Maximize the New Features in Microsoft Office Communications Server R2

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Maximize the New Features in Microsoft Office Communications Server R2

Author: Chris Olsen

Abstract

In February, 2009, Microsoft released their next major release, designated as R2, to their IP PBX product Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007. Several great features and enhancements to Microsoft's existing product make OCS 2007 R2 a significant contender in the Unified Communications (UC) marketplace. This white paper illustrates the benefits of these new features.

SIP Trunking

In both OCS 2007 and OCS 2007 R2, it is a simple task to enable internal dialing from one phone to another. For calls to and from the PSTN, or any outside phone, OCS 2007 required a third party gateway and an OCS Mediation Server. While this approach is still supported in OCS 2007 R2, a new method of PSTN connectivity is supported known as SIP Trunking. Analogous to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), which allows Internet IP connectivity for an enterprise, a new breed of companies have emerged called an Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) which all use SIP Trunking from an Enterprise to allow VoIP calls to be translated to Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) calls. In essence, gateways are still used for connectivity to the PSTN, but the ITSP manages them, not the enterprise.

The benefits of SIP Trunking to an ITSP are a potential reduction of operating costs as well as diverse fault tolerant options. As an example, let's say an organization has 1,000 simultaneous calls out of a large campus to the PSTN on the busiest hour of the busiest day. With traditional telephony, for example ISDN, each PRI can hold only 23 simultaneous calls, which would require 44 PRI ports. Conversely, the same 1,000 calls could be routed with just one SIP Trunk, which typically doesn't have any upper quantity limited by the protocol. The only limitation to the number of calls is the bandwidth of the IP connection. In addition, all of the existing fault tolerant methods of routing IP, like BGP, can apply to the same connection carrying SIP Trunking.

Microsoft certification is required for SIP vendors to work with OCS R2. As of November, 2009, the following vendors are supported under Microsoft's Open Interoperability Program (OIP): Global Crossing; Interoute; Jajah; Sprint; and ThinkTel.

Response Group Service

Also new in R2 is the workgroup solution of a Response Group Service which is the ability to take an incoming call and route it to one or more OCS agents. Although not quite a full Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) solution, Response Groups are ideal for small help desks, a customer service desk, or a general extension call handler.

While the agents must be OCS clients, the calls can come in from anywhere, such as another MOC client, the PSTN, or an integrated PBX.

The call routing algorithms supported are serial, longest idle, parallel, and round robin, which are configured for each group of agents.

Basic Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus can be created integrating custom wave prompts and Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) user input. Presence of the agents' phone status is integrated along with Music on Hold (MOH) support.

Team Ring

Another nice R2 feature is Team Ring, which allows users to forward incoming calls to a defined team. When a call comes in to the team, all phones ring, and when a team member answers the call, the other phones stop ringing. Team Ring can be implemented with several different ringing scenarios to control how the incoming call is routed amongst the team.

Dial-in Audio Conferencing

Many enterprises incur large monthly operating costs to outside organizations to host their audio conferencing. Now with OCS R2, dial-in audio conferencing is built in as an on-premise solution, as well as hosting video and web conferencing.

Desktop Sharing

OCS R2 users can easily share their desktops, initiate audio calls, and collaborate with other users in or outside their organization thru a web interface. This can take place on PC's, Macintosh, or Linux platforms.

Persistent Group Chat

Traditionally, when a group of people in an organization work together but are located remotely, they often fly to a common meeting place to collaborate on projects. Travel amongst the group can potentially be reduced with persistent group chat by allowing them to communicate as a group remotely in different topics that persist over time. They can search for topics with filters to review prior discussions as well.

Attendant Console and Delegation

Receptionists, secretaries, and paralegals often have to manage incoming calls to managers or groups of employees. The R2 Attendant Console is a graphical tool that integrates with the Microsoft Office Communicator (MOC) client allowing easy transfers and forwarding of calls based on various business needs.