The TechNet Australia Blog : unified communications

What will be in the Unified Communications track at TechEd?

Deeps — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:46:26 GMT

Johann recently did a short interview with Colin Lee who is a speaker at TechEd 2008 about the Unified Communications track. Have a watch below.

technet vodcast Microsoft Roundtable

Deeps — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:54:30 GMT

For those who havent seen the Microsoft Roundtable device, its a collaboration and conferencing device which works with Office Communications Server 2007 or Office Live Meeting.

Johann Kruse is the National Technology Specialist for Unified Communications at Microsoft Australia and he kindly spent some time with us to show us how it all works.

Like Jen mentioned in the video "just get one" ;) Talk to your reseller today.

Jumpstart Sessions for IT Professionals

Deeps — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:51:00 GMT

Our training team have set up the following 1 day jumpstart sessions in November in addition to the Sharepoint Sessions.

Unified Communications (Exchange 2007 and Office Communication Server)
The Jump-start is an interactive training session which provides you with the technical introduction and understanding of Unified Communication, Exchange 2007 and Office Communication Server from an architectural and solution overview perspective. The session is an Instructor led “chalk & talk” and does not include any hands-on technical labs.

Topics covered:
· A lap around the architectural landscape – The Microsoft Unified Communication story
· Understanding Exchange 2007 – features out of the box
· Unified Messaging Overview
· Understanding Office Communication Server – what this means to your business
· Integration with Exchange 2007
· Office Communication Server capabilities and architecting a solution
· An overall solution summary

Price: $79 ex GST

Business Intelligence and Performance Point Server
The Jump-start is an interactive training session which provides you with the technical introduction and understanding of Business Intelligence and Performance Point Sever from an architectural and solution overview perspective. The session is an Instructor led “chalk & talk” and does not include any hands-on technical labs.

Topics covered:
· A lap around the architectural landscape – The Microsoft Business Intelligence story
· Understanding Performance Point Server 2007 – features out of the box
· Architecting Performance Management solutions
· An overall solution summary

Price: $79 ex GST

TechNet VODcast - Unified Communications

Deeps — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:27:00 GMT

Johann Kruse is the National Technology Specialist for Unified Communications at Microsoft Australia. Johann shows a great hands on demonstration of what Microsoft Unified Communications is like in the day of an information worker. The demos of the Touch screen Tanjay and Office Communicator Mobile 2007 are really cool.

Don't forget that we are touring Australia with our Unified Communication Launch Events in November.

Launch Events (including TechNet content)
Melbourne Tuesday 13th November
Sydney Monday 19th November

TechNet Events
Canberra Friday 16th November
Adelaide Thursday 22nd November
Brisbane Monday 26th November
Perth Wednesday 28th November

For more resources please visit the Unified Communication Resources area we have set up.

TechNet Updates November: Unified Communications

Deeps — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 05:25:00 GMT

To support the Unified Communications Launch events in Sydney and Melbourne (more details to follow about these events), TechNet will be running a series of Technical Readiness events across the country for IT Professionals wanting to learn more about the technology.

What will be covered?
Office Communications Server 2007 Deployment
This demonstration will walk through deployment of Office Communications Server 2007 starting with the planning & deployment guide, standard edition installation, user provisioning and entitlement, configuration, and finally validation. OCS 2007 will be the main emphasis of this demonstration. This session can be broken down into three parts. In the first part of the demonstration, we show the easy setup of Standard Edition 2007, this allows an organization to provide IM, peer to peer voice call capabilities immediately. The second part of the session will include an overview of complex installation topologies recommended for OCS 2007; this includes considerations for Enterprise Edition deployment, Edge server roles, various MCU roles, Mediation server and the Archiving server role. The third part of the session focuses on federation and public internet connectivity features of OCS 2007. This includes setup of Edge server roles for Public Internet Connectivity and Federation capabilities. It will also cover integration with Exchange 2007 SP1 Unified Messaging which enables an exciting set of features for end-users.

Mobility and Anywhere Access
This presentation will demonstrate the benefits of remote access and mobility features for Communicator and Exchange. The scenario will focus on how users stay connected and can work without interruption while travelling and on the go. Users continue to have access to presence and contact information and choice of communication options including mail, instant messaging, voice and multi-party conferencing. They can view documents and access SharePoint sites remotely. All these features increase productivity for the organization and are easy to set up by IT Pros. We will talk about implicit benefits of cost saving and lower help-desk calls.

VOIP Architecture
This presentation will describe to network managers and administrators the VoIP architecture of Office Communications Server 2007, demonstrate OCS’ superior quality of experience for voice and video, and describe the network requirements for implementing OCS in the data network. We will discuss Microsoft’s user-focused approach to quality with OCS, the core media stack and codecs used for VoIP in Office Communications Server 2007, and network provisioning for enterprise deployments of Office Communications Server 2007. The attendees will leave with knowledge of the advanced media technologies present in Office Communications Server 2007 and how those technologies relate to planning for a deployment in their environment.

Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Overview
This demonstration will walk through the feature enhancements introduced in Exchange Server 2007 SP1. The demo will cover a range of new technologies, from Windows Server 2008, Standby Continuous Replication and OWA 2007, to enhanced functionalities such as Mobility, end user experience and administrator management.

VOIP Topologies and Interoperability
This demonstration will expose administrators to the voice configuration and management experience in Office Communication Server 2007. We will walk through administrative tools, explore RouteHelper, and implement key deployment functionality such as dial plans, new site deployment, and least cost routing. The administrators will leave with knowledge of basic telephony deployment scenarios and options for more complex configurations.

Registration Details
Canberra Friday 16th November
Adelaide Thursday 22nd November
Brisbane Monday 26th November
Perth Wednesday 28th November

I will post the major launch events (Sydney and Melbourne) information soon. The launch events will also have technical readiness sessions brought to you by TechNet.

My new phone - The Tanjay

Deeps — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 04:54:19 GMT

Thanks to Jonathan Lewis and our IT Team here at Microsoft I am lucky to be on the pilot program for Unified Communications. This phone is a little beauty, it looks like something from the USS Enterprise with its touch screen interface. It even has a Fingerprint reader which makes you feel like Jason Bourne. Unlike my previous Catalina device which connects into my PC, the Tanjay connects directly into the network port allowing for clearer communication through the network. It works directly with Office Communications Server 2007 and its running Windows CE as its operating system.

The Tanjay

Touch Screen interface

Tried to call Ben English but he is currently away

Free E-Learning Offer - Office Communications Server 2007

Deeps — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 05:16:00 GMT

This collection of 2-hour clinics explains the enterprise capabilities provided by Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. These clinics are for infrastructure specialists working within organisations that are looking to deploy Office Communications Server within their solutions.

Topics covered within the collection include:
Enterprise Instant Messaging
On-Premise Conferencing and Telephony
Incorporating Office Communications Server Functionality within custom applications

Clinic 5126: Introducing Enterprise Instant Messaging Using Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 (Beta)

Clinic 5127: Introducing On-Premise Conferencing Using Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007

Clinic 5128: Introducing Enterprise Telephony Using Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007

Clinic 5129: Customizing Real-Time Communication with Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007

Help us decide the content at the upcoming Unified Communications Launch

Deeps — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 03:30:00 GMT

Its poll time again, this time we need your help in deciding what content you would like to see at our upcoming Unified Communications Launch TechNet Updates.

Office Communications Server Released to Manufacturing

Deeps — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:09:00 GMT

Johann has all the goodness about Office Communications Server being released to manufacturing

Office Communicator Beta 3 and the "Catalina" Device

Deeps — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 02:58:00 GMT

I got an email from our IT department informing me that Im on the Office Communications Server Unified Communications telephony platform (try saying that 5 times in a row). I picked up my device and noticed two things, no RJ11 and no keypad! After plugging it in via USB and installing Office Communicator Beta 3 I was ready to make calls. To make a call all I have to do and enter the number into communicator. I can also right click a contact and call them from within Communicator. The device has speakerphone functionality and the ability to plug in a headset. I was on a conference call in the morning to Redmond and the call quality was really good. Would I go back to my landline? nope.

The "Catalina" device with the Channel 9 guy and Master Chief.

Close up, have no idea why the light is red?

Microsoft Office Roundtable

Deeps — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:09:00 GMT

At our company kickoff today the Unified Communications team had some devices on display which integrate with our Unified Communications Technology. The most exciting device was the Microsoft Office Roundtable.

The Office Roundtable device

Office Roundtable integrated with Live Meeting and yes that is Kleefy and Johann in the picture. Notice the 360 degree view below the main image.

Jeffa and Ben marvelling at the Roundtable technology

The device creates a 360-degree, panoramic video of side-by-side images of everyone who is taking part in the conference. It tracks the flow of the conversation, so the image and voice of the person who is speaking are spotlighted. People across many locations can attend meetings together virtually.

RoundTable works with Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Live Meeting, allowing companies to integrate virtual presentations, shared whiteboards and file sharing into their audio/video conferences. If someone misses a conference call, the RoundTable sessions can be recorded and viewed later.

Microsoft Australia Unified Comms Tech Specialist - Johann Kruse

Deeps — Wed, 30 May 2007 04:11:00 GMT

You may have seen Johann at some of our recent Microsoft events. He is a keen advocate around our Unified Communications Technology. He is a National Technology Specialist in the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft Australia. Johann's areas of speciality include Exchange Server, Office Communications Server, Live Communications Server, VoIP and Video over IP. He works with Enterprise and Government customers assisting with the development and design of Unified Communications and messaging platforms and strategies.

Prior to joining Microsoft Johann was the Network Manager at ninemsn where he was responsible for the design, deployment and strategic planning of network infrastructure and security services, as well as engineering and development of the IP network.

He is also known as Mohann during the month of Movember and he plays Rugby for Waverly Rugby Club.

So keep up to date with whats happening around Unified Communications Technology from Microsoft at Johann's Blog http://blogs.technet.com/jkruse/