Who Can Federate Live! Update to WCF Tool Coming Soon

We’ve been working for some time on a new feature for the WCF Tool that we are calling Who Can Federate Live! and have decided to release it when current version hits 3,000 downloads. (to make sure there is demand. grin. click here to download.)

Who Can Federate Live! will allow you to run the WCF Tool just like you always have, plus there is a new tray app mode that lets you run it continuously as a tray app that will periodically scan for new contacts you can federate with. (much like AV or Anti-Malware software)

Below is the tray app and menu. (the Scan Now is for very impatient people like me.)

Below you can see scan in progress:

Below is the notice when Who Can Federate Live! finds new contacts. (We are thinking to add an email update/notification as well.) When you click on the notice, you can see any new contacts that are Lync enabled, and just like before you can click on them to open them in Lync.

As you may or may not know, the Who Can Federate Tool can scan your contact list hundreds of times faster than brute DNS lookups due to the Lync Federation Directory Project. (a list of thousands of Lync enabled domains.) We have an audacious goal to Azure-ize this backend database as well. This is in progress but not sure if this will make it into 1.4.

At the moment we are thinking to have the WCF Tool with Who Can Federate Live! feature be free just like the current WCF Tool. The free edition will always submit domains to the Lync Federation Directory Project (no personal contacts/email, just domains) when in Who Can Federate Live! /scheduled mode. We are thinking to have a paid edition that you can opt out of submitting domains.

To get the current Who Can Federate Tool:
http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Who-Can-Federate-Tool-a9e00d23

I welcome feedback in comments, twitter or otherwise!

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Lync Call Pickup Feature Provided by 3rd Party ISV’s

 

Colima Cerebro

Call Pickup solution for Lync from Colima is server based.

http://colima.de/en/products/cerebro.html
http://blog.colima.de/en/2012/06/call-pickup-with-colima-cerebro-preview/

 

Bressner FonComfort

Just noticed this little tray app that brings Call Pickup (and some other features) to Microsoft Lync. It seems to work just as billed.

Some Notes:

• It will pickup Response Group and calls directly to a Lync user (if a lync user is ringing, it seems it can Call Pick it)
• Person doing the call pickup cannot have DND set
• The FonComfort trayapp must be running on both parties PC
• You must initiate the call pickup from Lync 2010, but you can answer the resulting call to yourself from Lync 2010 or an IP phone
• By default Lync does not have a “Ringing” presence state indicated, but FonComfort includes instructions to add this so you can pickup calls even without physically hearing the ring
• Restart Lync 2010 and FonComfort before trying to use

 

http://www.bressner.de/detail/telecom_it/unifiedcommunication/lync-software/lync-fon-comfort/BT+FonComfort+Basic_17689.html

Axon Lync Call Pickup

I have not tested it, but alert Lync consultant, Thamara Wijesinghe, notified me that UbiBase has created Axon Lync Call Pickup. Checkout their video below:

Some quick things Ubibase notes about Axon Call Pickup for Lync

• Written using UCMA
• At the moment, Individual call pickup (call pickup groups on their agenda)
• Works on Lync client or Lync Phone Edition with user definable code
• Will have some more features
  • Busy Tone
  • Music on Busy
  • Music on Hold
• Will work with SBA, SBS and Enterprise topologies

See pages 5-9 of this pdf brochure for Axon Call Pickup for Lync:
Download

http://ubibase.com/
http://ubibase.com/solution.htm

More Lync Call Pickup Solutions:

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Polycom Releases Several Lync Improvements in Firmware 4.0.2 Rev B, But Still Not Lync Qualified

 

Polycom still has not achieved Lync Qualified status, but they continue to make improvements to their firmware. Here are a few I noticed on quick reading specs document:

• Lync Digitmap changes
• Asian fonts and Lync contacts
• 77226 – Improvements when registered to Lync and another PBX presence is sent correctly

Page 4 notes:
”Note: SoundPoint IP 670 is supported by UCS 4.0.2 Rev B but will not be supported in future releases.”

 

Annoncement:
http://community.polycom.com/t5/VoIP/Software-UCS-4-0-2-Rev-B-has-been-released/td-p/12970

Firmware 4.0.2 Details:
http://downloads.polycom.com/voice/voip/uc/UC_Software_Release_Notes_402%20Rev%20B.pdf

To read my detailed article on Polycom’s Microsoft Lync push:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/12/polycom-announces-new-firmware-to-lync.html

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The Masses Can Now Make Microsoft Lync MSPL Scripts Via Free Tool from Colima

 

Looks like Colima thinks everyone should be writing MSPL to filter incoming sessions.

The SimpleRoute tool is a small 2MB application that requires no installation, just click on the executable. The interface is quite easy: Just define the From, Message Contains and Action (Decline or Redirect To). (the free tool just works on IM messages, but paid tool does Audio and Video as well.)

Next click on the Save icon to save the automatically generated MSPL file.

Checkout the resulting MSPL:

After you save the MSPL file, SimpleRoute will give you the precise Powershell command to install your new MSPL file as well. Run it, and you should be done!

Seems like a quite clever tool which removes the need for programming MSPL for simple scripts.

Get the Free Tool from Colima:
http://www.colima.de/en/products/simpleroute.html

Read more on MSPL:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh364805.aspx

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Trying to Drive Fast Instead of Fly With Unified Communications: UC Requires a Paradigm Shift Change In Thinking

 

Your company just acquired a new corporate Jet. Sleek, fast and state of the art. The best there is. But VP of your aging limousine fleet is at the conference room table, vehemently shouting "Why can't this new fangled thing even achieve 35mph when driving to the runway?! Our limo's can go 80mph on any paved surface!". Everyone around the table starts nodding. Intense discussion ensues about "Yeah, anyhow, why can't this go 35mph?" and the goal becomes "Surely there is some engine we can bolt on to the running gear to make this thing taxi 35mph."

And everyone forgets: This jet can FLY at 600mph!!

Unified Communication can make your company fly. Instead of: how can we go as fast as before, the question needs to be: How can we transition to flying? Going from 35mph to 600mph requires some fundamental changes in thinking about how we communicate in business. This will involve very real changes in communication flow everyday.

In  unified communications this means making several thing central. These items need to be leveraged to enable massive improvements:

• Presence
• Instant Message
• Communication Enabled Business Processes

What are some practical ways to do this?

 

The Old: I can use my deskphone to talk, talk or talk. (that’s it)

The New: with microsoft lync you can see presence, instant message, voice call, video call or share a desktop.

Instead of being forced to use one mode of communication, UC enables everyone and you can easily use the one the fits the need this scenario.

The Old: My old pbx could call me when someone is off the phone.

The New: Tag user for status change.

Instead of using a star key on your pbx to get a call when someone is off the phone, use "Tag a user for status change alerts". The nice thing about this is you can get an alert when they arrive at their desk, leave there desk or when they go offline/online. And no phone call interrupting you, just a nice little toast on your screen. And if you have federation to LiveMessenger/AOL/Yahoo/Office365, you do the same thing with those external contacts.

The Old: I have a button/light on a physical phone i can press to call a buddy.

The New: Using Lync contact list you can have more buddies and you can decide who your buddies are--not the pbx guy that set your desk phone up 5 years ago.

Use the Lync 2010 contact list. You can setup your own buddy list very easily. You can no only see when your buddy is on the phone but: are they in a meeting? away? offline? And you can also see what they are up to with the Activity note. If you are out of the office for a day you can see what your colleagues were up to when you where gone!

The Old: Look at a number on your computer screen, and type it on your desk phone.

The New: Just click on a number you looked up on the web and Lync will dial it.

Using the built-in in web click to dial feature, you can just click on a phone number and have Lync dial it for you. No more glancing back and forth between your screen and desk phone, getting it wrong a couple times, etc.

These are just a few ideas how  you can transition from PBX (limo) to Unified Communication (jet) thinking. 

PS-if you have more examples you would like to see here, leave a comment! I’ll add pertinent ones.

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How Can I Use My SIP or Analogue DeskPhone With Lync?

 

• snom - Get the Lync Qualified UC Edition firmware

  • Snom has a UC Edition firmware that is Lync Qualified and will turn snom phone into a dual mode phone that can register to Lync and a standard SIP PBX at the same time.
  • You get the firmware from your snom reseller
  • Screenshot Review of snom 821 Using UC Edition firmware
    • http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/09/breaking-snom-821-and-300-become.html
  • Snom Lights and Buttons work with Lync screenshot review
    • http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/02/snom-brings-lync-presence-to-desk-phone.html
  • Click Here to see more from snom.

 

• Polycom - Get the 4.0.1 firmware that can register to Lync (not Lync Qualified at this time)

  • Polycom has released firmware 4.0.1 for many of their current Polycom deskphone models that allows a polycom phone to be resgister directly to Lync
  • Read more here:
    • Polycom firmware 4.0.1
      • http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/12/polycom-announces-new-firmware-to-lync.html
    • My video review of Polycom SpectraLink 8400 run on Lync
      • http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/02/first-impression-video-review-of.html

 

• Aastra, Ascom, Cisco, Linksys, Polycom via SmartSIP or Audiocodes SPS

  • If you are using an standard SIP phone that does not have native Lync connectivity you can using NET’s SMARTSIP to act as a kind of gateway for these devices.
    • Presence for standard SIP devices
    • Provisioning
  • Read more here: http://www.net.com/Pages/Product.aspx?pgid=229
  • For more on Audiocodes SPS: http://www.audiocodes.com/sps

 

• Standard Analogue phone or devices: Use FXS Gateway and Lync Analogue Device support

  • Click Here: http://www.lynclog.com/2011/04/analog-phone-support-with-lync-2010.html

Note: Make sure you thouroughly test your selected method for integrating your deskphones into your system. Using any of these methods may have different or missing functionality than the built in Lync client or Lync Phone Edition devices.

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Wanting to Code a .NET Lync Call Pop App? Some Resources to Get You Started

 

CodeLync on Developing Screen POP for Lync:
http://www.codelync.com/2011/11/developing-screen-pop-applications/#more-258

MSDN Official Creating Screen Pop Windows Using Lync 2010 SDK:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh530042.aspx

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