The New Office Communications Server 2007

Microsoft’s Office Communications Server 2007 is a new communications manager for the PC. It is designed to combine all communications that are coming into and leaving your computer network.

When consumers use OCS 2007, they can take advantage of group instant messaging, audio and video features, web conferencing, Enterprise Voice, the archival and communications system, client applications, a simplified deployment and management system, federation enhancements and an enhanced presence. Basically users of Microsoft’s Office Communications Server 2007 can talk to each other inside the enterprise and use the PC and the telephone as well.

Microsoft’s Office Communications Server 2007 is made up of the following components: VoIP call flow, VoIP configuration, VoIP components, protocols, conference data storage, perimeter network configuration, Enterprise Pool configurations, conference protocols, conferencing components, front end servers, perimeter network topology and call flows among conference components.

In order to use Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, users must be running Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista as their operating system. OCS 2007 is compatible with a variety of Microsoft Office applications that includes: Microsoft Office Word 2007, Microsoft Office Word 2003 and Microsoft Office Word 2002.

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 has been anxiously awaited by technology fans. It has been billed as the “new era” of IP communications. This application is supposed to make unified communications possible, and it is anticipated to have quite an impact on the VoIP market. OCS 2007 has the support of NEC and Unisys who are partnering with Microsoft to develop new “forward-thinking” UC strategies. That should tell users just what kind of system they will be downloading. Unfortunately the public beta testing of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 has ended. Right now Microsoft is working on collecting the evaluations of the trial and compiling the data from those evaluations.

Microsoft likes to boast that “Office Communications Server 2007 combines enterprise-ready instant messaging, presence, conferencing, and Voice over IP telephony in a fully integrated unified communications solution.” This is an enterprise that could streamline communications quite a bit. Instead of relying solely on communicating via the telephone or through email, OCS 2007 will help users connect with the person they most need to connect with via whatever means possible—by instant messaging, phone or through the network. It truly is a marvel and will do wonders for online and VoIP communication.