Aura Integration with MS Lync (formerly OCS)

[dudecrush]

I realize that this is a Definity forum, but there isn't an Aura forum...

For those of you out there with Aura systems, we're considering upgrading our old Definity to Aura, along with a Avaya's contact center.

Avaya hypes Aura (and ACE) as the best universal mid-ware product for connections and integrations with just about any telephony or UC system.

In a previous life, I piloted Microsoft OCS 2007 R2 (now MS Lync). It had terrible call quality, but I was impressed with the GUI interface and it's seamless integration with the MS OS and Office products.

I'd like to use Aura/ACE to integrate OCS/Lync on the front-end with Avaya Communication Manager on the back-end for call-control. We'd have a mixture of soft-phones and IP handsets.


So my question is: Is this something that any of you out there in techie-telephony land have done? Is ACE a mature enough product to pull off this feat? I'm looking for general feasability and what "gotchas" are out there before I start talking to vendors.

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[jimbojimbo]

The Lync integration is not currently available with ACE. Look in the August/September timeframe.

 

[heathersuzanne]

Hi!

I am glad I found this post. We recently upgraded to R2 of OCS...and when that happened our RCC (remote Call Control) capability was gone! We had it working with the previous version of OCS - I could click a name on my MOC client and then my Avaya phone would go offhook and use the Avaya call processor to carry the call (We piloted the Microsoft Call Control previously and we were not impressed). We definitly preferred Avaya handling the call processing and the Microsoft client for the interface. But now it doesnt work at anymore.

JimboJimbo - is there any documentation out there that speaks to this being corrected ~Septemberish? I'd love to show my manager... Thanks!

 

[jimbojimbo]

It should work with OCS R2. You probably are having certificate issues between OCS and the AES. It is Lync where Microsoft broke the connectivity for RCC.

I'm not sure there has been anything officially released concerning the Lync connectivity issue.

 

[dudecrush]

For anyone who finds this post and wondered what came of it....

I had a Gartner analyst call on the topic of Avaya ACE and Cisco's CUCIMOC and the integration with Lync. Their response was that their research turned up no business that has gotten them to integrate well - if at all. As one anylyst put it, "ACE doesn't work, and neither did CUCIMOC"

I guess that answers that question.

 

[ggilkison]

You can provide the best unified desktop experience by extending Avaya real-time communications to Microsoft Lync, Office 365 and other Microsoft applications. Tight integration keeps the client interface consistent and allows users to communicate from their preferred devices. Your enterprise can improve productivity while reducing costs, as Avaya client-side integration preserves existing communications investments and requires NO Microsoft voice "PLUS" licenses or devices.

Avaya ACE 3.0 for MS Lync becomes officially available December 2011.

See full details and online demo at:

http://voxns.blogspot.com/2011/10/avayas-new-ace-30-for-microsoft-lync.html