You Get The Message
Behind it all lies Active Directory—the engine that fuels Office Communication Server's deep presence awareness reach. Office Communication Server takes the Active Directory information and extends it to include phone, collaboration, videoconferencing and whiteboarding.
Group objects as well as single users receive all of the data propagated throughout Active Directory. With it, Office Communication Server can take advantage of any existing infrastructure within minutes. Administrators can add or create new users using the same process in Active Directory. Since setting up accounts is centralized, solution providers deploying Office Communication Server should see provisioning costs decrease, even with customers that have a wide variety of end-point devices.
After installing Office Communication Server, administrators will notice that every major feature is encrypted by default. All of the signaling is done using the transport layer security (TLS) protocol. The application is configured for using certificates.
The advantage of encryption is that remote users can immediately connect to a corporate environment and use all of the communication tools without first having to establish a VPN connection. The encryption allows users to get the exact same experience inside and outside a network.
In addition to PC-to-PC communication, Office Communication Server is VoIP-ready. Moreover, it works with many legacy PBX systems to achieve some level of presence awareness with the legacy technology. Office Communication Server can integrate and even replace older, pre-existing voice-mail systems. Presence integration also has a manual component that needs end-user input. By setting a presence to a "do not disturb mode," any messages and phone calls will automatically go right into an Exchange mailbox. Users are not disturbed, but can check to see what transpired during this period. Users can also override general rules and create exceptions, allowing some colleagues to interrupt them regardless of presence status.
When integrated with Exchange, Office Communication Server users can receive asynchronous messages in spoken form and can interact with other features in Exchange. The VoIP integration will allow Microsoft Exchange partners to offer Microsoft Office integration with Office Communication Server, along with VoIP services.
Nortel Networks' integrated Office Communication Server phone system provides feedback to users trying to reach a caller. If a user is using the Nortel phone, Office Communication Server will receive a message that the user is busy.
Office Communication Server can also interact with Microsoft Office applications, allowing users to exchange detailed information on their whereabouts. For instance, whenever users read e-mails in Outlook they can see the presence information of the senders. They can also see if other users are available on the network or are able to talk. By getting presence information from Outlook, users are able jump right into voice conversations.
Office Communication Server is capable of managing connections with the types of devices and communication paths that users want to make available. What's more, Office Communication Server will make the right connection and reach users based on their active presence properties. Users can control their communication by redirecting calls on the fly from any location.
Also included in Office Communication Server's architecture is RoundTable, which enables companies to create virtual presentations. The software embedded in the device is able to save sessions and spotlight users who are speaking.