An App Store for OCS? Great Idea!
Filed under: Conferencing, Instant Messaging (IM), OCS 2007 R2, OCS 2010, Reference, Unified Communications, Voice over IP
Recently The VAR Guy blog announced that an OCS app store was in the works. Not by Microsoft though - by Evangelyze Communications, an OCS channel partner (like us!).
(There's a nice write-up on No Jitter too. Eric asked some good questions.)
I find this idea very interesting. Honestly, I hadn't figured OCS as the type of platform for an app store. But as I think about what these posts have covered, it makes more sense. Let me explain what I'm thinking here.
As Companies Grow, Communication Needs Change
The larger a company grows, the more complex its communications needs become. Communications Server is quite flexible enough to handle more complexity (especially with OCS 2010 coming). But there's no shame in getting help. By building onto OCS, you can customize its setup toward more specific customer needs.
We've done that ourselves with the Dialogic VoIP gateway. No reason someone can't do it with apps in an app store.
Say one company needs video conferencing between interstate offices. Another doesn't care about conferencing, but wants VoIP on all their phones. Two different priorities. Two different OCS setups. Perfect opportunity for custom developers.
Advantages of an OCS App Store to Developers
A Showcase
Enterprise-level apps aren't always easy to market. (Not to mention custom development services!) You're mostly marketing direct to companies, without always knowing where they are in their buying cycle. Your marketing could arrive too early - or too late.
Contrast that with a profile in an app store. Then the customers come find you when it's time to buy. All you have to do then is make sure you have a solid product, and you deliver content that addresses their communications needs.
IP Security
Safety of your intellectual property, that is. Since this would be run by a Microsoft partner and not Microsoft itself, Evangelyze has a vested interest in keeping such a store buttoned down and protected. (I'm sure Microsoft will help at some point too.)
Project Focus
You can focus on one endpoint (Polycom desk phones, smartphones, laptops/netbooks) instead of trying to develop a big huge solution for everyone. The customers who want apps for that endpoint will come find you. We already see this kind of specialization in the Apple store.
Some OCS App Ideas
I'm throwing out some ideas for apps here, off the top of my head. If you want to use one (or you're already working on the same idea), email me.
- Social media inter-communication. Plug in Facebook Chat and Twitter.
- A LinkedIn chat module? Maybe create an app that bridges two (or more) LI profiles via OCS IM, letting them chat in real-time after connecting? You could even leapfrog LinkedIn development here.
- Office Communicator versions for all smartphones. Maybe a wrapper for the Communicator client, or a duplicate (better?) app for each interface - Droid, Blackberry, iPhone/iPod, etc.
- Video Conferencing add-ons.
- Remote server access. Maybe turn OCS into a command prompt for Telnet or SSH?
- Translation. Auto-translate Instant Messages into a different language, and back again.
- Software Gateway. Hey, might as well aim high. I'm sure this is possible. Someone's already working on it, I'll bet.
Call me crazy, but I like the idea of a channel partner building an OCS app store. They have a different perspective from the team who made OCS. And it's also different from developers who'll be working on custom apps for OCS. That sort of “midway” perspective should translate to a platform everybody can take advantage of for better communications technology.
What do you think? What kind of apps would you like to see in an OCS app store? Shoot me a comment; let's talk about it.
Will the New Small Business Server Help Out OCS?
Filed under: OCS 2007 R2, OCS 2010, Unified Communications
A few days ago Microsoft announced two new SBS previews. Named “SBS 7″ and “SBS Aurora” for now, their preview releases will be available at the end of summer. (But only to those who sign up to participate - sign up here if you want to try them out.)
Here's what I can glean from the information out there now. SBS 7 works much like 2008, with new software versions and management/security improvements. Exchange 2007 moved up to Exchange 2010 R1, for example.
Aurora is designed for a smaller user base (25 users max), and is cloud-ready. There's fewer details about the software included, but Microsoft did mention an automated backup/restore and an SDK meant for partners to build add-ins into Aurora.
Now, this is pretty big news by itself. But what I'm wondering is, what does this mean for OCS?
Will We Have Office Communications on Aurora?
From the initial news, it looks like more attention has been paid to remote access on these new versions. SBS 7 is promised a “richer remote access experience;” Aurora is described as delivering “traditional and cloud capabilities.”
Since much of OCS' capabilities are dependent on server access on- and off-site. So I'm not worried.
In fact, Aurora sounds like a great help to small-business OCS use. Think about this…
- It's designed to support up to 25 users. This means a lighter stack, easier to run and to manage (even on older equipment).
- Since Aurora can be accessed as a cloud-based service, building a hosted OCS solution with it becomes that much easier. It may even help with simplifying out-of-the-office connections.
- Presumably, Aurora will be priced lower than SBS 7.
- The software is in development now - during/after primary development on OCS 2010. So you could take advantage of both Aurora's cloud services and OCS 2010's virtual server needs all at once. Small, zippy OCS platform.
There's another article on SBS 7 and Aurora at MCP Magazine, if you want to read more.
We're signing up for the Aurora preview. If you're signing up too, please email us or leave a comment. I'd like to hear you about your Aurora experiences, with and without OCS. This one could be a big help for small businesses considering OCS.
OCS 2007 R2 Now VS. OCS 2010 Later: What's the Plan?
Filed under: Conferencing, OCS 2010, Unified Communications, Voice over IP
(Sorry about the delay on this post. WordPress didn't want to cooperate last week, and I didn't have the time to fight with it.)
A few days ago we were asked a question. This question, I felt, deserved its own post. Because it brings up a very important OCS version point.
“Should we upgrade now, or wait for OCS 2010?”
In this case “upgrade” referred to the fact that this client had no present OCS system. The choice was between putting in a brand new OCS 2007 R2 system, or waiting a few months for the upcoming release of OCS 2010.
What Do You Need from OCS Now? Later?
This question comes down to two concerns: present need and future planning. What communications tools do you need? And how far in the future do you want to (or typically) plan?
These questions can help determine which is best. Upgrading to OCS 2007 R2 now, or waiting until the end of this year when OCS 2010 arrives. I'll address both while comparing the advantages of each approach below.
A couple things to keep in mind while we consider:
- Voice is a big upgrade issue.
- So is cost.
- Planning time is always dependent on how big an organization is.
Advantages in Upgrading Now
- You'll get a jump on preparation. It takes time to survey and prepare.
- You'll need an inventory of the user pool, and what they want.
- You'll need to decide which services you want to use (VoIP or no, which servers are needed).
- You'll need to decide what architecture to use (all local, all hosted, virtual?).
- And you'll need to add necessary server hardware. (Or go with a hosted option, of course.)
Deciding to start an OCS 2007 R2 implementation plan now gives you an option. Do we spread it out over a couple months? Or take a week and get it all done? The choice is yours.
- “OCS 2007 now, OCS 2010 later” is NOT mandatory. You don't have to upgrade again (at least not right away) if your new OCS 2007 R2 system works for you.
- An OCS 2007 R2 system removes the need for (and cost of) third-party conferencing solutions.
Advantages in Waiting for OCS 2010
- It's intended to replace the PBX. OCS 2007 R2 can replace a PBX, but it requires some add-ons (ex., media gateway). OCS 2010 however is intended as a full PBX replacement.
- Fewer servers needed. As I pointed out the other day, OCS 2010 will run on fewer physical servers than 2007 R2.
- Even more prep time. If you have a larger organization, it will (obviously) take longer to prepare for a major communications change than it would a small business. Especially since you'll be moving people over to OCS, not just technology. Fortunately, you still have plenty of time to ease in.
Based on all this and the two questions I mentioned earlier, this is what I recommend:
If you intend to move to VoIP, plan for transitioning to OCS 2010.
If you're already using VoIP or don't want to use it, implement OCS 2007 R2 now.
What's your plan? Which OCS version are you moving toward?
