Is Lync for Me?
Nov. 22, 2010 (Vol. 31, No. 26)
The launch of Microsoft’s Lync 2010 on Nov. 17 signals an alternative phone system. The third generation of Microsoft’s real-time unified communications products, Lync is really a suite of communication and collaboration tools including IM/Presence, voice and video calls.
Lync integrates various communication applications together, while the majority of alternative UC solutions include a collection of loosely integrated tools. For example, with Lync, users can promote an IM session into a phone or video call, and then share a document within that conversation, or set up a conference bridge and send out invites in a single step. Those links allow one-click access for attendees to subsequently join the meeting. Microsoft centers the user experience around the Lync 2010 client, which natively integrates into Microsoft Office, Exchange, Active Directory, and SharePoint.
Lync Server 2010 is a complex product. It involves many server roles, simplified from Office Communications Server (OCS), which generally means numerous specialized servers. Lync can also be implemented on virtual hardware. This initial release is targeted toward larger organizations that have internal IT and Microsoft administration skills. Microsoft is pricing the portfolio very aggressively, and in many cases, users may already have purchased licenses through bundles. In fact, Microsoft is reporting millions of seats presold prior to the release.
With such aggressive pricing, bundling, and marketing, you can expect a significant amount of curiosity from enterprises. To determine if Lync is a good candidate for your enterprise, here are six key things to consider:
1. Organization size: Microsoft Lync is an enterprise solution, and not (initially) appropriate for smaller business. The issue is the complexity involved in set-up, including the number of servers. Lync is only appropriate for firms with Microsoft savvy internal IT organizations, and organizations with less than 250 employees should be cautious. Microsoft is targeting distributed organizations with several thousands of users. For smaller organizations, typically less than 250 employees, Microsoft is positioning Lync Online and Office365 as hosted services (Office 365 packages can include Lync Online). The Lync Online service (replaces OCS Release 2 in Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite) will not initially include/support PSTN voice services.
2. Current Microsoft Shop: Lync is part of a Microsoft vision and strategy that involves Exchange, Windows 7 Professional, Office Professional, and Active Directory. If these products are not already significantly deployed in you company, then Lync isn’t a good fit and won’t be financially attractive. For example, unlike most voice messaging solutions that integrate with a variety of vendor’s messaging solutions, Lync Server 2010 requires Exchange.
3. Future Microsoft Shop: It isn’t enough to have these other Microsoft products in place now; you must have a commitment to keep them in place. For example, an organization experiencing an increase of alternative desktops (Apple, think clients, netbooks, etc.) and/or cloud services such as SalesForce.com may not want to commit to Lync. Lync’s key value is integration with other Microsoft products.
4 Network: Many VoIP solutions can be run on separate networks or VLANs, but since Lync heavily relies on the PC, its traffic is more difficult to separate. All VoIP solutions require quality networking and bandwidth, including switches and routers. Power-over-Ethernet organizations considering Lync need to perform proper network planning and commit to reasonable resources.
5. Technical Skills: It is easy to underestimate the skills involved with voice communications. Making a phone ring is not difficult, but understanding dial-plans, 911, human factors, and various advanced features can be. Lync administration also requires a fair degree of Microsoft server and networking skills, as well as voice experience. Microsoft argues that you can achieve this by combining functional departments. Our take? Beware of ROI and cost justifications that eliminate voice experience.
6. Specialized Requirements: Lync was designed for enterprise knowledge worker organizations. Relatively speaking, it is a still a reasonably young product. Lync does not directly support many specialized applications such as a contact center application, and has limited support for analog technologies including fax. Additionally, there are currently no wireless phones (WiFi or DECT) available. To fill the application holes, a network of third party applications exists and will likely grow.
If you get past all of that -- and many firms will -- there is a good chance Lync is a good fit for you.
The next big question is the deployment model for voice. Microsoft proposes three models for Lync to accommodate various degrees of commitment to voice.
The first model is a total commitment -- PBX replacement or greenfield. This approach gains the full benefit of UC integration between communication modes in Lync. There are three ways to make or receive phone calls: a headset connected to the computer, a USB “phone” that looks like a phone - but works with the software client on the desktop, or an actual IP phone. Lync phones are available from Polycom and Aastra and several new models were introduced with Lync 2010. These phones are specifically designed for Lync.
The second model interconnects the Lync servers to an existing phone system -- several brands and models are supported. This approach makes sense for users with recent investments in current VoIP phone systems. The option allows for some reasonably seamless capabilities such as updating presence to “in a call” when off-hook. This model is also attractive to users with specialized needs that Lync does not address by itself.
The third deployment model is to not to use Lync for voice at all -- at least not to the PSTN. Internal Lync-to-Lync calling (voice and video) are inherent to the product, as is presence, IM, and several other features. There is no requirement to replace or integrate the phone system. SIP trunks can be added to Lync to enable its use as a conferencing server. Users can even set up a profile with their (external) numbers so that one press to join a conference will out dial each user to their non-Microsoft phone.
Microsoft Lync offers significantly more voice features than its predecessors. The breadth of its capabilities is impressive. But what makes it most interesting is how it challenges many long held assumptions. For example, Microsoft challenges the assumption that a phone is required on every desk, and questions why “contacts” are not loaded on the phone. By doing so, Microsoft changes the game and you can expect the competition to take aggressive defensive stances. VoIP, UC and IT are unquestionably converging, and Microsoft is setting the bar with Lync 2010. 
Dave Michels is an independent telecommunications advisor. His unique perspective comes from a career involving telecom, IT, and channel including enterprise leadership positions and channel experience with the OEM, Distributor, and dealer levels. Through his consulting firm, Verge1, Dave works with multiple UC vendors and engages with end users on telecom and UC projects. Dave holds an M.S. in Telecommunications from Colorado University. Contact Dave at dave@verge1.com. | 
