Skype and Lenovo agree pre-installation deal
Skype has signed a deal with Lenovo that will see the PC manufacturer pre-install the communications service on all its enterprise laptops and desktop computers.
Beginning immediately, all ThinkPad laptops and ThinkCentre desktop PCs that are sold around the world include the internet telephony (VoIP) and video-calling client, Skype blogger Peter Parkes wrote on Monday.
As part of the deal, Lenovo's new machines have a Skype icon in the start menu, from first power-up.
However, an enterprise communications analyst told ZDNet UK on Monday that the deal was unlikely to help Skype much in the business market.
"In the business market, most organisations reimage their PCs anyway," Forrester research vice president Steve Blood said. "I'm not sure it's going to give either Skype or Lenovo a major boost. Skype needs to continue with its viral marketing, where it's very successful."
Blood said a better plan for Skype would be for the VoIP firm to "go to the enterprise and say, 'Why don't you include Skype in your image?'"
The analyst also pointed to Skype for SIP as a serious move by Skype into the enterprise. He said that, although there were still "a couple of security issues there because they're not encrypting anything", leaving the service "totally open to man-in-the-middle attacks", Skype have promised to fix these flaws.
"It's that kind of action that will help them in the enterprise market," blood said. "When it's secure, that will be of some benefit."