Time2Market's Cloud Complete Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)

First off... this blog post is going to come across as a sales pitch and that is because it is. I'm not going to insult your intelligence... but there is a lot of confusion out there as to what is offered with various different Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solutions and where they can fit into an organizations plan to further their communications. I'm not going to go into detail about all the other offerings out there, but what I'm going to do is offer you detail about Time2Market's Cloud Complete offering. We also offer a Cloud Custom option, that adds some additional functionality, but this blog post will focus on the Cloud Complete offering.

Anyone who knows me... knows that I'm not a fan of the "cloud". The reason is because I think it is one of those terms that gets thrown around and decisions made without really understanding the implications of turning over control to the cloud. I'm not saying that it doesn't make sense 100 percent of the time... because it actually does in a lot of scenarios.  I just don't like the blind run toward the cloud that I see a lot of people doing just because all the cool kids are doing it.

Having said that, Time2Market's Cloud Complete offering is a hosted UCaaS that is a Multi-tenant... Enterprise Voice... Skype for Business environment.

Yup.. you read that right... Skype for Business.

Time2Market's cloud is not based on the now defunct Lync Hosting Pack that was limited to the same feature set and Lync Online.

The is a Skype for Business hosted environment with feature sets that to my knowledge are currently not offered anywhere else. Those feature sets even include the new Broadcast Meeting offering that depends on a hybrid implementation with Office365. We even leverage Exchange Unified Messaging in Office365.

Now why would an organization want to do this. It is simple... instead of investing in all the equipment, server licenses and professional services to implement an on-premises solution that has costs as a capital expenditure. This allows an organization to move these costs to the operational expenditure column. The Cloud Complete offering scales and shrinks as you do and is a totally managed service from deployment to support. In short, you focus on your business, not running a Unified Communications infrastructure.

So what are some of the things that Time2Market offers in its Cloud Complete that make it unique...

• E-Faxing Services
• Advanced Call Routing Options
• DID Parking
• Common Area Phones
• Standalone Fax Services
• Unlimited Calling Plans
• Auto Attendant
• Dedicated Conference Bridge
• Room Systems and Video Integration
• Conference Room Audio Devices
• 800# Support
• Paging Applications
• Contact Center (Clarity)

But here is the really big key to Time2Market's offering, we have a whole organization that will help you every step along the way with a White Glove Service. Cloud Complete isn't a self service type of offering, instead it is an offering where you have a whole team of people who have been in the business of helping organizations communicate for decades. Here are some of the things we can help you with...

• Office365 Tenant Setup/Mail Migration
• Unified Messaging Setup
• IP Phone Setup
• On-Premises Active Directory Integration
• Auto Attendant Configuration
• Room System Installation
• Device Consultation

But wait.... there's more!! Sorry couldn't resist saying that.

But really there is more... Time2Market has created a Self Service web based portal that gives easy access to the following tasks...

• Password Reset
• Add New Users
• Assign DIDs
• Modify/Update Conferencing and Global Dialing Policies
• Update Federation Policies
• Get Support
• Access to Usage Reports and Billing Info
• Access to training, tips and tricks

What are you waiting for? Interested in Time2Market's Cloud Complete offering or have further questions? You can contact me by SIP or email using jonathan at t2mdev dot com or by calling 303 997 2100.

Polycom VVX Device Update from Lync Server Bug

If you happened to come to the Colorado Unified Communications User Group on October 24, 2013, you heard me present on Better Together over Ethernet (slide deck). In the slide deck, I covered how to configure a Polycom VVX phone on version 5.0.X to work with Microsoft Lync and subsequently Better Together over Ethernet. Part of the new functionality with 5.0.X is the ability to use Lync Server Device Update process instead of using the Polycom Update process.

According to Page 23 of the 5.0.1 Release Notes, when you change the base profile to Lync, the Lync Device Update is supposed to be enabled by default.

device.prov.lyncDevice UpdateEnabled

0 or 1

0 or 1

To enable/disable the Lync device update feature. If base profile is Generic, the default value is 0. If base profile is Lync, the default value is 1.

This is the case when you change the base profile using the phone interface in the Settings -> Advanced -> Administration -> Network Configuration Menu

But when you use the Web UI the above parameter in the device config does not get set properly (stays equal to 0).

So if you are having problems getting your Polycom VVX to update properly, you might take a look at the device config and see how the above parameter is set.

Instead of just changing this parameter, I've chosen to Factory Default my phone and change the Base Profile to Lync using the phone interface. Just a little bit more comfort in case there are other parameters not being set properly.

Colorado Unified Communications User Group October Meeting

The next meeting of the Colorado Unified Communications User Group (COUCUG) will be held on October 24th from 4-6pm at the Microsoft offices in Denver, Colorado.

We are going to talk with Ryan Herbst from UnifiedCommunications.com about the new Lync Room Systems. In addition, I will be presenting on Better Together over Ethernet.

UnifiedCommunications.com will be sponsoring the meeting and providing food and beverages. Please feel free to check out their website and why they are one of the most popular choices for video solutions and audio devices for Microsoft Lync!

Microsoft Offices
7595 Technology Way
Suite 400
Denver, CO

Please visit www.coucug.org and click on the RSVP link to let us know you will be attending.

Better Together over Ethernet Experiences

I’ve been running with Polycom VVX 500 Better Together over Ethernet (BToE) since Monday, September 9th (Polycom released last Friday). It is reasonably easy to set up and won’t require administrative overhead other than a bit more work when you do the initial phone setup.

I also tried to setup the Snom version… since they responded by shipping their Beta on Monday. The Snom version looks like it was coded over the weekend and it is not deployable large scale by any stretch of the imagination. It has major administrative overhead to get it up and running (which I haven’t got it running yet). At this point I wouldn’t have called it a Beta… maybe more like pre-alpha/alpha version.

In my opinion.. Polycom is really the only choice at the moment.

A few things about the current Polycom version

• PC is required to connect to PC Port of phone for BToE pairing to work
    
• A separate application has to be running in the systray to allow BToE pairing.
   
• If connection to the PC Port is lost or disconnected, then pairing is lost and has to re-paired (not a big deal). Rumor is… this is a bug…and it should reestablish on its own, once paired.
   
• Exchange Calendar integration is not automatic. It has to be configured separately. Which is nice we have this option. The current version doesn’t seem to come back after the phone is rebooted. Might be a bug.
   
• I do not have details about deployment of it… but it does appear we have an option for paging through phone with the Polycom VVX series. At the surface it looks like it uses a Multicast address on the IP network.
   
• Voicemail is not retrievable on the phone like Lync Phone Edition. You have to call in to Exchange UM to retrieve VM (or retrieve through Outlook)
   
• Some Plantronics and Jabra USB headsets are supported as a headset option with these phones. I’ve been using the Voyager UC Pro and Voyager Legend with the phone.
   
• The Polycom seems limited in the features you can assign to “buttons” on the phone. You can have multiple users logged in with also the ability to do shared line appearance.
   
• The phone is aware of delegate scenarios and notifies user of those when a user is logged in.
   
• BToE pairing can be done with the phone not logged in (when pairing, the Lync client presents login for phone just like Lync Phone Edition)
   
• Transfer from Phone to other USB device on Lync works… but does not work to go back. This would seem to be a bug.
   
• Mute from the Lync client is not available. You can only Mute using the phone. There is also no notification in the Lync window you are muted and to others as well.
   
• Works with Lync 2010 client.
   
• The VVX phone is well engineered with a nice feel to it.
   
• There is an extra license fee from Polycom for the Lync “personality” of the phone. Plan on $15 added to the cost of the phone. But don't quote me on it :-). If you'd like a quote you can call Ryan Herbst at unifiedcommunications.com
   
• This is a good blog on the Polycom BToE experience http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-will-lync-enhanced-better-together.html

A few things about the current Snom version (much more limited since I haven’t actually got it to work yet)

• Pairing is done via IP address (which I have reservations about since the user doesn’t have to be physically by the phone to control)
  
• The Snom has quite a large range of features we can assign to buttons on the phone.
  
• Snom firmware for Lync has been out in the wild longer.
  
• Biggest complaint from customers about Snom phones is the look and feel. They feel cheap and not well made.
  
• No extra license fee.