Today, Microsoft launched Office Communications Server 2007 at an all-day event in San Francisco, with parallel events around the globe.  The launch was essentially the most impressive I’ve ever seen in the technology community.  Most notable, perhaps even more than the personal involvement of Bill Gates, was the huge collection of customer case studies, many with ROI results from Microsoft’s ROI Modeling tool, resulting from the extended Public Beta period. 

So, Office Communications Server 2007 is here!  What does this mean to enterprises in both the private and public sectors?  In my opinion, this launch means that a powerful new tool is at hand for Unified Communications, defined as “communications integrated to optimize business processes.” 

It is clear that enterprises of all types can benefit from Unified Communications (UC), in both the personal productivity category and in the business process optimization category.  Providing UC tools to employees in general will allow them to adapt their working styles to new, more efficient styles.  But to get results that are even more impressive, enterprises will want to integrate UC tools directly into business processes, to change how the work is performed.  We have seen such changes to work in the past with web sites, with interactive voice responses self-service, and with messaging products.  Now we will see those changes to how work is done with Office Communications Server 2007. 

So, if Office Communications Server 2007 is the “Right Tool for the Right Jobs,” what jobs might those be? 

The Right Tool For…

Office Communications Server 2007 is clearly the “Right Tool” for: 

• Presence-enabled Communications.  Office Communications Server 2007 is the ideal Presence platform for any enterprise in which Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, and/or Microsoft Office are already key infrastructure elements.  User status and availability are automatically adjusted and presented throughout the Microsoft product suite.  Communications can be automatically launched from the presence indication across the entire range of IM, voice, video, web, and e-mail, using these tools singly or in any combination.
• Team Collaboration within the Enterprise.  Office Communications Server 2007 is also the right tool for the next level of communications, i.e. communications among teams in the enterprise.  Firstly, Office Communications Server 2007 includes all the software needed for expanding any real-time communications (IM, voice, video, web sharing) into a group communication, adding up to 100 parties to a call in progress.  Of course, the team communications can also be scheduled in advance.  All this is included in the Enterprise Client Access License, needing only the addition of servers as required for usage and capacity. 
• Team Collaboration across Enterprise Boundaries.  Office Communications Server 2007 will make it even easier for companies to link up with their supply chains, partners and customers.  Office Communications Server 2007 presence and IM can be federated with other Microsoft systems in other enterprises and with most of the public IM/Presence services (e.g. MSN, Yahoo!, AOL).  In addition, any PC user outside the enterprise can be “invited” into an Office Communications Server 2007 voice, video, and/or web calling or conferencing session on a secure and robust link from their PC. 
• Mobility for Microsoft Office Users.  The Communicator Mobile (often called COMO) software client for Windows Mobile devices is a solid mobility client for Microsoft Office users.  COMO provides secure Presence indication and IM functionality between mobile users and the rest of the enterprise.  It also provides click-to-call controls to launch calls through the cell phone portion of the wireless device.  COMO with Office Communications Server 2007 is a viable alternative to the industry-leading mobile BlackBerry devices provided by Research in Motion (RIM). 
• Integration to Business Processes.  Office Communications Server 2007 provides two excellent modes for integration to business processes. 
  • First, any application or portal developer can embed the Office Communicator client functions or toolbar into their application interface or portal.  This embedded functionality has two options: a) the toolbar can be made visible to the application users when and as appropriate; or b) the developer can just invoke the Communicator functions when appropriate, transparently to the user.  For example, a purchasing agent might right-click a part number, select “contact seller”, and be directly connected to the registered supplier of that part through the most appropriate method (e.g. IM, call, or video). 
  • Second, any business process can use Service Oriented Architecture methods, along with the Software Development Kits (SDKs) provided with Office Communications Server 2007, to invoke the communications functions.  For example, in an inventory shortage situation, the inventory (ERP or SCP) software package might apply rules to identify an available team (using Presence and skills information) to solve the problem and invite all of the team in to a voice/web conference room where the inventory data were already posted.

It should be clear that Office Communications Server 2007 is the “Right Tool” for many enterprise tasks that were previously complex, cumbersome or fraught with delay.  Solving these problems is the basis for the powerful ROI stories that emerged in today’s Launch event. 

But, Not The Right Tool For…

However, Office Communications Server 2007 is not yet the “Right Tool” for some applications.  There is every reason to assume that future releases of Office Communications Server will expand the functionality to serve these areas.  But for now these functions would best be considered for the future application or served with some other products. 

• PBX Replacement.  Office Communications Server 2007 is not a PBX.  The distinctions are many and obvious including such as operator consoles; specialized phones (door phones, volatile environment phones, Telephone Devices for the Deaf/TDD phones); specialized features (e.g. call park and pickup); and contact center functionality.  It is clear that many customers will continue to use TDM and IP PBXs for these purposes.
• Full Mobility Functions.  Office Communications Server 2007 and Communicator Mobile do not yet deliver the full set of secure IP voice, video and web sharing communications provided to wireless devices using Windows Mobile.  Microsoft has clearly indicated this is on the roadmap, but for now users have only the IM and click to call functions mentioned above, using the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and cellular phones for voice communications.    
• Application Portal Functions.  Office Communications Server 2007 is not a web portal product.  Enterprises that want to design a portal-oriented environment will be able to invoke the functions of Office Communications Server 2007, but will still design and deploy their portals with their current servers and tools. 

However, these areas where Office Communications Server 2007 is not the “Right Tool” are in no way a reason to delay getting Office Communications Server 2007 installed in your enterprise.  My recommendation is to begin immediately to implement Office Communications Server 2007 in the areas where it has the huge ROI potential reported by other Enterprises in today’s Launch.  Use these new tools with your existing TDM or IP PBX.  Use these new tools with your existing enterprise applications and portals.  Use these new tools in selected departments.  But use them – don’t fall behind the curve in this area, since those who adopt these Unified Communications tools in ways that optimize business processes will be those who cut costs, improve customer service, and drive shareholder value through increase revenues and profits. 

We at UCStrategies.com and especially our consulting team at UniComm Consulting, are on call to help you identify and implement the new Unified Communications solutions made possible by Office Communications Server 2007.