SBAMakingSmall

Monday, July 9, 2012

Will Vendors Use WPC 2012 To Announce Some New Lync Products? We’ll Keep Track Here

Posted on 5:45 AM by Unknown

What vendor announcements will come out of WPC around Microsoft Lync?

Aastra?
Damaka?
Polycom?
snom?
Others?

We’ll see who has interesting new wares and I’ll try to keep a log of what Lync vendor press releases we see this week here on this blog article.

Lync Related Press Releases and Announcements During WPC 2012:

Colima SimpleRoute: Lync MSPL Gets Even Simpler: http://blog.colima.de/2012/07/next-version-simpleroute/http://blog.colima.de/2012/07/next-version-simpleroute/
snom at WPC: http://www.snomchannel.com/voip-blog/snom-on-the-road-microsoft-worldwide-partner-conference-update/
EgyptNetwork Launching 1st Video Conference Device on Top of Kinect: Click Here Click Here
Vidyo Demo’s Multi-Vendor, Multi-Device Video Interoperability With Lync: Click Here
Ferrari Electronic & Panasonic Collaborate to Help SME Customer Migrate to Microsoft Lync: Click Here
{Known Before} Jajah Voice for Office365: http://youtu.be/U_pFwtRoPE0
Blog on Jajah Voice:http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/06/more-details-on-lync-to-phone-features.html
{Known Before} Sangoma Debuts Lync Express Appliance at Microsoft WPC 2012 in Toronto http://goo.gl/2yysL
See our blog on Sangoma Lync Express: http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/06/microsoft-lync-in-one-appliance-with.html
West IPC MaxxConnect now Lync 2010 Certified:
http://www.westipc.com/blog/2012/07/09/west-ip-communications-maxxconnect-sip-trunk-now-certified-to-be-compatible-with-microsoft-lync-2010/
Office365 Now Available Open Licensing: Partners get 23% margin first year:
http://rcpmag.com/articles/2012/07/09/wpc-2012-office-365-partners-to-get-direct-billing.aspx
Known Before: Aaastra (their exsisting Lync Phone Edition and DECT devices)
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9663498.htm
http://www.aastrausa.com/2012-press-releases_2565.htm
Audiocodes:
http://www.audiocodes.com/press-releases/audiocodes-solutions-help-accelerate-microsoft-lync-deployments-in-latin-america

NOTE: For the many people wondering, sorry, I’m not at WPC 2012. We can always connect using…Lync. ;-)

Posted in | No comments

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Far Side Camera Control for Microsoft Lync by Scott Hanselman via GitHub Project

Posted on 7:17 AM by Unknown

I have not had a chance to play with it yet, but it looks like Scott Hanselman has created a small .NET app that brings far end camera control to Microsoft Lync and combines ease of use, no drivers and using a device that is very affordable (Logitech BCC950 ConferenceCam). Scott’s goal is to make a kiosk to bring himself to a remote workplace, but this concept, with modifications, could conceivably work for standard videoconferencing or to make a very low cost camera into a “poor man’s” meeting room device.

To the left is Scott’s visual diagram of his creation which combines .NET, SignalR, WPF and Windows Azure to achieve far end camera control. I like the use of transparent app overlaying Lync video for the camera PTZ controls: clever.

Keep an eye on Scott’s blog as he plans to write an article explaining his app in more detail when he gets a moment. Also, enjoy his quick video below on his project.

Scott’s Lync Blog Content:
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/CategoryView.aspx?category=Lync
https://twitter.com/shanselman/status/221518939027550209/photo/1

GitHub Project URL:
https://github.com/shanselman/LogitechConferenceCameraBCC950PTZSpikes

Posted in | No comments

Friday, July 6, 2012

BlueJeans Network: Cloud, Cross Vendor, Multi-Point Video Conference Service Tryout

Posted on 6:28 AM by Unknown

BlueJeans is inviting all to test their cloud video conferencing system so I took them up on the offer. All you need to do is give some simple information, click on a link, download plugin and…welcome! your in their test, live videoconference and can chat with the friendly meeting facilitator. Below are my notes on what I found.

My Initial Test and Notes

To initially test BlueJeans, I joined the conference using the BlueJeans browser client. This was a very simple join: click the URL, download the plugin (only first time) and your in the meeting. Once in the meeting the controls and UI felt very natural and easy to use.

In the video below I am using the BlueJeans PC web client. In the conference going on below the upper right participant is joined to the meeting using Microsoft Lync 2010 federated to the BlueJeans video call, the bottom right person is using Skype.

In the above screenshot of the BlueJeans PC web interface (Beta) you notice it is pretty much a multipoint video conference. You have the participant list on the right, your own preview at the lower right and upper right you can easily mute yourself. In the lower right you can see the video layout buttons that allow you to select several layouts.

BlueJeans Using Microsoft Lync As an Endpoint Experience

You will get an email that has URL to join via Web/Skype/Lync/and more, click on the Microsoft Lync meeting join URL

This will open Lync/OCS conversation window and you now click Video to join Video call. You will be presented with the below “brady bunch” video inside Lync client. The join and call experience was very smooth and worked correctly the first time.

Since Lync is merely showing one video stream you do not have a participant roster and call control (mute, etc) inside the Lync client, but you will notice a web page popped up when you joined that allow video control and roster. Here is some things I noticed that it provides as information and control

Roster of participants
Who is currently talking
How they are connected via little icon to left of there name (skype/web/lync/polycom meeting)
Ability to mute video or audio for yourself (and other if you are moderator)
Video layout/presentation

Notes:

Call control, participant roster can be controlled by web client that opens
No video meeting recording
No Instance Message
No PC Collaboration, (BlueJeans is definitely Video Conferencing solution and not gunning for collaboration, ie: desksharing/powerpoint/whiteboarding at the moment)
Currently it is not a “Lync Certified” solution (but frankly I’m not sure if a service federating to Lync needs to be certified? If you know, comment)
To Use Lync and BlueJeans you need to have federation open to BlueJeans

What Does BlueJeans do for Existing Lync Users?

Brings “bradybunch” video to Lync today
VoIP video/audio meetings to iPad, iPhone and Android via Skype, Polycom
Have Skype/GoogleVideoChat/Lync contacts in one Video Call

BlueJeans Experience on Mobile Devices: iPad and WindowsPhone

After I saw how slick BlueJeans works on PC Web client and Lync I thought I’d take a quick spin using an iPad. I clicked on the join via Browser button from my iPad and got the below message: “Nice iPad. We normally use a browser plugin to connect you to meeting, but this technique doesn’t work on an iPad…”

So I went about giving it a go using Skype. When you click to join a BlueJean video conference using Skype, the BlueJeans website asks for your Skype name. It will then send you a contact invite which you need to accept. Then you call the resulting contact to join the meeting.

This Skype mobile join did not work perfectly smoothly my first go, but I’m going to write that up as my mistake. But even allowing for that, I would say the join experience is not as smooth as from BlueJean Browser plugin and Microsoft Lync.

Maya, videoconference moderator and salesrep from BlueJeans, was very gracious and we also tested joining the videoconference using Skype for WindowsPhone. This join was going over 3G in rural Pennsylvania and while there was noticeable delay (due to 3G network, not BlueJeans) the video conference worked fine.

Some Blue Jean Mobility Notes:

No native iPad client, and you can’t join from iPad browser, but of course you can use Skype client on iPad
Using Skype you need to add a BlueJeans contact to your Skype client.

My Initial Thoughts and Commentary on BlueJeans VideoConference Service

The Web join experience is very slick
The Microsoft Lync join experience is smooth, and trouble-free
A BlueJeans mobile client would make mobile experience much better
No PC collaboration (deskshare/powerpoint/whiteboarding)
The entry price of $399/month may bar very small businesses
25 locations per call limit
With Office365 P1 plan going for $6/mo/user (Lync with active caller video conferencing included) may be tough going

BlueJean’s Microsoft Lync Program Manager, Raghavan Anand, also notes that BlueJeans Networks is very interested in Microsoft Lync interoperability and welcomes your input.

You can take your own testdrive of BlueJean Live Demo room 10a-2pm PST M-F at:
http://bluejeans.com/demo

Posted in lync, review, skype | No comments

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Controlling Who Has What Access to Who In Microsoft Lync: Privacy Relationships, Whitelists, Ethical Walls, MSPL Scripts and More

Posted on 10:31 AM by Unknown

The question gets asked quite often and in various different ways:

How can I keep 2 Lync users, or 2 groups of users, from communicating using Microsoft Lync?
How can I keep everyone from bothering the CEO?
If we federate, will just anyone bother us? How can we control this?

Microsoft Lync provides several ways to control access to yourself and others and I expect as more federation happens we will see even more 3rd party solutions (and who knows, even more features built into Lync itself?)

With traditional communications we had:

Do Not Call Registry
PBX’s often allow you to block/blacklist numbers with a star code

How do we control access in the UC world? In this blog we will cover several ways to control access in Microsoft Lync.

Privacy Relationships (Black List/User Level)

Privacy Relationships allow you to select what every Lync Contact’s access level to you is: Everything from “Family & Friends” that shows/allows everything to “Blocked Contacts” which doesn’t allow the contact to communicate with you or even see your presence. (You can still call, IM them!) Privacy Relationships are defined by the user and take effect immediately.

This is an okay method if you want each user individually manage every other user. Much like a black list, but with much more granularity.

More Detailed Blog on Privacy Relationships:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/lync/archive/2008/05/28/how-to-be-visible-to-defined-contacts-only.aspx
Also, how privacy relationship affects who can see your Calendar:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/05/lync-user-tip-19-understanding-lync-to.html

Enhanced Presence Privacy Mode: Only Allow Those On Your Contact List to See Your Presence (White List/Admin+User Level)

With Microsoft Lync Enhanced Presence Privacy Mode you have your Lync Admin flip a switch so that only those in your Lync Contact list can see your presence. See below URL for more details:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg399028.aspx

MSPL Script to Block Access at (Admin Level)

MSPL is a scripting language that allows you to do message routing and filtering. Using MSPL scripts you can centrally do quite some wizardry around controlling access by blocking or Redirecting IM/Audio/Video based on Caller, Message Content or call type.

MSPL scripts have been for the “programming minded” until Colima designed a free and very easy tool called SimpleRoute. This tool uses a very simple GUI tool to generate MSPL scripts. (the tool is 2MB, requires no installation—impressive!)

See my detailed blog on Colima SimpleRoute free/paid End User MSPL Script Creator:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/04/masses-can-now-make-microsoft-lync-mspl.html

Another option in the MSPL route is a MSPL script by www.gotuc.com. This is a script that will block all phone numbers in a text file. You can get the script here. @TommyClarke notes that Sweden there is an API that reveals annoying numbers, click here to see his post.

Use “Ethical Walls” Using SDK or 3rd Party Lync Enhancement

Another way to centrally control access between whole groups of users is the use of an “Ethical Wall” enhancement to Microsoft Lync. Currently this is not a feature built into Lync and you will need to use the Lync SDK to write this functionality or buy one of several 3rd Party add-ons to achieve this.

Below is a list of some Ethical Wall add-ons for Lync: