Does OCS need to be in place before these UM features can be realized via SP1?

Does OCS need to be in place before these UM features can be realized via SP1?

I'm interested in the new unified messaging (UM) features in Microsoft's Exchange 2007 SP1. Does OCS need to be in place before these UM features can be realized via SP1?

    Requires Free Membership to View

    Login

    SearchUnifiedCommunications.com members gain immediate and unlimited access breaking industry news, expert advice on UC, technical guides, and more -- all at no cost. Join me on SearchUnifiedCommunications.com today!

    Kate Gerwig, Editorial Director

    By submitting your registration information to SearchUnifiedCommunications.com you agree to receive email communications from TechTarget and TechTarget partners. We encourage you to read our Privacy Policy which contains important disclosures about how we collect and use your registration and other information. If you reside outside of the United States, by submitting this registration information you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Your use of SearchUnifiedCommunications.com is governed by our Terms of Use. You may contact us at webmaster@TechTarget.com.

No. The unified messaging capabilities of Exchange Server 2007 SP1, including the integration of Exchange and telephony to deliver voicemails to an Exchange inbox, can be utilized without installing Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 (OCS 2007). Exchange Server 2007 SP1 with unified messaging is capable of communicating with the PBX phone system using SIP -- either directly or through a gateway. Exchange Server 2007 SP1 provides a number of other features and benefits as well and can provide a stepping stone to a more complete unified communications infrastructure. You will still need OCS 2007 as well though to integrate additional unified communications functions such as presence, instant messaging, the Communicator client and conferencing. You can get more details on how unified messaging works and how to implement it from this TechNet article:

Dig Deeper

This was first published in January 2009