Unified Communications, the new IP telephony @ CERN

Fernando Moreno PascualCERN IT/OIS

Agenda

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• Unified communications and softphones.

• Pre-deployment environment and its integration with Lync.

• Lync IP phones and their enhancements.

• Statistics of current usage at CERN.

• Our roadmap for Lync.

Unified Communications

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INTEGRATION

SIMPLICITY

Lync

• One Click to phone call, Address Book.

• Availability.

• Instant Messaging.

• Voice Mail on Exchange.

• Desktop/presentation sharing.

• Connect from your computer or mobile device.

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Why Lync?

• Microsoft/Mac compliant– OS evolution will be followed up– Integration with Office, Exchange… -> Unified Communications

• Mobility– Smartphones compliant.

• Competences within IT• Maturity

– Gateway vendors and Alcatel evolution (SIP).– Microsoft product for over more than 10 years.– Redundancy solutions for Lync & Exchange.– Well spread among big companies (Swisscom, hp…)

• Cost effective for CERN. (No roaming charges…)• Support lines already in place• Scalable, now there is:

– Up to 8,500 users and 400 simultaneous calls5

Pre-deployment environment

• Fixed Telephony service:– 4 PBX and 14 IP-PBX Alcatel OmniPCX 4400– 11,000 fixed users + 5,500 mobile users

• 2.5 million outgoing calls/year– Call centers– IP Telephony services

• IP phones / Softphones / FAX IP– Telecom software

• Provisioning, billing, specific tools (Fire Brigade)

• Exchange 2010– 30,000 mailboxes

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Integration with Lync

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Lync – internal accessLync – external accessAccess to voice mail

Mediation servers

Gateways

PBX

EdgeExternal user

Internal user

Front End servers

Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging

Active DirectoryMonitoring/Archiving server

LYNC/EXCHANGE GROUP

TELECOM GROUP

Audio-conferenceservers Switchboard Fire brigade

system

MonitoringProvisioning

Billing

GSMservices

Telephonyservices

Callcenters

Legacy IP phones

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• The IP phones offered at CERN so far:

– They behave as a normal phone.– Don’t show the name/picture of the person that is calling.

Just the number.– Need not trivial combinations of numbers to manage the

calls (“*#*#*12313”).

Lync IP phones

• Lync brings along the new generation of IP phones.

• They are the “classic” IP phones but with many enhancements by default:– Intuitive search on CERN Address Book.– Get information about your contacts.– Get availability of your contacts.– Manage your incoming calls.

• Forwards, simultaneous ringing, transfers…9

Lync IP phones

• ALL CERN USERS will be able to profit from them.

– All they need is an ethernet outlet.

– These telephones act also as switches.

– Besides this, for users with Windows/Mac as OS, they could profit from extended features…

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• Extended features (Windows & Mac users):– Plug the IP phone to your computer using a USB cable.– The phone synchronizes with our software client and

Exchange..

– One click to call.– Access to your calendar, call logs, voicemail messages

directly from the IP phone.

Lync IP phones

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• When you are away, stay connected:– Softphone (Lync client for desktops):

• Connected from wherever in the world as if you were in your office:

– Calls without roaming.– IM.– Availability.– …

– Lync integration with OWA.– Mobile phone application for Android, iOS and Windows

phones.

Lync as softphone

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• Feature of the UC solution:– Get access to it from everywhere.– Based on Exchange Unified Messaging role.– Well integrated with other systems.

• Voice mail on Exchange:

Voice mail

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Operating Systems & Information Services

Statistics

• Statistics up to September 2013

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10/1/

2012

11/1/

2012

12/1/

2012

1/1/20

13

2/1/20

13

3/1/20

13

4/1/20

13

5/1/20

13

6/1/20

13

7/1/20

13

8/1/20

13

9/1/20

130

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

Total peer-to-peer IM sessionsTotal peer-to-peer audio sessionsTotal peer-to-peer audio session minutes

Feedback

• At present > 130 users using Lync IP phone.– From different departments and profiles

• Teams• Travelers• Staff changing offices

– IT head and deputy head with secretaries• Deep testing of delegation/forwarding scenarios

• Very positive feedback• People interested in collaboration features

– Presentation sharing, whiteboard– Desktop sharing very useful to provide support

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Our roadmap for Lync

• Lync IP phone– Went to production on October 2013.

• Federation with other institutes– Free phone calls, availability.

• Other features are available– Callpark, Location (special interest for fire brigade),

Response groups.• Lync 2013

– Total integration with Skype.– XMPP gateway – integrate with Google Talk, etc.– VoIP from mobile devices.

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Summary

• We gained experience in managing the system.

• The key was to integrate it with current systems:– Telephone, e-mail, phonebook– Collaboration between people

• Still improvements can be done.

• People don’t like changes, but– Very good feedback once using the system

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Thank you!

fernando.moreno@cern.ch