Skype for Business
Microsoft's Lync server has been renamed Skype for Business. It is a software platform for unified communications( UC), formerly offered as Office Communication Server( OCS).
The evolution of Skype for Business and the Linc server.
The first release candidate of Lync Server was available in the fall of 2010. Skype for Business combines Internet telephony, Web conferencing, instant messaging( IM), voice mail, file transfer( FT), video conferencing and e-mail. Employees can be reached via a single phone number from their landline, mobile device, and personal computer.
The server enables presence displays, employee location discovery using subnet, switch, port, or WLAN access point identifier, and a transition to instant messaging via Windows Live, AOL, or Yahoo. An Office Backstage view allows documents and presentations to be shared for instant messaging.
Linc server and Microsoft Outlook
PC, phone or web conference appointments can be scheduled from Microsoft Outlook. Existing contact lists are synchronized on the cell phone and personal computer so they are updated on any device or location. Startlinks can be used to launch applications from Communicator that allow participants to establish a call context. After a one-time login, access to all UC-enabled services is possible from any phone, including switching online meetings by voice, viewing SharePoint tasks or reading e-mail aloud with Exchange.
The Lync server is integrated with Active Directory and has new voice features for traditional PBXs, including three-way conferencing, viewing call data or integrating interpreter services. On the server side, call center and help desk scenarios can be implemented with interactive voice response( IVR), automatic call distribution( ACD) or call recording, Internet chats, query response bots. Conferences and applications are enabled through UCMA 3.0 (Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API 3.0).
The software-driven Lync Server requires at least a Server 2008 R2 with 64 bit, to use all the new features also a Communication Server 2010. For developers, tools such as Visual Studio and Microsoft .NETFramework, plus application programming interfaces with the Lync 2010 SDK for Visual Studio commands in . NET Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Silverlight. The Communicator Lync 2010 Managed AP allows customization of individual client interfaces in .NET according to existing internal specifications.