Three Articles on Unified Communications Tech

February 3, 2010 by Chris Williams · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Instant Messaging (IM), OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Unified Communications, Voice over IP

SIP Primer from SearchUnifiedCommunications
Back in November I posted a few resources for SIP trunking. Here’’s one more: a more in-depth SIP primer at Unified Communications News.

Author Elaine Hom talks about the many points in SIP where cost and time savings come about. It’’s a good introduction, and even addresses some basic concerns & caveats. Worth the read if you”re using SIP in any way.

The IP PBX: Who Needs It?
Written by Shamus McGillicuddy for his Unified Communications Nation blog, this post is a comment on the necessity of PBXs in general (IP PBXs in specific). I think the direction he’’s pointing is the right one. We”re in the middle of a big shift in communications technology.

Before, you pretty much only had the PBX option. Now, not only do you have other options for phones (VoIP, cellphones), you have options for different types of communication too (IM, video).

Zeacom Unveils a New Gateway for OCS
Two weeks ago I talked about VoIP gateway manufacturers. Here’’s a new one. Zeacom is a communications solutions company out of New Zealand (with a US office in Irvine, CA). They announced a new gateway for Microsoft OCS 2007 on February 1st.

There isn”t a lot of info on their site about it, but there’’s plenty on overall UC solutions. I”ll keep an eye out for reviews of their new gateway–might be one we can add to the Recommended list.

Any more links related to these you”d like to share? Put them up in the Comments.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft business technology OCS 2007 SIP VoIP Gateway

Tags: Gateway, OCS 2007 R2, SIP, Voice over IP

Which Voice Gateway Should You Use for OCS?

January 20, 2010 by Chris Williams · Leave a Comment
Filed under: OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, OCS 2010, Unified Communications, Voice over IP

Here’’s a list (Microsoft Technet) of Direct SIP Gateway and IP-PBXs approved for use with Office Communications Server.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/ocs/bb735838.aspx#direct

Obviously, we haven”t tested them all. I can only give you what we”ve learned on our own install (and subsequent client installs).

Aculab - The ApplianX Gateway

The ApplianX Gateway for OCS 2007 was the first voice gateway we tested.

This gateway was designed to interface between OCS-based VoIP and the regular PSTN. One of the first to do so in the world, in fact.

The ApplianX Gateway is capable of handling 240 VoIP calls at once. In terms of voice quality, it’’s great, but I did notice one thing: the longer you were on a call, the more packets got lost. Words would start falling out of the conversation. I”m not sure this was a problem with the gateway however, or with our bandwidth allocations.

I do know that it went away before we switched to Dialogic.

Dialogic - The DMG2000 Media Gateway

When we upgraded our OCS to R2, we switched to a Dialogic Media Gateway. I don”t see any reason to change again.

None of the fabled VoIP problems happen - no “I can hear myself in echo,” “They can”t hear my voice,” or “The calls break up on us all the time.” Client installs have gone smoothly.

Another handy thing about Dialogic is the guides they post on their site. You can downoad white papers, datasheets and configuration guides for all their media gateways, free.
Dialogic.com Downloads

Other Choices

Quintum’’s Tenor Gateway is highly-rated in the industry.
Cisco has a gateway available, but some interoperability issues do exist. See the Cisco Interoperability Portal for more on that.
As a general rule, avoid a gateway that isn”t rated for R2. You”re almost guaranteed problems when OCS 2010 is released.

Which is the Best Choice for a Voice Gateway?

The best gateway choice is the one that will allow everyone in your office to make voice calls, handle the load, and still be open for expansion down the line. So it pays to consider these factors in your research.

Size of business. If you”re a smaller business or startup, try Aculab or Dialogic. Over 40 employees? Dialogic is my first recommendation, but the Quintum may work well for you.
Expected call volume. If you”re enterprise-level and have a call volume in the hundreds (or thousands), consider the devices rated for “Direct Sip via IP-PBX.” Otherwise, look at Cisco or Dialogic’’s Enterprise Media Gateway.
OCS version. The Aculab ApplianX Gateway isn”t certified for use with R2. I”m hoping for an upgraded version by the time OCS 2010 rolls out. Go with any of the others rated for R2.

Tags: OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, OCS 2010, Voice over IP

Four Predictions on OCS in 2010

January 6, 2010 by Chris Williams · Leave a Comment
Filed under: OCS 2007 R2, OCS 2010, Reference, Unified Communications, Voice over IP

Welcome to 2010! Are we back to scrambling already?

Before we get too crazy, let me make a few predictions about OCS. (It’’s the thing to do this time of year.) We”re headed for another year of big shake-ups and racing towards better-priced options. I”m sure Office Communications Server will be involved in some of it. Though I”ll freely admit, I may deny one or two of these by the time 2011 rolls around.

Prediction #1: OCS 2010′’s release will come with calls to end the PBX. It won”t…not yet.

Office Communications Server 2010 is slated for release either in Q2 or Q3 2010. We”ll hear a lot of buzz beforehand, along with calls to 100% replace PBX phone systems with OCS. (I”m not actually the first to say this.)

If it truly is a PBX-killer - and I”m hopeful it is - then these calls will be justified. However, OCS adoption over PBX won”t begin in earnest until 2011. It takes time to make such a big change - time to get used to the idea, and time to plan the change itself. Smaller companies will get a jump on OCS 2010 instead. They don”t always have a PBX to replace.

Prediction #2: OCS 2007 R2 will grow as a hosted service, even with OCS 2010′’s release.

I”m no economist; I won”t even try predicting what the markets will do this year. What I will say is that more companies will look for more ways to save. Startup costs, trying to grow without much budget, no desire to buy all-new servers…these factors will push more companies toward hosted services as a lower-cost option. Judging from the adoption rates and interest we”ve received, I”m expecting companies in the mid-to-upper range of SMBs to take the most advantage here.

Prediction #3: We”ll see a growing comfort with VoIP as a phone system.

Voice over IP is becoming a more accepted alternative to regular phone lines. In a way, we have Google and Skype to thank for this. The rampant popularity of Google Voice, and the popularity of Skype (even in business use) shows people are more comfortable with the idea of using the Web for voice communication now.

When OCS 2007 first came out, many people didn”t trust its VoIP capability as a reliable phone system. That was just 2 years ago. Now that technology has caught up and social adoption is higher, that lack of trust won”t be applied to OCS 2010.

Prediction #4: OCS 2010′’s 64-bit structure may discourage some from upgrading.

There is a problem in all this. OCS 2007 R2 is available only in 64-bit. Exchange 2010 just shipped with a 64-bit version. It’’s not hard to imagine that OCS 2010 will be 64-bit only. This will cause some sticking for those companies who haven”t moved to 64-bit servers yet; upgrading to OCS 2010 would mean buying new 64-bit servers. For those companies looking to SAVE on communications, spending extra is a contradiction. And a big upgrade objection.

(There’’s always the hosted option though!)

A few things to think about. Overall I think OCS” prospects are good, even with the 64-bit snag. Some will say the new smartphones coming out are a danger to OCS, but I think they have a more complementary role than a competitive one. We”ll have to see where 2010 takes us, won”t we?

Technorati Tags:Microsoft business technology OCS 2007 VoIP OCS 2010

Tags: OCS 2010, Voice over IP, Voice over IP

The Top 3 Questions People Ask Us Re: OCS 2007

December 2, 2009 by Chris Williams · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Conferencing, Instant Messaging (IM), OCS 2007, Reference, Unified Communications, Voice over IP

When you”re experts in something, people ask you questions. The same questions. Over & over again.

I”ve blogged about many of the things our customer ask us in the past. Still, a recap now and then doesn”t hurt. And since we”ve had several sales meetings that were almost cookie-cutter when it came to the questions they asked, I figured now’’s the time.

This is a trio of very common questions we get asked about Office Communications Server. (There’’s actually about 6 or 7, but I”ll save the rest for a later post.) If you”ve had a burning questions about OCS but thought it was too basic to ask? It’’s your lucky day.

1. What can we use it (OCS) for?

Use it to communicate with co-workers, clients and partners. Via text, voice or video. It runs all of that through the Office Communicator client on your desktop or mobile.

2. Does it work like a regular phone?

Yes, but not 100% the same. There are handsets you can use with OCS; that’’s pretty much a regular desktop phone for you. Otherwise, you can use the mic & speakers in your computer to have a voice conversation. Kind of like Skype, except OCS is more secure and incorporates tool for sharing business information while you chat.

Note: When people ask us about this, they”re also curious if OCS lets you talk with regular desk and cell phones too. The answer to that is yes, if you have an IP-PBX gateway installed. (We use gateways from Cisco, Aculab and Dialogic.)

3. Will it work with our phones?

Unless your phones are SIP-capable , no. Regular phones use standard telephone lines. OCS 2007′’s voice capabilities run through VoIP, which uses Internet connections. The tech’’s too new for the older phones to use. You”ll have to make some changes.

Any other OCS questions you”d like an answer to? Leave a comment, or email me. Next week I”ll post the Top 3 Questions we get about the new Exchange Server 2010.

Technorati Tags:Microsoft business technology OCS 2007 SIP

Tags: OCS 2007, OCS Phones, video conferencing, Voice over IP

Three SIP Resources You”ll Need for VoIP

November 18, 2009 by Chris Williams · 2 Comments
Filed under: OCS 2007, Unified Communications, Voice over IP

Considering a switch to a VoIP-based phone system? You”ll need to know about SIP Trunking.

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) allows voice traffic to travel over data networks. It connects legacy phones and the Internet. In order to do this right, you”ll need to know how SIP functions. On its own, and integrated into OCS 2007.

These resources popped up in my alerts and/or RSS recently. Two are downloads; one’’s an online guide.

1. Podcast: “Reality Check: Five Things You Should Know About SIP”

Start here if you”re unsure what SIP does/can do. Download the 8-minute podcast or listen to it on the page.
The five things are (in brief):

SIP is more than just telephony;
Trunking enables end-to-end IP (lots of applications);
SIP is about Presence (remember what we”ve said about Presence?);
The SIP Forum is available for reference;
Mobile SIP is out there too.

2. White Paper: “The Benefits of Using a Demarcation Device When Integrating Legacy Voice, SIP Trunks and Microsoft OCS R2″

Published by NET, this white paper makes a thorough case for switching to SIP/OCS over PBX phones. Some of its examples include better voice quality, cost savings, & more efficient use of bandwidth.

The white paper’’s about using a demarcation device (their own product) to help integrate SIP. But don”t let that sway you; the reference material is great. It even shows a lot of the inherent complexities of an OCS-based phone system. (I think they went a bit overhead with that topic; our OCS implementations don”t usually get near that complex!).

Download the white paper at the UC Strategies Blog.

3. OCSPedia’’s “Step-by-Step Mediation Server Guide” Online Resource.

One of Mediation Server’’s primary functions is to translate SIP-over-TCP to SIP-over-TLS. In other words, if you want to call out with OCS? You need a Mediation Server in place to handle SIP.

OCSPedia.com has kindly written out a series of detailed instructions on installing/configuring Mediation Server. And several posts on what it does/how to make use of it.

OCSPedia.com Step-by-Step Mediation Server Guide

These days, SIP Trunking is an essential component of any serious VoIP system. Even major telco providers have SIP Trunking available now (for approved hardware of course; we keep a list). So read up!

Anything more to add on SIP? Post it in the comments, or email me.

Technorati Tags:business Microsoft technology OCS 2007 SIP VoIP

Tags: OCS 2007, SIP, Voice over IP, Voice over IP

Avoid “The Choking Line” — Don”t Use Consumer-Grade Broadband Lines for VoIP

November 5, 2009 by Chris Williams · Leave a Comment
Filed under: OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Voice over IP

The main difference between Voice over IP and POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service; your typical desk phones) is the fact that Voice over IP runs all of its connections through Internet lines. NOT phone lines.

Sometimes people forget this. So we remind them during initial meetings. You”ll need a high-speed line for good-quality VoIP conversations.

When we say this, their thoughts often switch to the most immediate Internet line solution: consumer broadband connections. Like through Comcast or AT&T.

“That”ll work for VoIP phones, right?”

Sigh.

Why Consumer-Grade Broadband Chokes VoIP

Most consumer broadband packages are measured in up/down speeds. Say 3MBps down/512Kbps up, for example. That stands for 3 megabits-per-second download, half a megabit-per-second upload. This is part of the problem. Phone conversations are two-way. People talking, people listening. If both upload and download speeds aren”t at least close? The conversation breaks up all over the place.

The major reason this occurs comes from VoIP’’s underlying technology. Voice over IP works by packet-switched telephony - digitizing your voice and sending it in separate packets through the Internet. Each packet takes its own route to the destination, where they”re reassembled back into voice.

Some people consider this a detriment to VoIP use. It isn”t really; the voice speed is comparable, and you gain other advantages from VoIP. Still, the speed needed for proper packet switching in a business environment can”t be found in DSL or basic cable. If you tried it, conversations will resemble traffic at rush hour with all its stops and starts.

Leave consumer-level broadband to Skype. If you run a business, you need a business-grade Internet line to handle VoIP.

What Kind of Internet Line is Needed for Business VoIP

For your standard office of 20 people or so, you”ll want a dedicated T1 line. Go higher - a couple T1s, a T3 or OC3 - if you”re dealing with multiple office locations and lots of employees.

P.S. - Don”t forget about SIP. SIP trunking connects your VoIP phones to the main POTS telephone network. Bridging the gap between packet switching and regular phone circuits. A good explanation of SIP trunking can be found at Siptrunk.org.

Which ISPs do you use/recommend for VoIP? Drop us a comment and let us know.

Technorati Tags: Voice over IP business Microsoft technology OCS 2007 R2

Tags: OCS 2007, SIP, T1, Voice over IP, Voice over IP

Protecting External Connectivity In OCS 2007

October 29, 2009 by Chris Williams · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Instant Messaging (IM), OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Reference, Voice over IP

Last Friday on TechRepublic’’s “10 Things” Blog, Brien Posey wrote about 10 Common Network Security Design Flaws.

The second flaw is “opening more firewall ports than necessary.” And what does he use as an example? OCS 2007 R2.

It’’s a very good example. As he states, OCS requires several ports opened in order to provide external connections to other networks. Without proper protection, this can be a risk to you. Ports left open (and not monitored) are little signposts saying, “Enter Here!”

(This is only if you want to use external connections. If you”re only interested in OCS for internal IM and Presence, you won”t need to open those ports.)

Brien puts forth Microsoft ForeFront as a good solution to the problem. ForeFront’’s Threat Management Gateway is a reverse proxy - intended to filter requests for access into & out of your network. At the risk of sounding too provider-loyal, it IS a natural fit. (If you use a hosted OCS provider, chances are ForeFront is in place.)

In order to protect External Connectivity completely though, you”ll have to use the OCS Edge Server. There’’s an advantage to this: depending on how you want to communicate with others, you can enable only what you need. Each of the External Connectivity services requires a service enabled on the OCS Edge Server. According to Microsoft’’s TechNet, these are:

Access Edge service — Lets outside users communicate with your OCS using SIP.
Web Conferencing Edge service — Lets outside users participate in your conferences.
A/V Edge service — Lets you share audio and video with external users.

The TechNet page also gives links on how to administer these services:
Microsoft TechNet — Managing External Connectivity for Your Organization with Edge Servers

I blogged about this because it’’s important to remember. Brien’’s #1 network security flaw was the “set it and forget it” mentality. Doing that with OCS can leave a lot of exploitable holes in your network. All of them preventable if you remember to protect External Connectivity.

Technorati Tags:business Microsoft technology OCS 2007 R2 security

Tags: IM security, IM with other services, Network security, secure instant messaging, Voice over IP

How Do You Determine the ROI of an OCS Setup?

September 2, 2009 by Chris Williams · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Instant Messaging (IM), OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Unified Communications, Voice over IP

Using Office Communications Server 2007 in a business does have a lot of advantages, some of which I”ve covered in this blog so far. But what if you”re dealing with a numbers guy, someone who constantly repeats phrases like, “Bottom line,” “maximize profits” and “ROI?”

How do you please a hardcore-numbers manager/CFO when it comes to OCS? They”ll want to know lots of specifics. And you can be sure the question of ROI will come up. “What’’s the return on investment here?” they”ll probably bellow, pounding a fist into the desk hard enough to rattle their pen cup. “How do we know we”re getting a good value from this software?”

It’’s a fair question. So let’’s see about answering it!

What Kind of ROI Should We Expect from OCS?
I”ve talked about replacing PBX with a VoIP setup in OCS before. In terms of direct expense, that’’s the biggest ROI for OCS 2007 in terms of cash–you don”t need a PBX if you use OCS VoIP. Other related services (voicemail extras, additional phone/data lines, third-party conferencing software) also add up to monthly cost savings.

Sometimes companies buy OCS for the VoIP capability, or the conferencing capability. The fact that they get all the other services - instant messaging, presence, email plug-ins - is icing on the cake to them. However, I”d say this is another form of ROI too. Several clients found that as they began using these additional communications methods, the more valuable they became. (So did we, in fact.)

ROI of Time Savings
But a better way to look at ROI for OCS 2007 is in productivity. This is harder, maybe impossible to give numbers for. But you can illustrate it by showing what its benefits will lead to. For example.

Conferencing Anyone Can Start. Leads to: Live records of who said what, fewer project mistakes due to clearer directions.
Mobile information Sharing. Leads to: Fewer bottlenecks/delayed deadlines.
Quicker, Easier Inter-office Conversations. Leads to: Faster turnaround on projects.

So, What DO We Tell the Numbers Guy?
Tell him you”ll save an estimated X each month on not paying for a PBX, conferencing systems and extra lines. Tell him employees will be able to complete projects more easily, resulting in pleased customers & more repeat sales. Tell him OCS 2007 even has hosted & virtual options, if he wants to stick to flat rates.

It’’s not a strict-dollars-and-sense type of ROI measurement. But it’’s a great way to demonstrate that the office would get value from OCS 2007.

Technorati Tags:business Microsoft technology ocs OCS 2007 R2 Office communications server

Tags: OCS 2007 R2, OCS Phones, Unified Communications, Voice over IP

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