An IP Media Server has the ability to easily and quickly deploy multiple applications including IP Audio, Video, Fax and Speech applications in either Next Generation Voice over IP or IMS architecture.

Messaging is a huge part of daily communications, whether in the business environment or for personal use. In earlier years, voicemail had the ability to provide users with everything they needed, but now new types of Unified Messaging such as SMS text messaging, multimedia message service (MMS) and instant messaging have provided a way for people to get their message across in a much faster and more efficient way. A full-service suite of unified messaging includes voice mail, video mail, instant messaging, conferencing, email, fax, and images.

The key feature of UM is that it allows for instant access to these messages, while enabling a simple way to manage all of the different message types, using any device or interface. Users can now see all of their messages in one location rather than having to check many different mailboxes.

The IP Media Server was designed to provide a high level of performance for media processing resources for unified messaging applications in next-generation wireline, wireless and broadband networks. IP Media Servers that are integrated into next–generation wireless and wireline architecture provide the media processing power that is key to providing a cost-effective unified messaging solution.

By combining voice messages with email and fax into a single, IP-based infrastructure, a next-generation solution can greatly reduce the complexity of a circuit-based network.

IP Media Servers also allow for an increased ability for port capacity at a much lower cost. Many applications that usually require more than one server to run can now all work on a single IP Media Server-based platform. By being able to integrate many different types of messages into one platform, it allows for new features and functionalities like video messaging and speech portals that can read e-mails over a phone.

Without the functions that IP Media Servers provide, Unified Communications (News - Alert) would not be able to successfully send crucial messages at a reduced cost or have the capabilities to continue to introduce different types of messaging options at such a rapid pace.