Getting Microsoft (News - Alert) Lync certification under its Compatible Devices Program is generally considered a good idea for manufacturers of IP phones, headsets, webcams, conference room devices, PCs and other devices since the instant messaging platform is widely used in the enterprise. This certification lets potential customers know up front that a device will be fully compatible with Lync, with unique features tailored to the software and a simple installation process.

As such, snom, a manufacturer of IP phones based on open standard for enterprise communications, has obtained Lync certification for a number of its devices, like the UC edition line of IP phones and IP phone systems. In a recent blog post from snom, the company's COO, Mike Storella (News - Alert), explains why the company went through the Lync certification process.

Storella explains that it was a "tremendous opportunity to partner with Microsoft and gain exposure for snom phones in the enterprise space. Our SIP based business phones are already certified and interoperable with most IP PBX (News - Alert) platforms and open source service provider platforms, all of which are primarily focused on the SMB market, but are not as widely deployed in larger organizations."

He adds that, since Microsoft Exchange and Sharepoint are already deployed in the enterprise for email and collaboration, Microsoft Lync "opens the door to larger organizations. The Microsoft Lync Enterprise voice functionality coupled with our phones for voice access on the desktop is a perfect fit for users who are more comfortable with a traditional desktop phone. We see our partnership with Microsoft as a win-win."

Storella brings up the fact that snom's UC edition business phones enable advanced voice capabilities in Microsoft Lync: "snom UC phones combined with Lync provide advanced calling features, can handle multiple lines and busy lamp fields, and for voice communications, it’s much more intuitive to dial, transfer, hold, conference and use speed dial and speakerphone from the telephone’s key pad as is commonly found with a traditional IP PBX. The phones also support Lync features including presence, directory lookup, PSTN integrated audio conferencing, application sharing and more."

Storella points out that snom UC edition phones are suitable for any environment, whether enterprise or small to medium businesses. He says that the snom 300 UC edition is a better fit for office workers, while the snom 370 and 821 UC edition phones are better suited for executives. Lastly, the snom UC600 is a Lync optimized, budget-conscious, purpose-built phone ideal for smaller businesses.

snom offered a sneak peek at the UC line of phones at the Cable Show last week, where it unveiled its latest IP phones, the snom 720 an snom 760. Furthermore, snom recently released new beta firmware for its UC business phone portfolio.