1. Overview
The concept of user
experience is often an overlooked idea and yet vital to a successful
unified communications (UC) deployment. Although IT success is often
measured by metrics and numbers, they rarely tell the whole story. UC
adoption can be viral, but only if the right tools are in place and end
users have a quality experience. The back end infrastructure is
certainly important; however, end users never see any of it. What they
use everyday is a UC endpoint.
UC endpoints encompass a wide range of devices. Although some argue
that PCs should be included, others suggest that they provide a poor
experience and a dedicated, purpose-built device such as a headset or
IP/USB phone should be used for an optimal experience.
Microsoft ensures that specific devices meet set user experience
quality levels through a third-party test and evaluation process. These
devices are labeled “Optimized for Microsoft Lync.” Without getting
into a sales pitch over what’s the best, the key point is to recognize
that devices certified to work with Lync are sure to provide a quality
end user experience. In addition, the Lync client will always prefer
Optimized for Microsoft Lync devices over standard devices. At launch,
Microsoft announced more than 60 optimized devices ranging from wired
and wireless headsets to webcams to IP phones to conference devices.
Lync Optimized devices are literally plug and play. The Lync
Communicator client will find them automatically as soon as they are
plugged in and start using the device.
This article covers a wide range of devices including the following:
• Standalone IP phones
• USB headsets, speakerphones, and handsets
• Webcams
• Conferencing devices
2. Standalone IP Phones
There are two types of standalone IP phones for Microsoft Lync:
fully featured phones, which require a user to be signed in all the
time, and basic or common area phones, which can be used without a user
credential in public areas or for hot desking with basic functions when
a user logs in.
The fully featured phones include the following models and provide a premium experience for users requiring a handset:
• Polycom CX700
• Polycom CX600
• Aastra 6725ip
These phones enable a user to sign in and, if desired, connect the
phone to a PC through USB to be used as a USB audio device for the Lync
client. They offer a full-color LCD screen and some models include a
touch screen.
Note
Per the Microsoft reference design, all
phones in this category must also have a speakerphone and support
wideband audio or a supported variant of HD voice. They also offer
integration features such as calendar view from the on-phone screen.
For common areas or hot desking, there is a different class of
phones, named Aries. This type of phone is new for Lync Server 2010 and
fills a much-needed gap from previous versions of the product. These
phones are generally lower cost and offer functions similar to most
standard corporate desk phones available today. Models include the
following:
• Polycom CX500
• Aastra 6721ip
Although these phones don’t have some of the advanced
features of fully featured standalone IP phones such as the Polycom
CX600, they offer the capability to be used in common areas and not
tied to an actual user. They also have a lower price point that is
comparable to traditional PBX phones.
