Riyadh: Microsoft Corp. announced the general availability of Microsoft Lync, the next generation of communications that connects people in new ways.
Lync is a single platform that integrates instant messaging, presence, audio, video, webconferencing and voice to bring people together in the ways they communicate best, with one interface that works with the applications businesses know and use today, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Exchange.
"Lync delivers on our vision to unify all of the modes of modern business communication, giving people a more collaborative, 'in person' experience with features like HD video, conference recording, and social features like status updates and activity feeds," said Wayne Meyer, Information Worker Business Group Lead, Microsoft Saudi Arabia. "In addition to transforming how people communicate, IT departments are also looking to Lync to evolve their infrastructure and enhance or eliminate their traditional PBX systems, saving money and saving time."
"Lync2010 is one of the most interesting solution which Microsoft introduce recently , from the name you can sense the meaning "Linking People" and it's really the best choice for any organization to Like their employees virtually together , in a very short meaning Microsoft are Linking the world" said Anas Abu Saleh, KSA Territory Sales Manager, LINK Development, "Lync2010 is designed to support deferent market segment from Small - Medium to Enterprise with very competitive investment" he added.
Customers including The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., Nikon Corp., Marquette University, France Telecom and Herrenknecht AG are deploying Lync 2010 to change the way they communicate, and transforming their businesses while saving money.
Nikon, for example, uses Lync with SharePoint and Exchange to increase the company's employee productivity. To date, Nikon has experienced a 30 percent increase in productivity in some areas.
"We want to move away from relying on a specific communication tool, like e-mail," said Michiko Noborisaka, general manager of Information System Planning Department at Nikon Corp. "We need capabilities that free people from the constraints of time and place. Our employees should be able to choose the best communications tools for each scenario they face."
Microsoft recently commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact study that found that for a composite organization Lync 2010 offers a risk-adjusted ROI of 337 percent, including $6.35 million in hard cost savings over three years, with a payback period of 12 months.
Product Availability
Microsoft Lync 2010 and Microsoft Lync Server 2010 are available for businesses of all sizes to purchase starting from Dec. 1, 2010. Microsoft Lync Online will be available as part of Office 365, with voice capabilities available in 2011. Lync Online will include instant messaging, presence, audio and video conferencing, and PC-to-PC voice calls.
Microsoft Lync is the new family brand for the products formerly known as Microsoft Communications Server, Microsoft Office Communications Online and Microsoft Office Communicator, and now also includes Microsoft Lync Web App and Microsoft Lync Online. More information about Lync is at http://www.microsoft.com/lync.
Microsoft Lync2010 most important Features:
Enhanced privacy controls "Privacy controls are enhanced, giving users more choices in how to make their personal information available to others. For example, a user can choose to show his or her presence information only to those people in his or her contact list. A user can also choose whether to display location information"
Audio/Video Calls "The Audio Video calls functionality in LYNC Server 2010 enables users to have audio and/or video calls in real-time, for two or more participants"
Instant Messaging "Instant messaging is the prime option for quick communication, and can be used for conferencing as well"
Web Conferencing "With LYNC Server 2010, users get Web based conferencing with integrated audio and video, which provides a rich experience for instant collaboration and meetings. High definition video conferencing offers the highest video quality available for a clear conferencing experience. Web conferencing allows one-click desktop share so that documents, applications, and media with integrated voice and audio can be shared in real time as if the people in your conference were gathered around a table in the meeting"
File Transfer "File Transfer is a built-in feature in LYNC 2010 which enables employees easily to send and receive files directly using LYNC Client"
Desktop Sharing "Desktop Sharing enables users to transmit views of their desktops to the others using the LYNC Client or the Web App client and also can give control to others for assistance or remote control"
Call Transfer "BY using Call Transfer option in LYNC client, employee can transfer the call to another colleague or to another endpoint easily by just click the employee or the phone number".
Telephony Features "Microsoft LYNC Server 2010 combines the telephony features of a traditional IP PBX with rich presence, instant messaging, and conferencing to improve communication and to lower costs".
-Ends-
© Press Release 2010
