Lync 2010 Improves Conferencing, Client Management

Lync 2010 delivers improvements that position it as Microsoft’s primary communications client for corporate PCs. Lync and Lync Server are the latest versions of Microsoft’s presence and real-time communications software and the successors to Communicator and Communications Server 2007 R2. The Lync 2010 client’s major new feature—Web conferencing—will simplify deployment by eliminating the need for a separate Web conferencing client. Lync also delivers improvements for voice, video, presence, and contact management, and new policy features of Lync Server allow centralized control. However, organizations with devices other than PCs might have to wait for future Lync Server updates.

Continuing Beyond Presence and Instant Messaging

Like their predecessors, Lync and Lync Server enable users to view and publish presence status (for example, online, busy, or away) and initiate various types of communications sessions, including instant messaging (IM), voice, video, and application sharing. (For a review of the most important communications products and their names in previous versions, see the illustration “Lync Product Line Overview“.) They also enable Web conferences, structured online meetings which typically include a synchronized PowerPoint presentation and an audio feed to attendees, and can include other features such as chat sessions (for question and answer) and application sharing. Many organizations initially deployed Microsoft communications products for IM and presence, but Microsoft has steadily improved the products for other types of communications, particularly voice.