Communications Server 14 News

An app is now available which allows you to use the Communications Server “14″ platform with Bing Translate. Using the Bing search engine you can translate web pages and other web based info from one language into another.

You can also have instant messaging conversations in more than 30 different languages. Therefore this app is ideal for Microsoft Communications Server “14″ as it ties into the whole aim of the product by helping to facilitate collaboration. For global commpanies this is a huge benefit, and even small to medium sized entreprises will be able to operate on a multinational basis thanks to this technology. Translate for Communications Server “14″ will allow them to venture into international markets with confidence.

It could also be used for Multi language helpdesk to enable website support. That means that customers of all nationalities can be dealt with on a cost effective basis. This applies to emergency services calls as well so problems can be addressed quickly and efficiently.

All in all Communications Server “14″ is delivering a unified communications experience which streamlines business across borders and the Bing app will further improve this service.

Among the most anticipated features of Microsoft communications server "14" are the web conferencing/online meeting capabilities.

With that in mind here is a well presented and easy to understand (if a little dull) video on how to deploy your meeting settings with advice on migration for various attendees and users.

This is all part of the 'connect and collaborate' aspects of communications server "14" which involves finding the right people at the right time.



I also notice that communications server "14" is now mainly being referred to as office communicator 2010. It is definitely the most exciting Unified Communications product to be released on the market.

I noticed an interesting forum in Microsoft technet about the compatibility of Communications Server "14".

User Toreven said that his organisation was currently running Live Communications Server 2003, but wanted to know if it was possible to migrate or coexist with Communications Server "14" as a pilot with designated users.

However Tim Harrington at Catapult Systems told him this would not be possible.
He wrote: "You will need to be at OCS 2007 or OCS 2007 R2 to coexist with Communications Server "14". Not even LCS 2003 will coexist with OCS 2007, you need at least LCS 2005 SP1."

This exchange highlights the problems for people who want to change their office solutions to Communications Server "14", how to install it and how to phase it into the work environment. The product will be released in the next couple of months.

The Microsoft forum has answers to these questions and many more.

Communications Server "14" provides presence, VoIP, skills search and many other amazing features to the office environment to make collaboration and remote work that much easier.

Customer event support is now available for those who are excited about Microsoft Communications Server “14”. I presume this is everyone?
You can start coversing with people about the benefits of Microsoft Communications Server “14”, and even any drawbacks you think it might have.
Just use the Launch in a Box (LIAB) kit, which can be downloaded here. Check in regularly for more info about Microsoft Communications Server “14”.

The automisation of industries is certainly a problem as far as job creation is concerned. With Microsoft Communications Server "14" Call Attendant, receptionists could become a thing of the past.

This product combines the best aspects of Microsoft Communications Server "14", such as finding the right contact skill-set within a company and routing calls to them.

Furthermore it:

Can prioritize calls for you by working out which have been waiting the longest and also flagging up repeat callers so they can get urgent attention. Call-routing is done with presence technology on Microsoft Communications Server "14".

As well as conversation queues, directory search and contact lists all come up on a full screen unified interface. Meanwhile all your contact history is kept in organised folders.

Everything is on one-click for ease-of-use and you can communicate without having to copy or paste addresses and Instant Messaging details.

Conference calls could not be simpler with the ability to save multiple contacts into a conference template and drag-and-drop conference setup.

All these features may spell the end of receptionists as we know them, though arguably people will always prefer a human touch/voice.
Besides someone is needed to make sure that the Microsoft Communications Server "14" Call Attendant runs smoothly!

prairieFyre has just released a new Contact Center for Microsoft Communications Server which will also support Microsoft Communications Server "14" when the product is released.
Malcolm Teasdale, the Executive VP for prairieFyre Software, said: “We expect Microsoft’s leadership in unified communications to be a major factor in transforming the enterprise voice market."
In a press release about the product Marketwatch said it will provide VoIP and Unified Communications capabilities for all of your call centre solution needs.
"Microsoft UC applications enable real-time collaboration and information flows by combining presence-aware telephony, conferencing and messaging in an easy-to-use interface. The prairieFyre Contact Center leverages and combines these capabilities with a full-featured Automatic Call Distributor (ACD), enabling agents to provide superior customer service through instant access to experts, support teams, and enterprise business intelligence."
Meanwhile the Only Software blog stated: "With its broad functionality and modular design, prairieFyre Contact Center for Microsoft Communication Server "14" can be tailored to fit any size of business."

Microsoft Office has released details on deploying SIP trunking between Communications Server “14” and Service Provider SBCs using Acme Packet SBCs.

Microsoft Communications Server “14” allows you to connect to Internet telephony service providers (ITSP) using an IP-based SIP trunk. This makes it easier to extend enterprise telephony outside of network borders while reducing costs. Acme Packet Net-Net Session Director (Net-Net SD) Session Border Controllers (SBCs) are vital for SIP Trunking as they are used by many ITSPs as part of their SIP trunking infrastructure.

You can read the full guide on how to configure SIP trunking between Communications Server “14” and Acme Packet SBCs.

The guide is intended for telecommunications engineers in order that they can configure the Communications Server “14” Mediation Server and the Net-Net SD SBC. It explains Acme Packet Command Line Interface (ACLI), TCP/UDP, IP/Routing, and SIP/RTP.

Polycom and Microsoft have formed an expansive Unified Communications partnership which will include delivering Communications Server "14". Communications Server "14" is a powerful presence and collaboration office tool which includes elements such as VoIP, skills search and the ability to allow workers to operate remotely.

Polycom is set to develop systems for Microsoft Communications Server "14" for the foreseeable future in a multi-year contract.
ZDNet reported that the deal would be good for Polycom: "As one of the last independent video conferencing companies, the Microsoft partnership gives the company marketing heft in the battle with Cisco/Tandberg."
ZDnet also listed the outcomes of the partnership -

•Polycom will develop UC systems for Microsoft Communications Server 14 and beyond.
•Polycom CX systems will be optimized for Microsoft UC.
•Room-based systems from Polycom will be able to integrate with Microsoft Communications Server "14".
•The two parties will work on other interoperable systems.
•Polycom and Microsoft will partner on sales and training, marketing, channel partners and demonstrations.

Meanwhile Telcom News talked about the cost saving benefits of the partnership. Not only will the deal improve customers’ business productivity, but: "under the agreement, Polycom plans to develop and market standards-based UC solutions to span the enterprise, SMB, and government markets. It will encompass hardware, software, networking and services, and will enable customers to reduce telecom, travel and IT operating costs." The site also has a video interview between Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of Unified Communication at Microsoft and Andrew Miller, Polycom president and CEO.

Research by the companies shows that 70% of the comapnies which are considering UC are thinking of using Microsoft Communications Server "14".

The Powershell software for the beta refresh version of Microsoft Communications Server "14" has recently undergone some changes. While there are too many to mention them all here are a few of the important ones.

There are new Cmdlets:

- New presence policy cmdlets to manage your subscribers.

- New audio conferencing provider cmdlets to assign and unassign audio conferencing providers to your users.

- New Kerberos cmdlets which help you to avoid password expiration problems.

New Look for the RBAC Cmdlets

RBAC (Role Based Access Control) has been introduced in Communications Server "14" as a way to help delegate administrative control of the software

Renamed Parameters

- The LocalStore parameter has been deleted from most cmdlets.
- The Tenant parameter has been deleted from most cmdlets.

New Uses for the Force Parameter which

- Suppress the confirmation prompt when you try to remove a per-user policy currently assigned to one or more users.
- Allow you to remove something even if it’s still being used elsewhere.
- Suppress the display of any non-fatal errors that might pop up when you run a cmdlet.

New Names: Get-CsPstnUsage and Set-CsPstnUsage

The CsPhoneUsage cmdlets have been given new names in the beta refresh version of Communications Server "14":