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Interest was high as 140-plus delegates descended on Westcon’s Lync Discovery event hosted at Microsoft’s impressive UK headquarters.
uncluttered area of the market presents significant opportunities for businesses that already supply comms and video solutions.
Gateways enable customers to take a migrationary approach to adopting Lync if they do not want to replace their existing estate right away. This is a trend that Microsoft has particularly noted and it enables the end user to enhance their experience with Lync-optimised end points such as high class handsets and headsets, all of which are available from Westcon. Lync’s high level of interoperability means that it can integrate with all legacy PBXs, enabling a wider deployment of the solution. Lync also integrates with Sharepoint, Exchange, Windows Server, Forefront and CRM applications, among many others, meaning that its interoperability has greatly improved. Lync also uses Exchange as a voicemail platform that operates hand in hand with mobile phones.
The cost savings that customers can achieve by using the Lync solution are equal to its high levels of functionality. Expenditure on
conferencing for example can be wiped out at a stroke, while the productivity benefits associated with presence put the working environment into a new context. Lync’s developers are constantly creating new contexts in which it can operate, such as third party operating systems like Apple, Android, Nokia and Blackberry, with Skype integration on the cards.
Adding value Marco de Jager, responsible for Business Development within Active Communications, promotes the ACS Appliance as being 110 per cent MS Lync. He noted: “We looked at ways to add value to Lync so we created this single experience by simplifying Lync as part of the Outlook and Office suite. ACS Lync Appliance combines all of the servers on a single box, making it simple to install. It also incorporates additional features such as centralised call forwarding and automatic user management.”
Active Communications began life as a UM firm 20 years ago. Now it boasts a hat full of Microsoft credentials as a Lync 15 Systems Integrator and
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Developer with MS ISV status. The company’s knowledge is built into its appliance meaning that partners gain immediate access to the MS UC Competency. “The ACS Appliance enables partners to become the UC expert for their customers, providing resellers with easy proof of concept, additional revenue and margin on peripherals,” he explained.
Koster noted that the agreement with Active Communications Europe is significant for Westcon’s convergence business practice. Since sealing the deal Westcon has been busy acting on its initiative and building its Lync proposition that enables partners to install and maintain the solution.
Koster said: “Our goal was to provide an all-encompassing portfolio of products and services that enables resellers to both simplify and accelerate Lync deployments at scale. We believe we’ve created a compelling proposition that will continue to evolve. Now is a great time to invite channel partners to join us on this journey and exploit the exciting UC business opportunity that Lync represents.”
The credibility of working with Europe’s number one* is attractive
Aastra’s mobility solutions are a real differentiator for us
To partner with Aastra
T: 01252 532158 E:
joinaastra.uk@
aastra.com n
W:
www.aastra.co.uk/joinaastra @AastraUKIreland
youtube.com/aastraukireland
* Source: © MZA Ltd, Corded PBX/IP PBX Competitive Environment
2011 edition for DECT, Source: © MZA Ltd, Cordless PBX Shipment Review CY 2010.
COMMS DEALER AUGUST 2012 23
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