Technology Spotlight: Office Communications Server 2007
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 is an enterprise messaging platform made up of four key services:
Software powered Voice over IP (VoIP) - Voice communications integrated with applications like Outlook.
Web Conferencing - Virtual meeting that integrates data, video, and voice.
Enterprise Instant Messaging - IM that supports internal or external communications.
Presence - Know the status of employees across the organization; what is their availability, preferred method of communication (phone, email, or IM), current logon/activity status (on the phone, in a meeting, etc).
These services, also referred to as Unified Messaging or Unified Communications, use the power of software to streamline communication between people and organizations. It integrates with most Messaging applications that organizations already use like Exchange and Outlook, as well as mobile devices like Blackberry or Windows Mobile. Some key features Communications Server 2007 provide:
Initiate calls directly from Outlook
Receive and check voice mails from your email Inbox
Have calls routed automatically to a work number, mobile device, or voice mail based on your presence status
Access to telephony features (such as hold and forward)
Call management capabilities (such as forwarding and simultaneous ring)
Supports multiple PBX systems with a common user experience
Web conferencing supports audio and video, application sharing, audience polling, and whiteboard
The product comes in 2 versions:
Standard Edition - hosts all server components and database on a single server, which is ideal for most small businesses.
Enterprise Edition - separates the different components to achieve higher capacity, availability, and performance. This edition is ideal for midsize to large organizations.
Office Communicator 2007 is the client required to run on client workstations. It comes with Office Professional Plus 2007 and Office Enterprise 2007, or you can get it as a stand-alone product.
In order to use Office Communications Server 2007, your organization must have an Active Directory domain infrastructure (Windows Server 2003 Native or higher), and a Certificate Authority (either public or stand-alone) already in place. For more information contact us at info@duncantechinc.com or give us a call at 954-319-5483.