Microsoft Lync Server, formerly called Office Communications Server, delivers instant messaging (IM) and presence as part of a scalable, enterprise-grade solution offering enhanced security, seamless integration with other Microsoft products, an extensible, industry-standard development platform, and compliance with regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, SOX, and GLB. Your organization can realize cost savings and improved business efficiencies, increased individual productivity, and enhanced intellectual property protection with this easy-to-manage, highly available solution. Successful implementations of Lync Server and Office Communications Server require careful planning and consideration before deployment. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can provide the expertise necessary to deliver all the benefits of Microsoft Lync Server technology throughout your entire organization.

Microsoft Office Communications Server and Lync Server have been replaced by Skype for Business Server and Skype for Business Online, which build on Lync technology and offer a more extensive feature set for unified communications and collaboration. Skype for Business Server also supports advanced mechanisms for high availability and disaster recovery. Progent can help you maintain your legacy Office Communications or Lync deployments or assist you to plan an efficient Skype for Business migration that provides maximum business value to your unified communications ecosystem.

The IM Business Solution for Enterprises
Instant Messaging is growing at a torrid pace and is expected in the near future to be as popular as email. IM is not a phenomenon that large organizations can simply ignore. By utilizing Microsoft's Lync Server platform, enterprises can track and manage presence information and IM for hundreds of thousands of users within an encrypted, authenticated environment. Enterprises also can utilize the Lync Server and Office Communications Server 'federation' option to extend IM and presence information to remote users and to trusted customers, suppliers, and partners, including those using a public IM network service.

Lync Server and Office Communications Server fit well into organizations that:

  • Have a large number of users
  • Have geographically disbursed users
  • Need an IM solution for working with partners, vendors, support personnel
  • Need Real Presence Awareness
  • Need to comply with Regulatory requirements (HIPAA, SOX, GLB, etc.)
  • Have a business-specific reason they cannot use a public IM infrastructure, such as Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo!
Features and Benefits of Microsoft Lync Server and Office Communications Server
Microsoft Lync Server and Office Communications Server offer rich, real-time communication that provides speedy answers when your organization need them most. Features and advantages of Lync Server and Office Communications Server include:
  • Real Presence, so you know when a Subject Matter Expert (SME) is available and when you can utilize immediate expertise service
  • Integration with IP telephones, offering the ability to initiate calls from the interface
  • Email Integration when someone is not available
  • Sharing of files and information, plus video conferencing
  • Automatic recording of Lync and Office Communications Server exchanges, allowing users to review conversations anytime, anywhere
  • Recording of exact conversation in the event of a misunderstanding or need to review change-order or other authorizations
  • Archiving of conversations, allowing users and organizations to review previous conversations as far back as necessary
Lync and Office Communications Server Overcome Objections Large Organizations Have to Public IM
Lync Server and Office Communications Server address the common objections of organizations that either cannot, or choose not too, have public IM capabilities.

"We don't want our employees chatting with friends and family at work."
One of the great strengths of Lync Server technology is that you can control access via your organization's business requirements. You can configure Lync Server or Office Communications Server to be limited to the Organization, allow external communication to limited outside resources, and even control the level of permissions on the user level.

"We don't allow or cannot have unsecured communications over the public network."
Microsoft Lync Server and Office Communications Server are based on a PKI infrastructure and are secure and encrypted. This prevents anyone from capturing your communications.

"We have stringent regulatory compliance requirements regarding electronic communication."
Lync Server and Office Communications Server provide automatic recording and archiving of all communications that take place between parties, providing a complete electronic trail of all transactions. Microsoft Lync Server and Office Communications Server can support your company's compliance with regulatory standards and new legislation such as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, HSPD-12, or Gramm-Leach-Bliley.

How Progent Can Help You Deploy Microsoft Lync Server or Office Communications Server
Lync Server and Office Communications Server run on Microsoft Windows Server and leverages Windows tools and technologies, including:

  • Active Directory directory service for authentication and group policy
  • Microsoft SQL Server for maintaining user data, logging, and archiving
  • Microsoft System Center Operations Manager and MMC (Microsoft Management Console) for management tools
Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants offer expertise in all these technologies and can help you plan and integrate Lync Server or Office Communications Server so that your organization can take full advantage of its powerful capabilities. Progent can also show you how Lync Server and Microsoft Office Communications Server communicate with the rest of the Microsoft Office System so that users of programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and team sites and portals such as Windows SharePoint Services, can take advantage of IM and presence awareness from within those applications. Progent can also help you incorporate high-availability functionality such as clustering, failover, SAN support and optimized topologies so that users experience reduced downtime and easier management. Progent's consultants can also assist your business to make a smooth upgrade from Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005 to Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 or from either of these to Lync Server 2010. In addition, Progent's CISM, CISA, and CISSP certified security consultants can help you include Lync Server or Microsoft Office Communications Server into a corporate-wide security strategy.

To find out how more about how Progent's IM consultants can help your company benefit from Microsoft Lync Server or Office Communications Server, call 800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.

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