Cisco® Unified Communications Solutions unify voice, video, and data, enabling easy collaboration every time.
Product Overview
Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Lync is a desktop integration that provides access to Cisco Unified Communications from Microsoft Lync (Figure 1). The solution extends the presence and instant messaging (IM) capabilities of Microsoft Lync by providing access to a broad set of Cisco® Unified Communications capabilities, including soft-phone standards-based video, unified messaging, audio and videoconferencing, desk-phone control, and phone presence.
Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync is tightly integrated with Microsoft Lync to deliver a consistent and compelling user experience while providing the benefits of increased employee productivity and collaboration, reduced infrastructure complexity, and a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
Figure 1. Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync
Features and Benefits
• Increase productivity with advanced Cisco Unified Communications capabilities: Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync lets you easily add Cisco Unified Communications capabilities to the IM and presence capabilities of Microsoft Lync. The solution uses Cisco Unified Communications Manager to deliver a scalable, highly available enterprise IP telephony call-processing solution. Cisco Unified Communications Manager users benefit from clear, reliable, and interoperable voice and video communications. The solution adds an integrated Cisco IP Softphone, which lets you instantly connect and have a business-class communication experience with colleagues, partners, and customers.
You can streamline communications with additional capabilities, including telephony presence so you can see when users are on the phone; visual voicemail, which makes it easy to view, play, and respond to voice messages; communications history; and desk-phone control, which lets you place and receive calls on your Cisco Unified IP Phone directly from your desktop.
• Enhance collaboration with standards-based video and multiparty conferencing: Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync includes standards-based, high-definition video capabilities so you can easily share video with this application or other standards-based video offerings from Cisco or other video providers. The solution is integrated with Cisco conferencing solutions so you can instantly initiate and conduct multiparty audio, web, and videoconferences.
• Minimize complexity, deliver high-quality audio, and lower costs: The Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync lets you use Cisco Unified Communications Manager for enterprise voice and video communications, while Microsoft Lync provides instant messaging and presence. Using Cisco Unified Communications Manager for call control minimizes costs by reducing management overhead, simplifying infrastructure complexity, and lessening licensing fees associated with deploying a dual call-control architecture. Cisco also offers an end-to-end unified communications solution that encompasses the software application and network infrastructure to provide increased control over voice quality and more robust tools for administrators to manage a mix of voice, video, and high-priority data traffic.
Cisco Unified Communications uses industry-standard audio and video codecs, minimizing the need for transcoding gateways.
• Protect your investment: Enjoy an immediate business effect by providing access to industry-leading Cisco Unified Communications capabilities while protecting your investments in Microsoft instant messaging.
Table 1 lists the features and benefits of Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync.
Table 1. Features and Benefits
Feature
Benefit
Call Setup
Right click to make an audio or video call or start a conference from contact list or IM session
Check the presence of the person you want to call, and then initiate an audio-only or a video phone call to that person quickly by right clicking and selecting "Place a Call" or "Place a Video call".
Audio or video call from Lync
Search for anyone in your address book and initiate a call to that person, or simply type a phone number and then right click to initiate the call.
Predictive search
Look up contacts quickly. Predictive search provides suggestions to you as you type in a search query and is capable of indexing your Lync contact list, recent contacts, Microsoft Active Directory, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Enterprise Data Integration (EDI), or Cisco User Data Services (UDS).
Inbound call notification
Receive incoming call alerts with the option to answer with audio only or with video, or divert the call to your voicemail.
Click to call from Microsoft Office applications and browsers
Streamline processes by placing calls from the application you are currently using. You can click to call or make a video call directly from Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office Excel, and Microsoft Outlook applications.*
Call history display
Reference missed, placed, and received phone calls directly from Microsoft Lync.
Call forwarding
Receive phone calls when you are away from your desk by having your calls sent to another number; for example, to a cell phone.
Drag-and-drop audio or video calling**
Simply drag and drop a user from your contact list to the phone icon to make an audio or video call to that person.
In-Call Features
Conversation information
You have visual access to information about your active conversations, including calling name and number display; call status; and information about participants, including presence and duration counter. You can control your phone call directly from the conversation window.
Call control
The solution provides proven and reliable call-control features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager, including dual tone multifrequency (DTMF), call waiting, mute, transfer, conference, redial, hold, hang up, and merge.
Share
You can start a point-to-point or multipoint voice and video meeting, and share your desktop, as well as seeing and talking to your contacts.
You can make and receive phone calls from anywhere you can access the corporate network with your PC or laptop.
Desk-phone control (computer telephony integration [CTI]-based)
You can control your desk phone from your PC or laptop while in your office.
User switch between modes
You can switch between desk- and soft-phone mode as you move around with your PC or laptop.
Audio Support
G.729a, G.711u, G.711a, and G.722.1
Standards-based and wideband audio codecs deliver an enterprise-class quality experience.
Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP)
Audio traffic is encrypted to help ensure communications security.
Audio tuning wizard
You can set headset and audio preferences from the audio tuning wizard.
Video support
Codec H.264
Standards-based H.264 video provides a high level of interoperability with other video endpoints and conferencing systems.
High-definition video
You can make and receive high-quality video calls using 1280 x 720 pixels (720p) in either soft-phone mode or desk-phone control mode on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 32- and 64-bit operating systems.
Multipoint video
You can join or initiate multiparticipant video calls at QCIF, CIF, VGA, or HD resolution with the addition of Cisco Unified Videoconferencing. You can conduct video calls with a variety of standards-based endpoints from third parties and Cisco, including Cisco TelePresence® conferencing.
Video setup
You can set up your web camera preferences from the audio and video tuning wizard.
Presence and Availability
Microsoft Lync Server-based presence
When you make or receive phone calls from Lync, your presence is communicated to the Microsoft Lync server so that anyone else looking at your status will see that you are on the phone. (Cisco Unified Presence is not required.)
Call History
View recent phone activity
You can view your recent placed calls, missed calls, and received calls and initiate a new call or view the contact card of the other party.
Voicemail Features
View voicemail messages
You can receive an alert when you have a new voicemail message, see how many new voicemail messages are waiting for you, view a list of voicemail messages, or play back messages in the order you wish to listen to them instead of sequentially.
Filter voicemail messages
View your voicemail messages based on heard, unheard, urgent, or private status. Filter your voicemail messages so that you can see all of today's messages, all of yesterday's messages, all the messages for the last week, or all the messages for the last 30 days.
Respond to voicemail messages
Respond to voicemail messages by clicking to call, making a video call, or sending an IM to the person who left you the message.
Voicemail message-waiting indicator (soft phone only) and one-click access to voicemail system
As an alternative to unified messaging, your voicemail system is easily accessible, and you receive alerts when new voicemail messages are available.
Cisco Conferencing Features
Screen sharing
From an existing conversation, click to share your screen with the person(s) you are talking to.
Mobility Features
Single number reach
People can reach you with one phone number no matter what device you are using.
Extension mobility
You can log in to another IP phone to use with Microsoft Lync when away from your usual office.
User and Support Tools
Error reporting tool
It is easy to create diagnostic information to troubleshoot if necessary.
Survivability
Call survival when the server connection is lost
If the connection between the Microsoft instant messaging client and server becomes unavailable, you can still make and receive phone calls with the Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync.
Deployment
Push to deploy
You can deploy Microsoft Installer configuration files (MSI files) using such methods as Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager.
Language availability
You can deploy the solution in any of the following languages: English, French, Japanese, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Danish, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, and Arabic.
Enhanced directory Integration
The enhanced directory integration feature allows you to push Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync out to users with minimal configuration overhead for the administrator.
Additional Features
Coexistence with other Microsoft Lync integrations
You can use the application with other third-party Microsoft integrations.
Built-in bridge
Call recording and call monitoring can be facilitated by the built-in bridge.
Note:* Refer to the release notes for desktop application and web browser compatibility.
** Function is available with Lync 2010 only (not available with Lync 2013).
System Requirements
Recommendations for minimum requirements are based on Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync running on a system that is running only applications and services that are part of the base operating system image. Administrators should account for other applications on the workstation to determine whether the system configuration - the CPU speed and RAM in particular - can perform adequately with other applications that could affect application performance running concurrently on the PC.
Tables 2 and 3 list system and hardware requirements, respectively.
Table 2. System Requirements
Platform
Description
Cisco Unified Communications Manager
• 7.1(4) or later
• 8.6(2) for BFCP + COP File or UDS
Server software
• Microsoft Lync Server 2010
• Microsoft Lync Server 2013
• Microsoft Office Online environment with Microsoft Lync Server 2010 or Microsoft Lync Server 2013
Client software
• Microsoft Lync 2010 or Microsoft Lync 2013
Operating system
• Microsoft Windows Operating System: Windows XP SP3, 32-bit, or Windows 7.0 (Pro, Enterprise, or Ultimate), 32-bit or 64-bit
The integration runs as a 32-bit application in 64-bit editions of Windows.
Cisco conferencing
• Cisco TelePresence MCU 4500 Series
• Cisco TelePresence Server 7010
• Cisco TelePresence Server 8000
• Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 7.0 5115
• Cisco WebEx Meeting Center T26L SP 20
• Cisco WebEx Meeting Center T27L SP 9
XML Application Programming Interface (API) 5.8
Voicemail playback
• Cisco Unity Connection 8.5 or later
Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST)
• 8.6 with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.6
• 8.5 with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.5
• 8.0 with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.0
• 7.1 with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.1
Click to call from Microsoft Office applications*
• Microsoft Outlook 2010
• Microsoft Outlook 2007 with SP1
• Microsoft Excel 2010 (32 bit)
• Microsoft Excel 2007
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
Note: Click to call is supported on 32-bit Office applications but not at this time on 64-bit Office applications.
*Note: Microsoft Lync 2013 is supported with the following limitations:
• Drag and drop from the Lync contact list is not supported.
• Click to call from Microsoft Office 2013 is not supported.
• Escalation from an instant messaging session to a voice or video call is not supported.
Table 3. Hardware Requirements
Operating system
• Microsoft Windows 7, 32-bit
• Microsoft Windows 7, 64-bit
• Microsoft Windows XP, 32-bit with Service Pack 3
Minimum CPU speed and type
• Mobile AMD Sempron Processor 3600+ at 2 GHz
• Intel Core 2 CPU T7400 at 2.16 GHz
Installed RAM
• 1.87-GB RAM (XP SP3)
• 2-GB RAM (Windows 7)
Free physical memory
• 128 MB
Disk space
• 256 MB
Graphics processing
• DirectX 9 (XP SP3)
• DirectX11 (Windows 7)
I/O ports
• When using USB cameras and audio devices, USB 2.0 is required
Tables 4 and 5 list the cameras and headsets and speakers, respectively, that the solution supports.
Table 4. Cameras
Cisco cameras
• Cisco VT Camera III resolution up to VGA
• Cisco TelePresence Precision HD Camera
Logitech cameras
• Logitech Pro 9000
• Logitech C920
Microsoft cameras
• Microsoft LifeCam 6000
Table 5. Headsets and Speakers
Jabra
• Jabra BIZ 2400
• Jabra BIZ 620
• Jabra Go 6470
• Jabra PRO 930
• Jabra Speak 410
• Jabra 8120
• Jabra GN2000
• Jabra PRO 9470
Plantronics
• The Blackwire USB wired headset family
• The Savi Office Dect wireless headset system family
• The Voyager Pro UC Bluetooth headset system with Bluetooth dongle family
• The DA 45 USB adapter family for use with Plantronics H-Top headsets
• The Calisto USB handset and speakerphone family
• Plantronics C220UC
• Plantronics C420
• Plantronics DSP400
• Plantronics W740
• Plantronics WO200/A
• Plantronics WO300
Note: The headset families listed here are included with the exception of the -M versions.
Polycom
• CX100 Speakerphone
Ordering Information
Table 6 provides ordering information for Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync.
This product is part of Cisco Unified Workspace Licensing, which is the recommended way to license it. Please visit http://www.cisco.com/go/workspace_licensing for more information.
Table 6. Ordering Information for Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync
Product Name
Part Number
Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Lync
UCILYNC9-K9
Please refer to the Cisco Unified Communications Applications Ordering Guide for additional details about Cisco Unified Communications part numbers and prices.
Cisco Unified Communications Services allow you to accelerate cost savings and productivity gains associated with deploying a secure, resilient Cisco Unified Communications Solution. Delivered by Cisco and our certified partners, our portfolio of services is based on proven methodologies for unifying voice, video, data, and mobile applications on fixed and mobile networks. Our unique lifecycle approach to services can enhance your technology experience to accelerate true business advantage.
