Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus Microsoft

Microsoft is on tap to exhibit off Office Communications Server Release 2 (R2) at the VoiceCon exhibit in Amsterdam on October 14. As well as the corporation currently is functioning around the follow-on release,Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus, that will likely be timed with Office 14.
OCS R2 may be the subsequent version of Microsoft’s integrated instant-messaging/conferencing server. It is one of the centerpieces of the company’s unified-communications stable of products.
(I have asked Microsoft repeatedly for more details about OCS R2 and other pieces of its future unified-communications line-up, but was told it wasn’t time yet. I guess it’s still not time. I asked again today and no response.)
One independent blogger — who seemingly had more luck than I did getting info on OCS R2 — recently noted that OCS R2 will likely ship in January 2009. Blogger Richard Gibbons confirmed what I’ve heard from a couple of other folks: That R2 can be a 64-bit only release. From Gibbons’ October 6 post:
“There could be a new edition (of OCS) announced in November 2008 and released in January 2009, this can be *Office Communications Server 2007 R2*and one major difference might be it’s transition to a 64bit ONLY platform a la Exchange 2007. This edition will transpose your voicemails to text so you can still access them even if in a meeting (or the quiet car of a train..) among other new features.
“OCS 2007 R2 will also have more Telephony style features including the ability to hunt groups.”
Gibbons also said he believes Microsoft has another OCS release on tap that will coincide with Workplace 14:
“There will then be a completely new version-OCS 2009/2010 (in all probability 2010)-released to coincide with the availability of Workplace 14. This as well as the expected release of SharePoint 2010, will help bring a more unified feel to the Office family. It is also expected that this new version will contain inbuilt translation services so if you receive an email in say Spanish, Exchange can read it back to you in English.”
(Microsoft is expected to start alpha-testing Office 14 in November. Corporation officials have not provided an update on when it’s due to ship. Last anyone heard, Microsoft was shooting for late 2009 for Office 14. If the next release of OCS really is timed to coincide with Office 14, maybe Office 14 is going to hit in 2010…. Just a guess on my part, though.)
Another blogger, the “the UC guy,Microsoft Office 2007 Professional,” added more information in an October 12 blog post about what to expect in OCS R2:
“The most exiting feature,Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus, is the ‘one number calling’ concept. It has been introduced while in the original Unified Communications wave while in the fall of 2007,Microsoft Office Professional 2010, but from the R2 build, it should be here. What to expect is not to say, but as I understand it will undoubtedly be a more simplified process of calling UC enabled users. I expect there to be more logic in OCS to how one person can be contacted.
“LiveMeetin(g) dial-in is another requested feature, which should allow users to have a choice of using the LiveMeeting client audio or dialing direct to the meeting to get Audio access.
We will see more presence information in more applications
“The Communicator Web Access might be upgraded to allow application sharing the within the web application (however this is done…..)
“We are also looking at an ‘attendant console’ which will be some kind of switchboard for forwarding calls and so on. This is a feature often used by a front desk or service desk, and will give them the joy of presence information and VoIP.
“Also a telephony queue system should be included, and will give people dialing in to the system,Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise, access to a touchtone menu to have their calls forwarded to the right department/person and so on.”
Microsoft has been testing OCS R2 privately for the past few months. Since the UC Guy notes, it seems a little late for Microsoft to be releasing a public beta at this point, but perhaps that’s what’s on tap for November….