In a press release this week, Cisco said it commissioned a study from two economic professors, with the idea for them to look at the "economic potential of combined, video, data and voice systems that work together over the Internet". Cicso says that the results of the study show that such systems could have a positive impact on business ... if they use unified standards.
That"s where the slam against Microsoft and Skype comes in. Cisco says that while its own TelePresence VoIP solution conforms to such standards, " ... Microsoft"s Skype relies on proprietary standards, which hinders Skype"s more than 600 million users from calling non-Skype users, and prevents businesses from reaching them via systems that offer services such as healthcare and job training by remote video."
This is not the first time that Cisco has been publicly critical of Skype. The company tried to protest Microsoft"s acquisition of Skype to the European Union in February, after Microsoft bought Skype for $12.5 billion in October 2011. As it did in this week"s press release, Cisco said it wanted the EU to ensure that Skype worked with more Internet standards.
Source: Cisco press release | Image via Microsoft