Some new information about OCS "v.Next" came out today at VoiceCon. Unfortunately they are in press release form but I've distilled down some of the technical items.
#1. 3 new headsets/devices from
Polycom, which will definitely help fill the gap for community area/kiosk phones and non-tethered scenarios. Read about it
here.
Highlights from that announcement that I am excited about:
Polycom CX500 IP phone - designed for use in public areas such as lobbies, break rooms or hallways (No PC required!)
Polycom CX600 IP desktop phone - delivers rich presence and exceptional voice quality to a mid-range desktop phone ("Tanjay"-lite, sort of)
Polycom CX3000 IP conference phone -- provides outstanding voice quality and rich presence for more productive and efficient conference calls and is the only conference phone currently optimized for Microsoft Communicator "14" ("RoundTable"-lite, sort of)
The CX500 fills a gap I've experienced with OCS rollouts that required a common area phone without a PC attached to it. It could be a break room or conference room or security phone. Having a computer with a headset or full blown "Tanjay" phone didn't make sense in those scenarios.
I'd gladly review any of those phones if Polycom wants to send me a demo unit.
#2. Better branch survivability with the updated gateways, plus more. Read about it
here.
Highlights from that announcement that I am excited about:
More partners joining the market making OCS products and solutions. Of particular note are the survivable branch appliances, which will definitely help remote office and branch office deployment scenarios greatly.
E911 service support - this can be a deal breaker under certain scenarios in the USA, so I'm happy to see support for this added. The way it ties into OCS is also very straightforward and clever.
Contact center, call accounting, and recording solutions - These 3 items have always been a weakness to the OCS voice platform. The products either didn't exist or they were in the early stages of production. It is great to see some more options and features for those companies that require these solutions for a full deployment.
As soon as I am able to, I will be posting plenty of OCS v.Next items -
this is just the beginning!
I haven't been this excited about a new release of a Microsoft product in a long time and I have a feeling it is going to surprise a lot of people with the new capabilities!