Communications Server 14 News

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.

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."

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":

BT and Polycom have enhanced their suite of end-to-end services and solutions for the forthcoming Microsoft Communications Server "14".
The BT unified communications products will be launched this week at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference 2010 will include voice and professional services as well as networked IT on a global scale.
Meanwhile Polycom is introducing its new CX IP phones which integrate with Microsoft Communications Server "14".
These products are designed for system interoperability in and outside of the cloud. BT has created reference architectures to deploy and manage server and software platform solutions with full network impact and utilization.
BT also has global SIP networks which have just been certified for Microsoft Communications Server "14" so that customers can gradually migrate to the new unified communications technology.
Neil Sutton, the VP of BT Global Services global portfolio, said: "Delivering services and solutions to large enterprise customers is demanding and complex, but the key is to give users a set of simple and convenient tools."
He added: "BT is well-positioned to do so as we offer a breadth of networked IT Services, extensive integration experience, a clear investment roadmap and accredited professional services."

Social media is the way of the future according to new research. The findings show that more and more people are using social media along with their VoIP phones and unified communications solutions, factors which should drive up interest in the forthcoming Microsoft Communications Server "14" product.
The Yankee Group study found that both consumers and workers want an element of social networking in their business communications, with 70% of consumers wanting to access company experts through social media.
Those surveyed said that they would become more loyal to a company if they could access the right sectors. It is also big on the wishlist of workers, despite the fact that 30% of companies have not formulated relevant policies. Products like Microsoft Communications Server "14" fulfill this social networking role within businesses. They offer a skills search set that makes locating the right person within a company framework that much easier.
Zeus Kerravala, a research fellow at the Yankee Group, said: "Businesses can improve customer service as well as employee productivity and collaboration by integrating social media within their contact centres."

Confused about Communications Server "14"? I am. There's been a lot of different information put out there and even when it comes from reputable sources it can be hard to understand. Luckily the Microsoft team have put out a series of videos recently where you can hear about Communications Server "14" right from the horse's (read expert's) mouth.
Tech gurus and partner coordinators John Durant and Jaime Stark are the latest aficionados to give us a view on Communications Server "14" features and phew - it is easy to comprehend! In this video they talk about apps and easy ways to develop Communications Server "14". They also explain the skills search presence thing. It's easy to find someone in an office who you do know but what if you know nothing about them? Basically Communications Server "14" is the future of Unified Communications for the office so you would do well to have a listen.

A useful audio guide to Microsoft Communications Server "14" which covers deployment, central management and software and hardware requirements.