Email and calendaring for faculty and staff have been successfully moved to Microsoft Exchange on the IRIS system. Now ITS is beginning the next phase of the IRIS implementation to provide Unified Communications (UC).

Unified Communications combines multiple communications methods into one user interface with the goal of simplifying and integrating those communications methods. For example, you could receive a voice mail message and it would be delivered to your email inbox. You could listen to that voicemail message on your computer and then click on the name of the person who left the voicemail to call back, send an instant message (IM), or send an email.

The Unified Communications implementation will begin with a pilot program. This pilot program will implement Microsoft Unified Messaging (UM) and Microsoft Office Communication Server (OCS). UM is an extension to Microsoft Exchange for voicemail. OCS provides synchronous communications methods, like IP telephony (soft phones), instant messaging, and web meetings or web conferencing.

OCS also provides a feature called Presence Management. Through OCS you can set your presence to different values like “Available,” “In a Meeting,” or “Out of Office.” Your presence setting can also be based on your calendar, so if your calendar has a meeting scheduled, OCS would automatically set your presence status to “In a Meeting.” You can then use those presence settings to process your incoming calls or messages to match your availability. You can also allow other people to see your presence status so that they can decide if they should call you, send you an IM, or send you an email.

The UC Pilot Program will start this spring and involve 100 people to test the software. ITS will be looking for volunteers to participate in the pilot program. There will be some rules and restrictions to participate in the pilot program. For example, you will be required to remove your desk phone and only use your soft phone during the pilot. For more information on the pilot, including a complete list of conditions and how to participate, point your web browser at iris.nau.edu and click on the Unified Communications Pilot link.