Lync Server

Microsoft Lync Server 2010, the next generation of Microsoft Office Communications Server, can help your customers reach new levels of performance and productivity by making connections more engaging, productive, and accessible.  With a single interface that unites communications, supports a variety of mobile devices, and offers interoperability with existing systems, Lync Server enables connections—virtually anytime, anywhere.  It does this by bringing together the different ways people communicate together in a single interface that facilitates rapid user adoption that reduces both capital and operational costs.  Customers can choose to deploy Lync Online as a pure cloud service or split cloud/on-premise service with the Lync Server.

What can it do?

• It's a single interface that unites voice, instant messaging (IM), audio, video, and web conferencing.
• Reduce cost on communication by converging them into one platform and decrease third-party carrier spending.
• Lync Server 2010 can deployed on-premise or in a hosted or hybrid environment.
• Stay connected virtually anywhere with an Internet connection through mobile or web access, and still have security features outside the firewall without need of a VPN connection.
• Connects with other public instant messaging networks such as Windows Live, AOL, Yahoo!, and Google Talk. Audio and video calls with users on Windows Live Messenger is supported.

Features

• Search for others based on skill, expertise, and group information.
• View the presence of contacts and communicate with them via voice, video, sharing applications, or sharing PowerPoints.
• With the new Activity Feed, you can see your contacts' status updates, contact photos, location, and other activities. 
• Lync Server 2010 works alongside Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SharePoint Server, and Microsoft Office applications and allows you to share these documents with others. 
• Share documents, presentations, annotate slides, and use visual pointers for more effective discussions via instant messaging and online meetings.
• Schedule meetings from Outlook and join via the PC, phone, or web access.

Capabilities

Lync users can be hosted on-premise or online, which provides different capabilities.

Lync Online, the cloud version of Lync, is where users use Lync as a service and Microsoft hosts the servers. Lync Online is a component of Microsoft BPOS Wave 14 suite of services.  Users of Lync Online will be able to use enterprise IM and conferencing.  Voice capabilities will be available in late 2011 after it launches.  PBX replace is not planned to be available.

Lync Servers hosted on-premise will have the capability of enterprise IM, conferencing, voice, and PBX replace.  Customers will still be able to deploy Exchange and SharePoint in the cloud with on-premise Lync Server 2010.

• Enterprise IM
  • PC to PC audio/video calling
  • Activity Feed
  • Click to communicate in Office
  • Federation with Lync Server/ Lync Online
  • Federation with Windows Live Messenger
  • Lync for Mac
  • Planned to be released in !4 of 2011: Lync web app for IM/Presence, Mobile phone clients (2011), IM archiving (2011)
• Conferencing
  • Multiparty (3+) PC audio/video
  • Ad-hoc collaboration (audio/video/screen sharing)
  • Desktop sharing
  • Application sharing
  • Online meetings
  • Rich web clients
  • Integrated PSTN audio conferencing via partners: Dial into the conference using a landline or mobile phone, which requires a separate service from an audio conferencing partner.  This will be transparent to the end user.
• Voice
  • Call landline phones and mobiles
  • Forward and transfer calls
  • Simultaneous ringing another number
  • Exchange void mail integration
  • (Phone number and calling plans are provided by a separate service from a Telco partner)
• PBX Replace (for on-premise servers)
  • Equipment on customer premises: Branch office appliance, and fax and analog devices
  • Automatic E911
  • Call admission control
  • Existing telephony integration
  • Call park, hunt groups

What happens to Live Meeting?

You can learn more information on Microsoft Lync Server 2010 here. 

With Microsoft Messenger for Mac, Mac users in your organization can get many of the benefits of Microsoft Lync Server 2010 including voice and video calls to Microsoft Lync users, rich presence information, and more. Learn more at the Microsoft Office for Mac site.

Comments

[Mark]

I've read this, Microsoft Lync 2010 - The Next Generation of Communications Server and it was amazing, though I didn't not understand some of the posts because I am not that sophisticated.
What is PBX replace? does it replace PBX features or PBX will replace something in the system?
If there are FAX features, what do you guys think it would be?

[Andy]

Microsoft Lync 2010 - The Next Generation of Communications Server. This is new in the world of computer and internet, information technology experts are going to study the genius features of this and apply it in their field of work.

[InfinIT Consulting]

"A private branch exchange (PBX) is a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_branch_exchange#Private_branch_exchange

PBX replace is where Lync Server will be able to replace your on premise telephone service, since it already provides you with capabilities like audio and video calling and multiparty conferencing.

1 & 2) It is not compatible with all Windows OS. Refer to here for more information system and hardware requirements: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398835.aspx
3) There isn't a lot of information on what specific fax features are supported, but fax and analog phones will be supported by Lync. One of the features I assume it would have will be the capability to send fax over Lync Server, specifically through different Office 365 products like Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office Professional without needing a different fax machine on the other end.

I hope this answers your questions!

[Kathy]

Another great software from Microsoft. I am so excited about this.

[Bob Seward]

How would this work with users outside your organization? Is it competitive with Webex or GotoMeeting? Will it work with MACs outside my organization? How about use of VOIP for a meeting? Live webcams in a meeting?

Displaying video for all to see in a meeting ?

[InfinIT Consulting]

Hi Bob, great question. Lync supports federation with public IM networks such as Windows Live, AOL, Yahoo, and, through a gateway, Google Talk, allowing workers to use their corporate identities to connect to customers and partners. Users can make audio and video calls to others via Windows Live Messenger, even if they are with another company.

The conference feature is like Webex and GotoMeeting, but Lync is so much more. Conference attendees can join from leading Web browsers to get capabilities such as conference calling, guest user support, PSTN dial-out audio, and desktop sharing on Microsoft Windows®, Mac, and Linux. The Web client experience also enables high-fidelity viewing, file upload and download, presentation viewing, whiteboard, lobby, and presenter access controls.

Mac users can absolutely use Lync. Mac users can use Communicator for Mac 2011 for presence and instant messaging with Lync Server 2010. Enhancements include rich presence with calendar free/busy information and “out of office” message integration, presence in Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac, desktop sharing through Lync Server 2010, and a dial pad with ability to dial out to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) phone number.

[UDAY GAIKWAD]

Does Lync supports federation with GotoMeeting?

[InfinIT Support]

No, Lync does not support federation with GoToMeeting. It is really built to replace GoToMeeting having comparable feature sets when it comes to onling meetings & conferencing.

[Steve]

I am looking to implement Lync2010 in a hosting solution that still only uses a single domain, but hosts mutliple organisations with seperation between them so that they cannot share information.
Do I have to look at the multitenanting pack, or can I configure Lync to support this segregation?

[InfinIT Consulting]

Hi Steve,

That’s a great question. Lync Server 2010 Offers the ability to set up distribution lists within a single domain. This will effectively group clusters of employees into separate groups and offers the ability to have administrators present across all the distribution groups. Additionally, with Lync Server 2010 On-Premise you have the ability to set permissions for users not to be able to communicate with other users outside their own distribution group. This can been turned on and off and can be set from user to user.

With Lync Online, although you will have the ability to set distribution groups the same as Lync On-Premise, the ability to restrict communication is not available.

Contact us at info@infinitconsulting.com for more help!