August 6 - Issue 47

MCS Forum is an independent forum on
Microsoft Communications Server & UC-Unified Communications. 

Microsoft is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.
In This Issue
Eight SIP Security Network Architectures
Death of Avaya
One Softphone Size Fits All
Get REAL!
Tele/Presence Forum
Get Bandwidth Now
3 Amigos
CompTIA Training
SIP Training
Get TECH Smart
Our Sponsors
z
Visit Our Sponsor


z

Call 303-594-1694 for more on Vimenture



Click here mention PromoCode MCSTEL - ask for John Cognata
SOFTEL Communications Inc. specializing in the development and delivery of best-in-class IP telephony, unified communications, contact centers, and speech self-service solutions. From simple single site to complex multi-channel, multi-modal, multi-platform, enterprise implementations, SOFTEL provides full life-cycle professional services, consulting, design, application development, solutions integration and implementation services that focus on reducing operational costs and improving business performance.




Click here or call 303-594-1694
Join Our Mailing List
Greetings!

Welcome to the MCS Forum. 
 
A new look for a new era in unified communications.  In you would like to see your products highlighted, reviewed and presented here or in other publications such as:

Click here for TRN website.

For marcom, customer case studies, technical writing, training development and delivery, click here for "award winning" and "highest score ever" solutions. 
Eight Critical Network Security Architectures for SIP Applications Part 1 - Types 1-4
This is a review of various network architectures for network-secure SIP applications.

Type 1 - Dedicated IP Pipe for SIP
Type 2 - Merged MPLS-Pipe with LER Tagging SIP
Type 3 - Merged IP pipe with SIP-Aware Firewall (SAFW)
Type 4 - Separate IP Pipe for SIP with Existing Non-SIP Firewall and SIP-Only Firewall (SOFW)

NEXT WEEK PART 2
Type 5 - Merged IP Pipe with Incumbent Non-SIP-aware Firewall, No DMZ Port and SIP-aware Firewall
Type 6 - Looks like Type 5 but Merged IP Pipe with Incumbent Non-SIP-aware Firewall, No DMZ Port and SIP-aware Firewall
Type 7 - Merged IP Pipe with Incumbent Non-SIP-aware Firewall with a DMZ Port
Type 8 - Merged IP Pipe with Incumbent Non-SIP-aware Firewall

Click here for animated tutorial
Death of Avaya More Like What Mark Twain Said
OPED by Thomas B. Cross

Speaking of Avaya rising like the Phoenix - their contact center solution integration with Facebook is way beyond anything that MS will likely have in the near time and with more than 500,000,000 users is a great new platform for any business. Speaking of platforms, of course the PBX is a dead platform like Wang Word Processors were decades ago, however, media gateways and SBC-Session Border Controllers are going to take a lot of skills than MS is not training for or equipped to do.  SIP is also far more vulnerable to security attacks that most are also equipped to handle.


Bottom line - MS has yet to announce a release date and so until its available, then before there can be a "Clash of the Titans," MS needs to "release the Kraken." 

"One Softphone Size Can Fit Nearly All"
One Softphone for Nearly ALL Platforms
z
"One Size Can Fit Nearly All"
IS-phone is a second generation voice over IP telephony application, which offers IP telephony (audio/video) features smoothly integrated into nearly all platforms - PBX to Web. It enables corporate telephony (coupled to your IP PBX), presence, audio/video conferencing and advanced click-to-dial from your Lotus contacts or LDAP directory, buddies, emails or documents. is-phone provides key advantages of simplicity, flexibility and attractive pricing exposed by pure software solution.
z
IP-PBX certified on IBM, Avaya, Broadsoft, Apple AdTran/Objectworld, Alcatel-Lucent, Asterisk, BroadSoft, Cisco, Comverse, MetaSwitch, Mitel, NEC Sphere, Nortel, OpenSIPS, Siemens, SIP Express Routers, SIPfoundry etc. If your platform is not listed, click below and I will check on it.  In addition, a web page solution is available without regard to any browser. This are just two examples.

Click here with PromoCODE - MCSISO and will get you even more.
 
Get Real - Live Meetings - "Better Than Being There"
Can you tell this is not live?



For more than 30 years, I have been literally around the world seeing video teleconferencing systems. Two days ago I saw something that was innovative, effective and engaging.  I call it LMT-Live Meeting Technology. 

Key Benefits
 
Eye-to-Eye and "Real Life" - LMT systems align the camera at the eye level of the participants through the usage of a patented display system incorporating a special image technology.  Other systems that place the camera outside of the image area are not capable of achieving this alignment and therefore do not have true eye-to-eye contact.
Seriously can you tell this is not live?

Lifesize interaction - This system achieves true depth of field without the usage of special glasses by generating a life-size image of the transmitted participants that appears physically in front of a backdrop. The 3D TelePresence systems deliver an astonishing sense of presence within the three dimensional setting of the room for natural communication.
z

FREE - Tele/Skills Communications Solutions
In the spirit of this concept, I am excited to help promote the concept of "Live Meeting Technology."  With each system, you will receive at no additional charge, onsite one full-day of training from "award-winning" industry experts.

The training class includes - Introducing and Integrating Real "Live" Meeting Into Your Organization
Topics included are:
- Setting the Context for Meetings
- Project Initiation    
- Guide to Successful Meetings of Any Kind
- Enhancing Communications
- Roles and Functions of Participants
- Beyond Communications, Move Minds, Not Matter
- Successful Business Applications - Saving Time, Increasing Revenues, Reducing Cycle Time

Click here with PromoCODE - MCSTPC and will get you even more.
Tele/Presence Forum & Summit
Polycom, Cisco and global leaders in tele/presence come to Boulder.

Courtesy: Cisco
z
 Courtesy: Polycom
z

Click here for more.
Domestic & Global Network Services
Bandwidth and other Communications Services

Vimenture has teamed with TECHtionary to provide data, internet, conferencing and other network services including:



-      MPLS-Multi-Protocol Label Switching
-      Ethernet - Metro
-      Hosted Servers - Cloud Computing
-      Telecommunications Bill Audits
-      Security Assessments
-      International Connectivity
-      Voice Over IP - SIP Trunking
-      Conferencing Services - Audio
-      Professional Services - Planning, Integration, Consulting

Click here and mention PromoCode OCSVIM.
 
MCS Knowledge Source

z
Link to: Three Amigos - MS Education Gurus
 
MCS Knowledge Source

z
Click here for Next Hop from MS -- "Whether you're new to Office Communications Server and Unified Communications, simply looking for some helpful hints, or trying to get some serious information, we'll help you find what you need."
 
TECHtionary Announces training on two CompTIA certificate programs.
For complete details click here.  

z
z
Onsite SIP Course Get SIP Smart
"Proxies are signaling - Media servers are content"
For SIP Course details click here.

SIP Trunking is one of the first complete books to planning, evaluating, and implementing high-value SIP trunking solutions. Most large enterprises have switched to IP telephony, and service provider backbone networks have largely converted to VoIP transport. But there's a key missing link: most businesses still connect to their service providers via old-fashioned, inflexible TDM-Time Division Multiplexed trunks. Cisco® authors show how to use Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking to eliminate legacy interconnects and gain the full benefits of end-to-end VoIP. Written for enterprise decision-makers, network architects, consultants, and service providers, this book demystifies SIP trunking technology and trends and brings unprecedented clarity to the transition from TDM to SIP interconnects. The authors "separate the true benefits of SIP trunking from the myths and help you systematically evaluate and compare service provider offerings. This book includes detailed cost analyses, including guidance on identifying realistic, achievable savings." SIP Trunking also introduces essential techniques for optimizing network design and security, introduces proven best practices for implementation, and shows how to apply them through a start-to-finish case study.
  TECHtionary Knowledge Source

z
Click here for TECHtionary -- World's First and Largest Animated Library on Technology with more than 3,015 animated tutorials.
MCS FORUM MARCOM Opportunities


Click here to get your ad and copy about your products and solutions.

MCS Forum provides classroom and webseminar training as well as a non-production environment for those IT departments without additional equipment, budget or time.  This allows planners and users to test ideas, dial in and dial back out, IM file transfers, remote desktop sharing, video conferencing, run scenarios, review logs, break linkages and learning about new telephony features and network access.  MCS Forum is also designed for both the system integrator/consultant who wants to learn about MCS without having to build their own system as well as the enterprise customer who doesn't have the time, resources or knowledge to develop one.  MCS Forum Labs are designed to be "hands-on" or "over-the-shoulder" with experts available for Q&A and classes for feature-specific review.
 
About MCS Forum
 
MCS Forum is a vendor-independent laboratory environment designed for learning, technical guides, knowledge resources and online "live" services.  MCS Forum provides planning, project management, consulting, training, case studies, white papers, speaking engagements, market/customer research, network planning and other services. 
Click here to contact.