Microsoft and NEC have signed a patent cross-licensing agreement covering IT and networking technology, the companies said Wednesday.The agreement was signed as part of a broader alliance covering product development cooperation in several different technology areas. The work will include integration of NEC’s Univerge servers with Microsoft’s Live Communications Server 2005 to strengthen NEC’s voice-over-IP (VoIP) offerings.Such work touches upon many technologies in the IT and networking fields and could include a broad array of patents, said Kazuhiko Kobayashi, executive vice president of NEC, at a Tokyo news conference.“If we have to worry about patents, the development [work] will not be done in a smooth manner, so in order to achieve our goals quickly we need this agreement,” said Kobayashi. NEC President Kaoru Yano and MS CEO Steve Ballmer Microsoft decided in December 2003 to pursue patent cross-licensing agreements with key partners. It has since signed a number of deals with companies including Siemens, SAP and Toshiba.-Martyn Williams, IDG News Service This article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe