Telephony World Exclusive: Closer Look at Microsoft OCS 2007
Several companies have announced new products and platforms that integrate with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Telephony World takes a closer look at the technology behind this trend and the implications for businesses in the market for IP telephony, Call Center and CRM solutions.
Microsoft’s Office Communications Server 2007 manages all real-time (synchronous) communications including: instant messaging, VoIP, audio and video conferencing. It works with existing tele-communications systems, so business can deploy advanced VoIP and conferencing without tearing out their legacy phone networks.
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 also powers presence, a key benefit of Microsoft unified communications that unites all the contact information stored in Active Directory with the ways people communicate. With presence, you can see at-a-glance if someone is available and contact them with a click using instant messaging, a phone call or a video conference.
t’s not necessary to scrap existing phone systems in favor of new Voice over IP (VoIP) hardware, because Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 works with existing telephony infrastructure. With Office Communications Server 2007, users can not only send and receive calls with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), but also provide tight integration with a company’s Private Branch Exchange (PBX) system.
Office Communications Server 2007 also combines software-powered VoIP with open standards to make the telephone an intuitive, menu-based part of the computing experience. This unified communications philosophy extends from the organization of the underlying call routing, which includes features like least-cost routing and extension-based digit dialing, as well as integration features that bridge the VoIP standards supported by Office Communications Server 2007 with implementations that use older standards.
At the center of this integration is the Mediation Server role of Office Communications Server 2007. It provides a single interface and uses open-standard SIP for signaling interoperability. Mediation Server takes calls from third-party IP-PBX systems or SIP/PSTN Gateways and moves them onto the network using the adaptive codec, remote user, and security models that are the basis for call setup and media with Office Communications Server 2007.
Third-party products connect to Mediation Server using the SIP protocol. To provide the best possible deployment experience, Microsoft created the Open Interoperability Program, which enables PBX and Gateway vendors to qualify their solutions to operate with Office Communications Server 2007. Qualified infrastructure integrates smoothly with Office Communications Server 2007, includes detailed integration documentation, and supports the wide variety of possible calling scenarios.
For more information on Microsoft’s OCS 2007, please see their website.