Wednesday, September 22, 2010

BoxedUC with Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (RC) released

(#lync #uc) As Microsoft Lync Server 2010 is still in RC I saw this solution from fabbricadigitale. Please keep in mind Microsoft Lync Server 2010 is still in “development” and only available in (RC). Test this solution for now only in a lab environment. Still I liked this solution. See our blogpost here. 

clip_image001BoxedUC is the first all-in-one solution for Unified Communcations bringing a complete suite of services using the power of virtualized environments.

In a market in which the IT proposition is moving towards services ‘on the cloud’, boxedUC represent an innovative model which gives the opportunity to adopt the latest technologies for companies which could not move on the cloud because of bandwidth availability, legal constraints, internal policies, budgets. In this way boxedUC is an opportunity, for SMB and for big companies too, to adopt and join the benefits of unified communications.

Important news is the release of boxedUC with Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (RC) (formerly known as CS”14”) which completes the ‘wave 14’ suite of servers on-board:

  • Exchange 2010 SP1
  • Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (RC)
  • Sharepoint 2010 Foundation
  • MultiUx Self-Governance tool
  • Blackberry Enterprise Server 5

The improvements to the appliance using Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (RC) come both from the end-user point of view and from the architectural point of view:

  • New user interface, improved the usability based on Silverlight
  • Unique client for personal use and webconferencing
  • Improved the telephony features of the system, resulting in an advanced PBX system
  • Improved the software architecture, which results in highest performances and reliability
  • Introduced new web interface for Web Conferencing

Many aspects linked with the architecture are a big new for the appliance solution; the most important two are:

  • Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (RC) supports virtualization through Hyper-V making boxedUC a 100% Microsoft compliant solution
  • Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (RC) introduces a Powershell management kit wich has been integrated very transparently with the ‘self-governance tool’ developed by fabbricadigitale (see MultiUx www.multiux.com ) which is a strategic component of boxedUC

Thanks to the ‘telephonic’ features of Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (RC), boxedUC has new important applications, starting from the native PBX and PSTN integration functions but in particular the ‘Branch Survivability’ which makes boxedUC an ideal solution for big organizations geographically distributed.

An other important new features comes from the self-governance toll, branded MultiUX, which is an integrated tool, accessible via web console, mobile interface or SDK, to manage transparently Active Directory objects, Exchange and Microsoft Lync (RC) recources: the Ethical Wall.

The Ethical Wall is a specific control for Microsoft Lync federations between the local organization with external ones; it allows to to manage the authorized ‘routes’ of communication among users, by controlling different protocols, preserving the privacy and confidentiality of the users and guaranteeing that real-time communications happen only between the units which have really to communicate. I’ve not seen this before.

At this moment boxedUC release 2 is build up with the official RC version of Microsoft Lync Server 2010; it will be updated immediately with the RTM version as soon as available.

For more info please check www.boxeduc.com or e-mail info@boxeduc.com !

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Introduction video Ferrari Electronic – SBA configuration / installation

Survivable telephony in branch offices


Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (former CS14) is the first release which
will support remote site telephony even on WAN outages. Microsoft
has defined an appliance type of products which contains
all functions needed for telephony in a branch office – therefore
called “survivable branch appliance”.

OfficeMaster Survivable Branch Appliance is based on high quality
industrial grade server hardware (HP ProLiant) which runs
Windows Server 2008 R2 together with Microsoft branch office
components like Registrar and Mediation Server. All necessary
software is preinstalled and activation can be done through an
easy to use web UI by a local technician.

More information see this (pdf file)

TRY OUT LYNC 2010 (RC) FOR FREE

#lync #uc. Would you like to try Microsoft Lync (RC) without setting up your own lab environment.
Join our e-office demo environment to see the entire feature set incl Enterprise Voice. Join us and sent me an email on (joachim.farla@e-office.com)

UCVUG Q3 meeting (offline presentations) now available!

Amazing presentations by Bas Krikke van Johann Deutinger! Last night we organized our third Virtual User Group for this year. Microsoft Lync Server 2010 and the Wave 14 devices from Ferrari (SBA’s) were on the stage. After a short introduction from the founder and organizer we started with the first session (Bas Kirkke – e-office) and later on the second session presented by (Johann Deutinger– Ferrari)

In this blogpost we will give you all the slidedecks and offline recordings made during the UCVUG sessions. Spread the world! Attention the recording failed to convert for some reason. Only the audio part survived. I will publish that afterwards.

Introduction: Joachim Farla (founder and owner of ucvug.nl) Communications Server – MVP (MCSE/MCITP/MCTS)

imageYes! After a great Q3 meeting with interesting speakers like Bas Kirkke (e-office) and Johann Deutinger (Ferrari) we continue our journey with a new scheduled session UCVUG Q4 #ucvug_nl. Feel free to download and distribute all the available resources. More information about Q4 available soon here on this site.

See this presentation (here)

 

 

Session 1: Bas Krikke Presented in English. Talking about SharePoint 2010 and its Social Aspects and strong reflections to Unified Communications as communication platform underneath.

imageBas Krikke specialized in SharePoint 2007 and 2010. Total linked stack of Microsoft products. Managing politically challenged projects. Gain insights on applying The New World of Work in your organization. Create workable project definitions based on business needs. Strong focus on: SharePoint 2007 and social capabilities of 2010, presentations, discovering business requirements or needs, awareness on the New World of Work, Impact approach. Check out his linkedin and his own weblog or follow him on twitter.

See this presentation (here)

 

Session 2: Johann Deutinger Presented in English. Talking about Ferrari Electonic AG portfolio for Wave 14. CTO at Ferrari electronic AG.

image

  • UC/UM gateways including survivable branch appliance (technical details)
  • new gateway features in CS"14"
  • fax server for Exchange (and other platforms), Inbound fax solution built into all gateways, also for Exchange 2010 fax for BPOS and hosted Exchange

See this presentation (here)

 

Special thanks to our sponsors Ferrari Electronic AG and Plantronics for supporting us!

We are still looking for interesting speakers for our Q4 meeting UCVUG. Contact me directly

Session 2: Johann Deutinger (SBA, Lync)

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Session 1: Bas Krikke (SharePoint 2010, Social and Lync)

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

UCVUG Q3 meeting 2010

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

OCS Webchat also works with Microsoft Lync

Cool, little bit of the record but OCS Webchat also works with Microsoft Lync 2010! If you would like to try this on your public website or private intranet please give me a chat of sent me an email. More information (see)

Tags van Technorati: ,,

Monday, September 13, 2010

Microsoft Lync (Server) 2010! Ready for download.

image

Introduction: I’m excited to formally introduce Microsoft Lync to the worldwide UC community, the new name for the next generation of the various ‘OCS’ products and services. See the official press release (here). and check also the UC TeamBlog for more background (info). We as MVP’s worked very closely with Microsoft the last months to build up this wonderful product. You can now download the official (RC) Release Candidate and we love to get your feedback. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.This is especially useful for the RTM milestone. Would you like to see a full featured demo please feel free to join e-office sometime. Important: There is no product support for this RC. You are welcome to share your trial experiences with others and to ask for advice by participating in the forums.

As soon as we can we are trying to upgrade all UCVUG.nl servers to support this (RC) version of the product. And of course we are trying to get this beast up and running before the next session of UCVUG on 20th of September 2010. See (here) for more information. 120 seats still available (free entrance).

Lync what does it mean?

In that sense, Lync – a combination of “link” and “sync” – is about connecting people in new ways, anytime, anywhere.  Now in the most ultimate way.

Description(s):

  1. Microsoft Lync Server 2010 provides complete presence, instant messaging, conferencing and enterprise voice capabilities through a single, easy-to-use interface that is consistent across PC, browser, and mobile device. You can Architect your deployment for high availability using data center resiliency and survivable branch appliances. Administrators benefit from a single, consistent management infrastructure, new capabilities to increase availability, and interoperability with existing systems. Administrators also use a new PowerShell-based foundation for administration consistent with Exchange Server, Active Directory, and other Microsoft server products.
  2. Microsoft Lync Server 2010, Planning Tool (RC) asks you a series of questions about your organization and the features that you are interested in. The planning tool will then use your answers to recommend a topology based on the tested Microsoft Lync Server 2010 user model. Your organization may have a different user model. If so, you should adjust the recommended topology as necessary to fit your organization’s needs.
  3. Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee (User) is a conferencing client that allows users without Microsoft Lync 2010 installed, to participate in online meetings. If you are not an administrator on the computer but an administrator has allowed you to perform installations, you can install this application.
  4. Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee (Admin) is a conferencing client that allows users without Microsoft Lync 2010 installed, to participate in online meetings. A user with an administrator account on the computer can install Lync 2010 Attendee so that users of the computer can join Microsoft Lync Server 2010-hosted meetings.

Download Sites:

  • Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Release Candidate (RC) Download – download (here) 1.6gig
  • Microsoft Lync Server 2010, Planning Tool Release Candidate (RC) – download (here)
  • Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee (RC) - User Level Install – download (here)
  • Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee (RC) - Admin Level Install – download (here)

Important things to know before starting:

  • The Release Candidate (RC) is intended for lab use only.
  • The RC version of the software will cease to function on or around February 20, 2011.
  • This Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Release Candidate includes both editions of the server (Enterprise Edition and Standard Edition), along with the Microsoft Lync 2010 client.
  • There is no product support for this RC. You are welcome to share your trial experiences with others and to ask for advice by participating in the forums.
  • Supported Operating Systems:Windows Server 2008;Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Microsoft Lync Server 2010 is designed to operate only on x64 platforms.

Source: Microsoft Download