!!!!! Lync Conference 2013 Announced !!!!!

 

Finally a Lync conference to match those Exchange guys! The Lync Conference is scheduled for February 19 - 21, 2013 at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. This reminds me of the Interact conference from 2008 where I actually managed to meet a lot of the Microsoft Lync (OCS at the time) team, customers and partners. This is surely to be a huge Lync geek fest so make sure to get it in your travel budgets and save those dates.

And before anyone asks I will be there of course. Okay, at least pretend like you care and spare my feelings:)

VoIPNorm

Lync 2013 Mobile and Desktop Click-to-Join for Non-Enterprise Voice Users

Recently I blogged about  the available options in Lync 2010 for non-voice enabled users. Basically there are two different administrative options in 2010 depending if it’s the mobile client or the desktop client in 2010. For the mobile client the click to join configuration was superior to the desktop/web client which relied on static routes and had very little control over gateway selection and call authorization. 2013 this has changed dramatically with an improved more flexible configuration that better adheres to voice policies. Now in the conferencing policy you are able to select “Allow participants not enabled for Enterprise Voice to dial out”.

Below is a blurb in the Lync Wiki page for 2013 new features:

Conference Dial-Out for Users Not Enabled for Enterprise Voice

While this was possible in earlier versions of Lync using a static route it was always less than an optimal solution fortunately Lync Server 2013 makes it much easier for Administrators to enable users who are not enabled for Enterprise Voice to initiate dial-outs from a conference. This means that meeting organizers who use this Conferencing Policy setting can accommodate participants for conference dial-outs. The meeting organizer can also initiate a conference dial-out, even if he or she is not enabled for Enterprise Voice.

The screen shot above shows the new policy option. Of course if you allow this configuration to be enabled then you also need to apply a voice policy to the non- voice user that wants to host conferences. So users trying to dial-out are controlled as per the flow diagram below:

The important things to remember for non-voice users are as follows-

1. Is the host part of a conferencing policy that allows non-voice users to dial-out?

2. Has the host got a voice policy assigned?

If you have a high demand for mobile clients (which nearly everyone does) applying a default voice policy as part of the initial user configuration regardless of voice enablement seems to make a lot of sense. If you automate through PowerShell the initial enablement would mean the addition of a line to assign a voice policy. I see this as an easier way to apply the policy rather than going back after the fact and assigning a voice policy.

Hopefully this helps shed some light on a configuration that was problematic in 2010 and now a lot easier in 2013. The experience across mobile and desktop/web applications in 2013 is consistent from an administrative and user point of view which makes everyone's lives a lot easier.

VoIPNorm

Better late then never. We have a winner!

Back in May I started a caption competition that ran through June. Well, we have a winner which you can see posted under the photo. Sorry it took so long to decide. It was a close call from some good entries.  Darryl Rowe is our winner with

“Welcome to the post CP era….”

Nice combination of humor and a play on a current Cisco marketing message Darryl.

Also, I have a runner up Web Cam for John Cook who was the only person to make a Star Wars reference. Let me know where you want me to send you camera John.

Nice job guys and thanks to everyone who entered.

VoIPNorm

St Luke’s Health System Using Lync to Power a Telehealth Cart

I don’t talk too much about case studies here on VoIPNorm but this one in particular is very special to me. I have been working with the team at St Lukes for the last few years and have seen the telehealth cart they constructed in use out at their remote Fruitland facility. It’s a great example of putting together a low cost solution on Lync that’s providing great benefits to their patients.

Case study:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_in_health/archive/2012/07/24/st-luke-s-lync-tele-cart-a-harbinger-of-disruptive-innovation.aspx

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/Microsoft-Lync-Enables-Remote-Health-Care-Counseling-for-Cancer-Patients-755248/

Even the CEO at St Luke's got in on Tweeting the story!

Below are a few photos from a day trip I took out to the St Luke's Fruitland facility to see the telehealth cart in action. The first photo is out the back of the Fruitland facility. It’s a pretty remote area and one of the few places that in area patients can receive treatment other than driving into Boise which is a couple of hours drive.

The cart in use with a couple of the St Luke's team doing a demo. Kevin Mark seen below is also quoted in both the published articles. Using Lync with remote clinics has allowed patients on demand access to specialists that may only visit the clinic in person periodically for scheduled appointments.The telehealth program has reduced appointment wait times by nearly 7 days! Amazing.

Kevin taking a picture of the off cart experience for the dietitians when conducting a virtual meeting with a patient.

The team at St Lukes are doing a great job and I feel honored to be able to support them and see their progress. Check out the case study, it’s worth the few minutes it takes to read.

VoIPNorm