Now that we're done with the code and have reached our RTM milestone, our Unified Communications Open Interoperability Program is busy working to qualify vendors to interoperate with Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Author: Jamie Stark

Publication date: November 2010

Product version: Microsoft Lync Server 2010

If you're here at TechEd Europe in Berlin, please come and check out our booth in the Technical Learning Center. We have an RTM version of Lync Server 2010 running smoothly, and we would love to show you all the great new features in Lync Server.  If you're not here, you can still check out tons of great information  about Lync Server 2010 from the online events and sessions.

This article focuses on interoperability with Lync Server 2010, specifically the how and when particular Survivable Branch Appliances, PSTN gateways, IP-PBXs, and SIP trunking services will be qualified to interoperate with Lync Server.  Now that we're done with the code and have reached our RTM milestone, our Unified Communication Open Interoperability Program is busy working to qualify vendors to interoperate with Lync Server. 

What you see in this article is not a comprehensive list, but we felt it was important to reveal the vendors and products we know are getting ready for testing or qualification to help customers plan their deployments of Enterprise Voice with Lync Server 2010. 

There are several vendors who are scheduling time to have their products qualified with Lync Server, and their absence at TechEd does not mean anything in regard to their qualification plans, so please contact your infrastructure vendor directly for information about their qualification plans with Lync Server.  The information in this article is all we have right now. When we know more, we'll let you know.  For example, we're not exactly sure which release of Cisco or Avaya PBX software we'll have tested, and, it may change half-way through testing.  Additionally, remember that no vendor is qualified until they are posted on the UCOIP website.  The following is a view into our plan, not a commitment that all of these vendors will be qualified or available on or by a particular date.  If they do become qualified, all the details will be available on the UCOIP website.

At launch, five manufacturers will have qualified Survivable Branch Appliances for use with Lync Server 2010:

  • Audiocodes
  • Dialogic
  • Ferrari
  • HP
  • NET

For the gateways, the following are scheduled to be complete close to launch:

  • Audiocodes
  • Dialogic
  • Ferrari
  • NET

We'll also qualify the following:

  • Cisco 3800 and 3900 series of routers and the Avaya 23xx qualified by the end of the year
  • By the end of January we plan to have the Cisco 2800 and 2900 series of routers and Avaya 41xx qualified
  • Gateways from Media5, Nuera, and Quintum should be qualified by the end of the calendar quarter

For IP-PBXs:

  • Right away we're testing with Cisco 4.x, Avaya CM/Aura 4.x, and Alcatel Lucent 9.x
  • By the end of the year, we'll be adding Cisco 6.1, Cisco 7.1, and Avaya CM/Aura 5.x
  • In January, we plan to have the Avaya CS1k 5.x, Avaya CS1k 6.x, Siemens 3.1Rx, and Cisco 8.0.x
  • Mitel, Genband, Aastra, and Huawei all have models we'll be working to get qualified by the end of the quarter

Finally, for SIP Trunking:

  • Right around launch we'll have Interoute, Verizon, ThinkTel, and Global Crossing qualified
  • AT&T, BT, Intelepeer, and Sprint all should be done by the end of the year
  • In January we plan to qualify Orange, Swisscom, Telnor, and IP Directions
  • Jajah and Sotel by the end of the calendar quarter in March

That's nearly fifty qualifications we're currently tracking, and there are certainly more on the way. All are designed around ensuring that customers can get started on their complete Enterprise Voice deployment of Microsoft Lync 2010 as soon as possible.  The product is ready; the partners are ready. It's time to deploy!