Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007
As part of VEN Systems' initiative on Unified Messaging and Converged Networking, we Beta tested Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007. Our initial interest was in Microsoft VoIP and the abilities of the Office Communication Server VoIP system, although its ability to sit in between different systems and provide the user with a single inteface was what caused more fascination.
Using Office Communicator, the Office Communication Server 2007 provides users with the ability to instant message internal users listed on the Active Directory or via Exchange. External organisations can be brought in to this feature through linking in their Office Communications Server 2007. However, users don't have to rely upon Office Communicator 2007, now the Instant Messaging feature can be started within any Office 2007 application. So when a user is within Powerpoint, she or he can start a chat without opening communicator or any other client.
The presence management on Office Communications Server 2007 alerts other users of when you come online. It also helps with everyting from Attendee Invites to Meeting Requests by interrogating Exchange 2007.
To the VoIP Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007 provides users a softphone. So there is no hardware integration - for the moment. At present, an additional gateway module would be required to breakout a call, and users would not be able to plug in an IP telephone without extra configuaration.
As Sharepoint consultants, we were very pleased to see how the Office Communication Server 2007 allowed users to integrate some of its functions into the Sharepoint workflow - therefore providing companies with additional methods to collaborate through their existing extranet applications.
Together with Live Meeting, Conferencing, tablet support, a complete web client and other features, this really provides a mid sized company with a central application for all users to collaborate through.
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