Milpitas, California-based Octel Communications has announced Release 10 of its voice-processing software, together with new applications packages that segment a single voice-processing system into separately functioning sub-systems for use by several divisions of the same company or a group of indep-endent companies. With the Octel Index application software, Octel claims, each system can be segmented to provide customised services for between 10 to 200 separate divisions or companies. The segmentation software is intended to make it easier for firms to justify the expenditure involved in installing a complete voice processing system; Octel envisages that a large corporation could segment the system to provide voice processing at its regional sites, while smaller, independent companies could share the resource in the same way. Depending on the type of Octel system in use, it supports up to 200 companies or divisions, and, like Index I, comes with a selective send feature to ensure proper communications paths for the relevant information, eliminate the possibility of unnecessary communication, and provide a degree of message security for the various companies sharing the system. Release 10 of the the basic voice processing software has various customisation features that allow the separate divisions or companies to tailor the system as they require, and a number of enhancements has been made to Octel’s AspenNet networking software: a Network Dial-by-Name feature will allow subscribers served by geographically dispersed Octel systems to address messages by dialing the last name of a called subscriber; Network Name Confirmation checks the recipient’s name when messages are sent across the network, and a Follow-Me-Forward function allows users with multiple Octel voice mailboxes on a network – for example, a sales manager with a mailbox on the corporate system and one on a remote sales office – to have all messages deposited in one mailbox for retrieval; Octel has also added an optional voice broadcasting service, called Bulletin. Release 10 and the segmentation software is scheduled to be commercially available in the US from May. To upgrade to Release 10, with its standard features, will cost between $2,000 to $12,000, depending on the type of system and current software level. Octel Index I and II packages, which require Release 10, range between $5,000 and $11,000; Bulletin Broadcast also requires Release 10-equipped systems, and will cost between $1,000 and $2,000. Enhancements to AspenNet networking are included with the basic AspenNet networking package, which is priced between $3,160 and $5,250. Users that already have AspenNet will get the enhancements free when they buy the new Release 10 of the software.
