Microsoft Lync and Microsoft Lync for Mac are instant messaging clients used with Microsoft
Lync Server or Lync Online available with Microsoft Office 365 and Live@Edu.
They are replacements for Windows Messenger, which was used with Microsoft Exchange Server.
Both Microsoft Lync and Microsoft Lync for Mac are enterprise software; unlike Windows
Live Messenger, they have a different feature set that is targeted toward corporate environments.
History Microsoft Lync 2010 was made generally available
on 25 January 2011.
The previous version was Office Communicator 2007 R2, released on 19 March 2009.
An even earlier version, "Office Communicator 2007" was released to manufacturing on 28
July 2007 and launched on 27 October 2007.
The full-featured desktop version of the client requires Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows
XP with Service Pack 2 or newer.
Microsoft Lync 2010 was released for the Windows Phone, Android, and iOS platforms in Dec 2011.
Features Basic features of Lync include:
instant messaging Voice Over IP
video conferencing inside the client software Advanced features relate to integration with
other Microsoft software: availability of contacts based on Microsoft
Outlook contacts stored in a Microsoft Exchange Server
users can retrieve contact lists from a local directory service such as Microsoft Exchange
Server Microsoft Office can show if other people
are working on the same document all communication between the clients takes
place through a Microsoft Lync Server.
This makes communications more secure, as messages do not need to leave the corporate
intranet, unlike with the Internet-based Windows Live Messenger.
The server can be set to relay messages to other instant messaging networks, avoiding
installation of extra software at the client side.
a number of client types are available for Microsoft Lync, including mobile clients.
uses SIP as the basis for its client communication protocol
offers support for TLS and SRTP to encrypt and secure signaling and media traffic
allows sharing files.
The main new features of this version are the addition of real-time multi-client collaborative
software capabilities,.
Lync implements these features as follows: collaboration through Whiteboard documents,
where the participants have freedom to share text, drawing and graphical annotations.
collaboration through PowerPoint documents, where the participants can control and see
presentations, as well as allow everybody to add text, drawing and graphical annotations.
polling lists, where Presenters can organize polls and all participants can vote and see
results.
desktop sharing, usually by allowing participants to see and collaborate on a Windows screen
Windows applications sharing, by allowing participants to see and collaborate on a specific
application.
All collaboration sessions get automatically defined as conferences, where clients can
invite more contacts.
Conference initiators can either promote participants to act as presenters or demote them to act
as attendees.
They can also define some basic policies about what presenters and attendees can see and
do.
Deeper details of policy permissions are defined at server level.
Following Microsoft's acquisition of Skype in May 2011, the company has deployed the
VoIP technology within Lync, as well as its Windows Live Messenger and Xbox Live services.
Extensions Lync uses a number of extensions to the SIP/SIMPLE
instant-messaging protocol for some features.
As with most instant-messaging platforms, non-Microsoft instant-messaging clients that
have not implemented these publicly available extensions may not work correctly or have
complete functionality.
Lync supports federated presence and IM to other popular instant message services such
as AOL, Yahoo, MSN, and any service using the XMPP protocol.
Text instant-messaging in a web browser is available via Lync integration within Exchange
Outlook Web App.
Although other IM protocols such as AIM and Yahoo! do have wider support by third-party
clients, these protocols have been largely reverse-engineered by outside developers.
Microsoft does offer details of its extensions on MSDN and provides an API kit to help developers
build platforms that can interoperate with Lync Server and clients.
Microsoft is expected to add the ability to page other nodes: its absence has held up
deployment in some educational environments as current PBX phone systems have this capability
and need to retain it, whilst adding the other new functionality.
Microsoft Communicator Mobile Microsoft has released three editions of Microsoft
Communicator for mobile phones, dubbed Microsoft Communicator Mobile.
There are three editions of this product: Communicator Mobile for Windows Mobile, Communicator
Mobile for Java and Communicator Mobile for Nokia
Microsoft Communicator Mobile for Nokia was released on 4 May 2010.
This version of Microsoft Communicator is made for S60 software platform 3rd Edition
Feature Pack 2 and is initially made available for Nokia E72 and Nokia E52.
This application is available from Nokia Ovi Store.
With the launch of Nokia E7-00, a supported Microsoft Communicator Mobile for Nokia 2.0
has made into Symbian^3 operating system & it's available for download at Nokia Ovi Store.
Microsoft has also released a Lync client for the Windows Phone and Android.
A Lync client for the iPhone and iPad was released on 21 December 2011.
This requires running iOS 4.3 or later.
See also
Similar products Windows Meeting Space
Microsoft NetMeeting Microsoft Office Live Meeting
IBM Lotus Sametime Others
List of Microsoft–Nortel Innovative Communications Alliance products
Jitsi
References
External links Official website
Microsoft Lync at Microsoft Office website.
Lync Support at Microsoft Office website.
Lync for Mac Deployment Guide.
Office for Mac 2011: Help and How To.
Lync for Mac Help.
Office for Mac 2011: Help and How To.
Lync for Mobile.
InsideLync.com.
Tips, Tricks, and Insight into Microsoft Lync.
FAQ and Tutorials for Lync 2010.
FAQ and tutorials for Lync 2010.