Instead, Mike Connelly bought some new software from Microsoft.

Microsoft launched Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator 2007 in October. For FranklinCovey, the "unified communications" package has lowered costs and provided more efficient communications. When it's extended to all FranklinCovey operations, Connelly expects additional savings.

"With regional offices and regional stores, long-distance telephone costs run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year," said Connelly, who labeled the Microsoft programs "extremely cheap" when compared to other options.

With many companies rushing to label their products as "unified communications" for business, Microsoft products and those of competitors from IBM and Cisco are leading the field, according to Burton Group senior analyst Mark Cortner.

But all are relatively new and it will take 12 to 18 months before there is an indication of whether any will emerge as a leader in the field, he said.

Office Communicator allows a business to integrate a number of communications devices and software applications with their office telephone systems, or to stand alone as their communications system over an Internet connection. Through a personal computer, a user can make a telephone call and access voice mail, e-mail, instant messages or calendars. Users also can participate in video and audio conferencing. Your office telephone number is mobile and can be used whereever there is Internet access.

In addition, Office Communicator provides the "presence" of everyone on the system, enabling users to see the status of everyone and determine what is the best way to contact them and to route communications to the appropriate device, whether it be a telephone, PC or mobile phone.

"It allows you to stay connected in the global marketplace," said Keith Otis, general manager for Microsoft for the region that includes Utah.

Along with the software, Microsoft also is offering a video conferencing camera and voice system for $3,000, a relatively low cost for such a device, that can be plugged into a computer's USB outlet. Placed in the center of a conference table, the voice-activated system switches among cameras so the speaker is always shown to others participating in the conference call.

For Connelly and others who like to stay connected most of the day, the system allows them the latitude to attend events outside the office yet still have access to phone calls, e-mails and voice mails - even in the middle of a campground. Others who want some e privacy can simply list themselves as unavailable.

The average cost for a business to install software and hardware for the Microsoft system is $60 per person.

For FranklinCovey, one example of the power of the product is the daily meeting Connelly conducts with technology staff members, which includes a woman at her Salt Lake City home, another person in Phoenix and one in India, besides others at their offices.

Connelly and the others can know who is not attending that day because of a common scheduling tool.

Each of the participants can see the others through a video-conferencing system, and the whole meeting takes place over the Internet, meaning no long-distance charges for telephone or video.

"This allows us to have a daily meeting without a meeting room," Connelly said.

IBM is working more directly with hardware providers such as telephone switch makers, said Cortner. Microsoft's system, on the other hand, has the ability to bypass a telephone switch and networks, except for cell phones and Internet access, he said.

tharvey@sltrib.com