14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software giant Microsoft announced on October 1 that there were two new offerings available for Microsoft Office Communications Server, the solution aimed at enabling users to communicate with the right person while using the applications they like most. The first novelty is related to the availability of Microsoft OCS 2007 R2 XMPP Gateway, while the second concerns the PIC license requirements for OCS' connectivity to Windows Live and AOL public IM network.
The Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 XMPP Gateway is being released at no additional licensing cost. The solution is meant to enable instant messaging and presence communication between select Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol networks like Cisco Jabber and Google Talk and Office Communications Server 2007 R2. Basically, this means that users of XMPP-based IM and presence providers can now be part of Office Communications Server IM contacts. Those who would like to learn more on how the Gateway works can find additional details here.
As for the public instant messaging connectivity (PIC) license requirements for OCS connectivity when it comes to the Windows Live and AOL public IM networks, it seems that those users with Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Standard CAL (or Software Assurance rights equivalent with it) won't need additional license to connect with users of the above-mentioned IM services. Windows Live saw the change back in July, while AOL is expected to see it this month.
The article on Microsoft announcing the new changes also includes an interview with Eric Swift, general manager of Microsoft Unified Communications Group, who discusses Microsoft's intentions when it comes to collaboration and unified communications (UC) solutions with products from other companies, as well as some of the latest significant developments in UC (e-mail, calendaring, voice mail, instant messaging, and VoIP are all brought together by unified communications tools).
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 XMPP Gateway is available for download here.