My 2 cents ...
I've installed, maintained, and supported Norstar since the late 1980's and BCM since it rolled out in 1999. These systems were my bread and butter, so it was very sad to see Nortel die that painful death.
However, after attending training on the IP Office, I was very impressed. I really didn't want to like it, but I couldn't help myself after seeing how easy it was to configure and maintain. The ease of VoIP networking and updates really sold me.
The challenge at this point is the learning curve ... i.e., how do I make the IP Office do things the BCM does.
I actually like the fact that some products must reside on a separate server, because this server can allow remote IP access to all system components.
IP Office 7.0 supports a Norstar profile, except in North America! But I suspect in the future we will be able to start it up as a Norstar, BCM, or IP Office. Maybe they'll even redesign some of the modules to provide 50 pin connectors.
Best Feature ... no moving parts, which means no HDD failures!
-SD-