Small businesses have always had to turn to telephony specialists for help in installing and maintaining phone systems. Microsoft on March 24 tried to turn that truth on its head when the company introduced Service Pack 1 for its new Microsoft Response Point phone system.

The announcement coincided with the start of Microsoft's Small Business Summit, a free, virtual tradeshow for small businesses that runs from March 24 to 27.

The software-based VOIP (voice over IP) system, which runs on appliances from Quanta, D-Link and soon-to-be Aastra, promises to eliminate the requirement for pricey expertise by using voice-activated commands, set-up wizards and other user interface enhancements.

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