The Missing Lync...



The Missing Lync...

Q2 2011  Print

Although only a few months in, it is evidently apparent that there are multiple trends on the rise in 2011 – namely;

▪ Banana prices
▪ Lady Gaga’s extravagance and ridiculousness
▪ The importance of Unified Communications

Whilst I enjoy a banana smoothie as much as the next guy and have been known to shake my head in admonishment at many a pop cultural hijink, it is the third point that has most strongly piqued my interest of late.

Primarily, this is due to the launch and adoption of Microsoft's Lync Server 2010, the latest release (and brand) of their increasingly popular UC platform and how it sets the tone for the future of enterprise communication, collaboration and productivity.

Lync brings together enterprise voice, presence, IM, audio and video conferencing as well as collaboration tools such as screen and document sharing under an easy to use single interface.  From all reports, it is a well rounded product that is crisply designed and intuitive to use. 

Where Lync has stepped up significantly however is in its mobile capacity.  The Lync team have built in compatibility with a range of client devices including iPhone apps and even Xbox Kinect (with users flailing arms around for motion sensors to interpret in absence of a keyboard) to ensure connectivity on the go is heightened.  Overall it’s pretty cool.

Now whilst I am sure many of you are thinking about the great flexibility that being able to conference call in betwixt ‘Call of Duty’ missions provides, these advances suggest that Lync is preparing and advancing mobile communication solutions that enhance productivity and facilitate a new way of working.

As a field, UC is about being connected and working smarter.  Obvious integration into Microsoft's wide assortment of goodies including Office, SharePoint and most importantly, Exchange, ensures Lync does this admirably. The ability to search and filter users based on skills sets is a nice move forward that means the right people are in touch at the right time to drive productivity and business value.

With cloud solutions incorporated into Office 365, the benefits of Lync and UC are now available to a much wider range of users than before.  This should result in an SMB productivity boom by providing previously out of reach capability at the fingertips of a whole new market.

The way we work is changing and UC is one of the core catalysts making it happen.  This refreshed platform seems to be the next Lync in the chain (see what happened there in puntown?!).

Stay tuned for Lync Server 2010 info seminars and courses as they come onto our schedule in the coming months. 

In the meantime, check out some more snazzy new Lync features and benefits.