Microsoft Lync 2010 now available

by Knut M. Aasrud, General Manager, Communications Sector, Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Following a recent post on Unified Communications, today Microsoft announced the availability of Lync 2010, the latest release of our converged communications platform. Lync’s unique functionality offers users a single platform that integrates IM, presence, audio, video and web conferencing to streamline communications and productivity. For businesses, Lync offers a complete enterprise voice communications solution with an unparalleled out-of-the-box experience between Lync, SharePoint, Exchange and Office.

Lync is the next generation of Microsoft’s Office Communications Server, and makes staying in touch with others even easier, more engaging and more intuitive. We’re using the power of software to make communications simpler, more open and more cost-efficient for businesses of all types and sizes.

We’re already seeing organisations of all types and sizes committing to deploying Lync and benefitting from this next generation of business communications —including France Telecom.

Companies expect Lync to benefit employees, plus it also benefits their bottom line. Forrester Consulting recently published a Total Economic Impact (TEI) report that found Lync 2010 offers customers 337 percent ROI with a total cost benefit of US$18.6 million over three years. Lync 2010 can save customers $3.8 million in travel costs while offering over $12 million in increased worker productivity over the same period of time, with a payback period of 12 months. 

For Lync, today is just the beginning. Lync based solutions will continue to be developed across a wide spectrum of PCs, browsers and mobile devices – we have over 70 new devices being developed including IP phones, PCs and USB devices optimized for Lync, built by 100’s of system integrators – including HP, BT, Dell and Dimension Data – who are all ready to help customers plan, deploy and manage their Lync communications environment. In addition, we have more than 100 application developer partners developing on the Lync platform covering applications such as call center, call accounting, call analysis solutions and line of business applications.

In an earlier blog post, we wrote about how organisations go about adjusting workplaces to accommodate a new generation of workers whose communication and collaboration habits are different from most of us. We believe Lync is the answer to this challenge. For a free trial please visit www.lync.com.