UCVUG Q2 2010 Meeting (Session 2 Slidedeck)

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: UCVUG Q2 2010 Meeting (Session 2 Slidedeck) - presented by Mike Stacy

Microsoft Integration Polycom W14

View more presentations from Joachim Farla.

UCVUG Q2 2010 Meeting (Session 1 Slidedeck)

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: UCVUG Q2 2010 Meeting (Session 1 Slidedeck) - presented by Ilse van Criekinge

Communications Server 14 First Look

View more presentations from Joachim Farla.

UCVUG Q2 2010 Meeting (Main Slidedeck)

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: UCVUG Q2 2010 Meeting (Main Slidedeck) - presented by Joachim Farla

UCVUG Q2 Meeting 2010

View more presentations from Joachim Farla.

BoxedUC Appliance – Part II

After some investigations see this blogpost on the new BoxedUC Solution (Part II). The basic idea in designing boxedUC was to create a private cloud to be installed in customer’s premises providing all the services in the smartest way and avoiding big infrastructures in terms of hardware.  So, virtualization is the central technology qualifying the system to this role.

The choice is Microsoft Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 (Datacenter / Enterprise edition) running on a powerful hardware enabling to run all UC services with an high end quality for organizations up to 500 users.

The basic hardware configuration for the appliance is:

• 2 x Intel Xeon quad core processors (16 cores with Hyper threading!)
• 64 GB RAM
• 15.000 rpm SAS Hard disks

The system has been tested with several stress-test, done with official Microsoft tools running UC systems on the appliance, and the results were very good in terms of load/response of the Hyper-Visor.

This picture shows the measure of the Hyper-V Logical Processor usage during a test with 500 UC users; the value for an healthy state should be under 60% average. As by the graphs, during our tests on boxedUC we got an average usage of 7%.

To guarantee architectural and security requirements inside the Hyper-Visor (and inside the whole system), the different networks has been created, divided in the following roles:

• Public front-end
• DMZ
• Private back-end
• Management (H24x365 monitoring and management)
• Service (installation and emergency)

The networks could be configured depending on the customer’s network: for example boxedUC could be stand-alone or integrated and adapted to an existing infrastructure (ex: below a customer’s firewall).

 

The security, one of the strategic target of boxedUC engineering, is managed on different levels:

• Network: boxedUC is protected by a local firewall and the differentiation of networks (DMZ)
• Antivirus local: each host is protected by Microsoft Forefront
• Application Antivirus: application servers are protected by specific Microsoft Forefront plug-ins
• Perimeter SMTP: mail messages are relayed by a data center infrastructure through a multi-level antivirus and anti-spam engine, managing the mail queue in case of back-end-fault and avoiding the direct publishing of the Exchange on the public network
• Management: all connections set up between the provider’s infrastructure and the appliance for management purposes is tunneled in an encrypted connection.
• Patching: all security patches are tested and automatically applied through a WSUS service
• Monitoring: all hosts (virtual / physical), services and performances are continuously monitored by a centralized system
• The engineering of the system permits to reduce the installation time and operations to minimum. The first activities after plugging the power and switching-on the appliance are:
• Set-up the IP address for the management network through a local web “service console” reached by a pc directly connected to the appliance (service network)
• The provider’s staff reaches the appliance through a secure VPN on the management network

At this moment the provider’s staff will configure other necessary IP addresses,

the networks matrix and the public DNS service. In less than two hours the system is up and running. Immediately after the go-live a backup of network configuration is taken by the provider’s and stored in a data center to reduce eventual restore operations time.

Scripting has been used to manage the turn-on/switch-off procedures of the entire UC environment: a windows service using Hyper-V primitives and the Windows services monitoring allow to control the turn-on/switch-off processes.

In the next articles we will go deeper to the Microsoft UC services, the interactions and the self-management, meanwhile please check www.boxeduc.com!

e-office goes to Microsoft Communications Server “14” Airlift as UC partner

Yes we have a seat. So, we are there during the Airlift of Microsoft Communications Server “14” . Together with almost 250 partners we are there over 83 countries. As you probably saw e-office started the new UC community (1st of April). Together with the Yellow and Blue organisation structure we are more focused on UC then ever before.

As you might discovered the last weeks/months we pushed (e-office)  into a new organization structure. A organization structure which is much more suitable for us. Like a good fitting suit. The structure of yellow and blue! More information can of course be found on the weblog of Roland Hameeteman, CEO e-office (Dutch)

It really feels good and we are making great progress. The new organization will be much more social. Experts in our own internal organization are even important as external experts.  Experts who live in the “cloud” or for example join the “UCVUG.nl Virtual User Group”.  You guys are significally important to us.

Unified Communications is still one of our core competences. This year we start the UC Community @ e-office! The UC community is there for you. Is doesn’t matter what kind of role you have in a organization. The community is there if you have any questions about Unified Communications or related products. We are ready together with our community experts to help you. We are yellow “innovative” and “creative”. On the other hand we can deliver HSO (Human Software) products and services for each kind or project. Blue! Aka: we are ready to ROCK! See our trip to the new upcoming Airlift to Seattle.

The roadmap for upcoming activities:

• UC Metro Program “14” we are participating in one of best programs for the next version of OCS. (NDA)
• The new e-office corporate website is LIVE and kicking (check it our www.e-office.com and feel free to give us feedback on feedback@e-office.com. See also the new UC Workshops.
• Each employee now is OCS Webchat enabled. Check out the “medewerkers” section on our brand new site. See also our OCS Group Chat strategies! See the new presence icons corresponding to the new presence icons in for example Office, SharePoint etc.
• UCVUG.nl is again this year live and kicking. Each quarter there will be a virtual user group session. The first one of this year can already be downloaded. See: http://ucvug.nl/ (homepage) and download the corresponding presentation materials. See also our Live Meeting Recording. The next one is also scheduled and present on the 6th of April.
• unified-communications.blogspot.com will continue this year with lots of hot content!
• e-office will attended the MVP Summit 2010 in Seattle. (NDA). The MVP Global Summit is a multi-day event that is hosted in Bellevue and at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
• We actively recruiting for UC/SP experts (UC/SP IT Pro’s or UC/SP Developers). Check out the site (Dutch)
• e-office will present quite frequently on the NEW Microsoft UC Community Days at Microsoft HQ Netherlands. The last presentation can be viewed here.
• e-office Joachim Farla [MVP] and Michiel van Oudheusden  presented a TechNet Webcast about. Unified Communications Development for Non-Professional Developers (Level 300). Download here: here
• We will continue our activities on the UC&C section on www.kennisportal.nl meet the experts: here

I’m proud so far! Stay with us this year and please spread the world about our initiatives. More to come….