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Joe Schurman

Replace your PBX today with Microsoft OCS 2007 R2 & SIP Trunking

pbx, sip trunking, DID, ocs, office communications server, unified communications, microsoft

By jschurman on Sat, 07/11/09 - 6:00pm.

Yes, you heard correctly.  You can replace your existing PBX system today with Microsoft’s Office Communications Server 2007 R2 platform.  The trick is in using SIP Trunking, not existing old school telephony/TDM communication for your voice platform.  Here, I’ll give you a visual:

1.       Your typical enterprise voice platform consists of a PBX (Private Branch eXchange) system that controls and homes all of your user accounts, voice mail, inter-company and branch office calls, as well as provides you with outside communication access by pressing the 9 button on your dial pad. 

 

 

 pbx basic

 

2.        Today we have a next generation voice solution which is called SIP Trunking.  Forget Vonage, Skype, and all of the consumer VoIP crap that’s out there.  I’m talking about enterprise-grade VoIP/SIP communication.  SIP provides not only voice, but also data and video, so you now replace all of the archaic phone lines with hardcore SIP that provides you with HD voice audio and also provides you with data and video communication for even cooler stuff like web conferencing and Telepresence.  These SIP Trunks are provided by major voice carriers like Sprint, AT&T, Vodafone, Personal, etc.  With each trunk you also receive a series of voice channels that supports a number of incoming and outgoing current calls.  The carrier provides the connection to the outside world/PSTN just like your PBX did by pressing 9 on your dial pad.  Instead of a phone number like you had in the past, you are now contacted by using a Direct Inward Dialing (DID) number through your ITSP SIP Trunking provider.  With a Direct SIP communication solution and the Microsoft Unified Communications platform, you now have the ability to not only replace your voice system, but also enable other features such as single number reach and fixed mobile converged device solutions so that you have the ability to communicate with any device or application for your communication needs changing the way you are contacted from a number to your actual identity and availability.

 

 

ocs basic 

Add-on Unified Messaging through Microsoft Exchange Server, and you can see voicemail and missed call notifications like you used to see on your phone, now through Microsoft Office Outlook, Office Communicator, and on mobile devices as well as have access to the entire system outside the firewall without any VPN required.

 exchange basic 

Now that’s freaking cool.  Oh, and by the way, this actually saves you money!  So for those of you who were wondering if you had to wait until the next OCS release for this capability, it's here now.  While OCS currently does not support branch office capability, SIP Trunking fills the void to provide a PBX replacement today through the power of enterprise voice.  For more information on SIP Trunking packages, just run a simple search or contact any main voice carrier.  This is the future my friends.

About Joe Schurman: Microsoft Voice and UC
Joe has provided consulting and research within the Information Technology industry for the past 17 years and is considered to be one of the worlds top experts on Unified Communications technologies. Joe has been quoted, interviewed, and published in international press including Wall Street Journal, CNBC, MSN Money, and through international webcasts, industry events, and hundreds of speaking engagements in every continent. Joe has published three books, including the technology best seller, “Microsoft Voice and Unified Communications”, published by Pearson / Addison Wesley in 2009 with a foreword by Gurdeep Singh Pall, Vice President of Microsoft Corporation and XD Huang, Microsoft Research Director of the Communications Innovation Center. Joe is a Microsoft TechNet Gold Presenter Award winner and is a leader in the Microsoft technical community as well as a 6-time Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional). Joe has been recently featured in several TV and Radio Media interviews including NBC's "World According to Garf” NBC Radio Broadcast, The Business Maker's Show on NBC with Russ Capper, and The Today in America Show with host Terry Bradshaw on CNN, Discovery Channel, and Fox News. Joe began his career at Compaq Computer Corporation and became the youngest Managing Consultant at Accenture in 2001 after which time, Joe became a private consultant to Microsoft for 8 years with 2 1/2 years spent with Microsoft Research. Joe resides in Houston, Texas with his wife and three children and is a member of the Holland Society and the National Sons of the American Revolution.
 

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