Microsoft Lync Server 2010 : Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging

Exchange Server 2010 unified messaging (UM) delivers voice messaging, fax, and email into a unified inbox. These messages can be accessed from a telephone or a computer. Exchange Server 2010 unified messaging integrates with the telephony systems, operating fundamentally as a voicemail server using the Exchange Information Store as a repository for the messages.

Exchange Server 2010 extends the UM features first introduced in Exchange 2007. Unified messaging seamlessly integrates voice messaging, faxing, and electronic mail into a single inbox. This frees up the user from having to manage separate accounts and inboxes for these three types of messages. With the new role, there are a number of new features.

1. Telephony Integration

With unified messaging, Exchange is integrated into the telephony world. This integration takes place between the Exchange Unified Messaging (UM) Server and gateways or private branch exchanges (PBXs).

In a classic set of telephony and electronic mail systems, there are two separate networks that deliver voice messages and electronic messages (email). In the telephony system, there are separate components for the PBX, voicemail, external lines, and phones. Calls from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) come into a PBX device. Typically, an incoming call is routed by the PBX to the telephone. If the phone does not answer or is busy, the call is routed to the voicemail system. Similarly, email from the Internet arrives at the Exchange messaging server (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Classic Telephone and Electronic Mail Systems

With Exchange Server 2010 and unified messaging, these two disparate systems are integrated, as shown in Figure 2. Although the UM Server does not connect directly with a traditional PBX, it does integrate with PBXs through gateways. The combination of the PBX and the Internet Protocol (IP) gateway can also be replaced by an IP-PBX, which provides both sets of functionality.

Figure 2. New Integrated System

One such IP-PBX option is Microsoft Lync Server 2010. Integrating these two Microsoft platforms provides a powerful enterprise voice solution that can replace most modern PBXs at a fraction of the cost.

Notice that, in effect, the Unified Messaging server has replaced the voicemail server in the classic system. The new Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unified Messaging server is a voicemail server.

The more detailed view with all the Exchange 2010 server roles is shown in Figure 3, which includes the various ways that a user can interact with the integrated system.

Figure 3. Detailed Architecture Diagram

2. Single Inbox

The Unified Messaging server enables the true unification of email messages, voicemail messages, and fax messages into a single inbox. Messages from all these disparate sources are stored in the user’s inbox and are accessible through a wide variety of interfaces, such as Outlook, a telephone, a web browser, or even a mobile PDA.

The inbox can be managed just like a traditional email inbox, with folders, inbox rules, message retention, and so on. Exchange administrators can back up and restore inboxes with all the forms of data just as they do with email data. This reduces the complexity and ease of use for both users and administrators.

Call Answering

Call answering picks up incoming calls for a user who does not answer the phone. It plays the personal greeting, records voice messages, and converts the voice messages to an email message to be submitted to the user’s Exchange mailbox.

Fax Receiving

The Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging role has limited functionality for fax support. Instead, Exchange 2010 leverages solutions from partners to provide fax support. This is a departure from previous versions of Exchange, which included a full fax solution.

Subscriber Access

The subscriber access feature enables a user to access the Exchange mailbox using a phone. This access mechanism is called Outlook Voice Access.

Outlook Voice Access Features

With Outlook Voice Access, a user can access the Exchange mailbox using the telephone to perform the following functions:

• Listen to and forward voicemail messages

• Listen to, forward, and reply to email messages

• Listen to calendar information

• Access or dial contacts

• Accept or cancel meeting requests

• Notify attendees that the user will be late

• Set a voicemail Out-of-Office message

• Set user security preferences and personal options

This, in effect, gives the user working access to the Exchange mailbox while out in the field with only a telephone.

The system not only recognizes dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) key presses from the phone, but also understands voice commands. The system guides the user through the prompts responding to voice commands, which gives the user complete hands-free operation.

For example, a user might be on the freeway running late for a lunch meeting. Not remembering the exact time, the user calls into the subscriber access and says, “Today’s Calendar.” The unified messaging system speaks the summary of the next meeting, which is at 12 p.m. Recognizing that the traffic will force him to be 20 minutes late, the user says, “I’ll be 20 minutes late for this appointment.” The unified messaging system confirms and then sends a message to all the attendees.

The speech recognition is remarkably effective and able to recognize commands even over cell phones with background noise.

3. Outlook Play on Phone

The Exchange 2010 Outlook Web App client and Outlook 2007 or better clients both support a feature called Play on Phone. This feature enables users to play voicemail on a phone rather than through the computer. The user opens the voicemail message, selects the Play on Phone option, enters the number to play the message, and clicks the Dial button, as shown in Figure 4. For this example, the phone at the extension 102 will ring.

Figure 4. Exchange 2010 Auto Attendant Menu

This feature enables the user to send the audio stream of the voicemail message to a phone for more privacy or to allow a third party to hear the message. The system also provides prompts over the phone following the playback with message-handling options.

4. Outlook Voicemail Preview

Outlook voicemail preview is a new feature to Exchange 2010 unified messaging. In Exchange 2007 UM, you see caller information and message priority. Exchange 2010 kicks it up a notch with speech-to-text functionality. Before the voicemail message arrives in your inbox, Exchange UM transcribes the voicemail and puts the text in the body of the email.