Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 Introduced

Microsoft (News - Alert) has introduced Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 (R2), an update to the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.

 

The new functionality of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 extends software-powered voice, particularly for remote and mobile workers. In addition, this updated version provides on-premise audio-conferencing; and introduces new developer advances, including the ability to build communications-enabled business processes.

 

These enhancements, according to Microsoft, will improve business communications through a unified infrastructure and user experience. Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft business division at Microsoft, said in a statement that this new release puts Microsoft on a “rapid path” to deliver voice software that does much more than a network private branch exchange (PBX (News - Alert)).

 

Office Communications Server interoperates with legacy PBX and IP PBX investments. This allows customers to transition to the new platform without replacing or upgrading their network. The Office Communications Server 2007 R2 allows customers to replace PBX with Microsoft’s unified communications software. Also, it enables management of voice in the same way as other applications such as e-mail and instant messaging.

 

The original solution was introduced in 2007. According the company, since the solution became available, businesses have started to migrate their workers off their PBXs to Office Communications Server for all their telephony needs.

 

“As a global company with employees dispersed in various time zones and geographic locations, Royal Dutch Shell has benefited from Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 with improved communications and more flexibility for our employees,” said Johan Krebbers, group IT architect at Royal Dutch Shell.

 

He also said that today Royal Dutch Shell has over 5,000 employees who frequently travel and use Office Communications Server 2007 as their primary voice solution.

 

Office Communications Server 2007 R2 comes equipped with new capabilities such as dial-in audioconferencing, which enables businesses to eliminate audioconferencing services with an on-premise audioconferencing bridge that is managed by IT as part of the overall communications infrastructure.

 

With Desktop sharing feature, users can share their desktop, initiate audio communications and collaborate with others outside the organization on PC, Macintosh or Linux platforms through a Web-based interface.

 

Also, equipped with persistent group chat, the updated version enables geographically dispersed teams to collaborate with each other by participating in topic-based discussions that persist over time.

 

This application provides users with a list of all available chat rooms and topics, periodically archives discussions in an XML file format that meets compliance regulations. It also provides tools to search the entire history of discussion on a given topic, and offers filters and alerts to notify someone of new posts or topics on a particular topic.

 

Additional features include enhanced Voice and Mobility; mobility and single number reach; session initiation protocol (SIP) trunking, and more. SIP trunking enables setting up of a direct voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connection between an Internet telephony service provider and Office Communicator 2007 without requiring on-premise gateways.

 

Beginning in February 2009, the company plans to release the updated product for purchase, which is currently in private beta testing.