NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. agree that work communications -- whether it's e-mail, messaging or phone calls -- will eventually come together and be delivered over Web networks.
The debate begins when the two deep-pocketed technology leaders -- Microsoft in software and Cisco in networking equipment -- argue over whose products will be the platform for the multibillion-dollar transformation of the office phone.
Microsoft is the newcomer, but it sees software playing the central role, while Cisco expects to cash in on years of experience making telecommunications equipment such as switches and routers. More recently, it has sold millions of Web-ready phones.
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