See Gold Systems V7V Demonstrations at SpeechTEK #707  

With the demands to address new business requirements, Gold Systems V7V can be the one voice IVR platform for all your customer call processing needs.    

Referred to by Lync experts as the "Lync-IVR," Vonetix 7 Voice addresses three primary customer objectives:

            - Lync and IVR integration

            - Contact Center Solutions with Lync

            - Customer-centric IVR results  

Xavy jumped into the mobile morass with a hot new app for Lync and nearly every other platform you can think of.   Few would doubt that the iPad is already the "pad" of choice for executives who want to have the coolest tech in their hands.  For some, the laptop is already a museum piece.  For others, the toy is becoming the work tool of the next generation of business based on apps not programs.  That is, they get their business apps from iTunes not IT.  Click on the image for Xavy app on iTunes.

And, for the rest of us, here's what business things you need to know.  One of the coolest parts of Lync which you have seen from Uncommon Solutions, Enabling Technologies and a growing list of others is Lync API apps.  Xavy connects to Microsoft Lync 2010, Office 365 and Microsoft Office Communicator (OCS R2 ) using iPhone or iPad.  Some of the  basic features include:
- Presence
- Instant Messaging
- Audio Call
- Video Call
- PSTN Call
- Contact Search

You can see other features on the chart.   

Here's what they say, "Xavy significantly augments the value proposition of the Lync deployment by increasing the productivity of the mobile information workers and enabling them to participate in multi-modal interactions, with complete experience fidelity, on the device of their choice which, more often than not, it's a tablet or a smartphone. Powerful new scenarios are made possible for insurance agents, sales people, etc., which can enlist the full support of their back office experts while in the field. As a native client, it places no additional burden on Lync system administrators and also enables corporate communications cost savings, by shifting the mobile voice calls (international and domestic) to the IP network.  For enterprises with strict security requirements, it provides support for certificate-based authentication."  

Here is a view of the Xavy services:

Here is all the techno-babble of all the cool features:  

This is a lot to absorb in one reading, however if I were to summarize the Xavy value prop, I'd say "it is the ONLY client application to extend ALL Lync features to mobile devices."

Click on image for website.     

 As a result of my conversation with many users who implement phones in terrible, hazardous and potentially life-threatening conditions, I was also curious about Lync solutions to help, not just office but these tough situations.  The dirtiest place I ever visited was the Valmont coal-fired electric generating plant here in Boulder.  Coal dust was prevalent in many parts of the plant and exhaust fumes were also present.  If you are curious how a coal-fired generator works click on the image and under "G" for generator see the explanation.  I also installed telephones in the Boulder County Jail and on the manufacturing floor and back docks of a Fortune 500 company.  All were very difficult as it is not just the "hardened" telephone but the wiring/wireless connections.  If you have solutions and pictures for your most difficult installations, please send them and I will post them.  

I also spoke with Paul Zoehner of Algo Communications Products Ltd, a manufacturer of "tough telephones." Seriously smart guy he seems to have "heard it all" and implemented telephones in nearly every tough place there is.  He says that while Algo phones are not on Microsoft's approved list; they have implemented them in Lync settings.  Click on the image for their website.

To the right is an image of the Algo prison version SIP/FXS/FXO Door phone. It can be flush or surface mounted. The door control mechanism is remotely located for security and also access to the telephone or network is securely located. The intercom station runs on a proprietary digital single wire pair supplying power, digital voice, and data. It is impossible to hack this device for access to communication infrastructure or door control.

To the left, is the 8036 multi-media intercom which is hardened in the sense it is intended for public access and outdoor environments. It utilizes a capacitive touch screen with the sensor optically bonded to a sunlight viewable LCD. Dual microphones provide high performance in noisy environments and a 10W wideband speaker provides excellent voice quality and power. This product is used typically for security or visitor service in unattended lobbies or remote locations. This device provides a much richer experience for visitors and guests including the possibility for bi-directional video and multiple language support. Like the product above door control is located remotely and they offer a device that detects tampering to metallically disconnect the endpoint cabling from the network.

Applications include audio intercom with video security, lobby intercom, enhanced courtesy phone, multi-tenant gate or entrance, guest service, and visitor assistance kiosk. Graphic icons with multilingual menus and SIP based speech, text, or video communication make the 8036 ideal for serving international, multilingual, or hearing impaired clients.  Algo can also customize their phones for unique situations like for your spaceship or other crazy place.  To the right, is a proto-type of a hardened version of the 8036 using a 10.4" display with or without a handset. Interest in this product is coming primarily from prisons for inmate communication.

, including both Default and Seated tracking modes. This allows businesses and developers to create applications that track skeletal movement at closer proximity, like when the end user is sitting at a desk or needs to stand close to an interactive display.

I asked Terry Gold CEO of Gold Systems who has been working with the new Kinect since January about his thoughts on this announcement.  Terry noted, "Microsoft announced the availability of the Kinect  for Windows SDK version 1.5 this week.  Why should you care?  Did you care when the first computer mouse appeared, or the first time you saw a video camera connected to a PC?  Probably not, so here is a chance to care about something that could be even more important, while it is still early in the game.  And to be clear, I'm not talking about games.  While Kinect for PC looks just like the one on your kid's Xbox, it is meant for the desktop PC, and while there will be games that take advantage of it, there will be business applications too. Communications applications?  Certainly.  Kinect is a device that can do amazing motion detection, and with this newest SDK, developers can not only detect the motion of a person waiving their hands, we can now even track the "real-time 3D mesh of facial features-tracking the head position, location of eyebrows, shape of the mouth, etc."  How might we use that capability in a video conference application?  I've got some good guesses that I'm thinking about trying out for a demo.  Or maybe we begin to use gestures to control the conference, or presence or whether or not I'll take that call or IM.  Because Microsoft has opened up not only Kinect, but Lync via UCMA, we can create all sorts of interesting scenarios.    

I was happy to see that the speech recognition capabilities got a boost with four new languages being offered, with more on the way.  I believe that the speech engine that is in the cloud behind Kinect is the same engine that Gold Systems uses in our Vonetix 7 Voice product.  Does that mean we can create interesting applications for individuals now?  I think it might.  Siri or Watson for the desktop?  It could happen.  The parts are there, thanks to Microsoft, and now it is our job to think of clever ways to put them together to solve real problems for real people."  

Microsoft has also added more capabilities to help developers build amazing applications, including:  

- Kinect Studio is our new tool which allows developers to record and play back Kinect data, dramatically shortening and simplifying the development lifecycle of a Kinect application. Now a developer writing a Kinect for Windows application can record clips of users in the application's target environment and then replay those clips at a later time for testing and further development.

- New set of Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) guide developers on best practices for the creation of Natural User Interfaces using Kinect.

- Face Tracking SDK provides a real-time 3D mesh of facial features-tracking the head position, location of eyebrows, shape of the mouth, etc.  

I gave a speech in 1980 in London suggesting that IBM would build a chair that would do a mini-health diagnosis when you sat in it and making recommendations for diet, health and business ideas.  No doubt in the Kinect Labs they are working on even cooler features like X-ray vision, MRI and other ideas that will make Kinect more relevant and IMHO life-optimizing features.   

Click on image for the MSDN blog post  for more details.    

SIP Business Applications Planning Guide 2012     

What You Will Learn:

•          Review the fundamentals of IP-Internet Protocol and platforms required for high performance SIP-VoIP systems. This includes soft switches, gateways, routers, services and other critical components.
•          Explore business applications and opportunities. Review what customers are buying today and why they are buying. In addition, emerging "killer applications" will be explained in depth.
•          Quickly grasp complex subjects such as H.323, MGCP and SIP. As SIP-Session Initiation Protocol emerges are the key VoIP communications protocol, discover how this technology will impact all voice communications systems from key, PBX, IP-PBX, hosted, managed and other systems.
•  
•          Understand basic and advanced SIP-VoIP concepts features. From hosted, managed, IAS, and IP-PBX, quickly understands "what's-what" for different customer applications and business models.
•           Probe the issues behind Integrated and Converged Access. Understand when and why organizations need a converged access solution.
•          Understand why "network assessment" is critical to any SIP-VoIP implementation and why this step cannot be overlooked.
•           Address the issue of QoS-Quality of Service by overcoming jitter, echo, noise and other network problems. Review the role of RTCP and other tools to monitor and maintain high performance VoIP networks.
•          Understand the functions of the new communications "toolbar." See how the benefits of "unified communications" as they improve business operations.
•          Assess the Top-10 issues why SIP trunking and hosted VoIP is more than "dial-tone," and how it can represent change in the business and business model of even the smallest enterprises. Discuss and explore new ways to improve fundamental business processes.
•          Explore how a SIP-VoIP call is processed and review potential security attacks.   Discover how SPIT, VOMIT, Calljacking, DOS and other terrorist attacks can target not just data, but voice packets.
•          Review SIP and SIP Trunking and all the implications and applications from TCO-Total Cost of Ownership to QoS-Quality of Service. SIP Trunking is the most profound new form of telecommunications since POTS.

Marketing Communications Solutions

There are a number of other marcom solutions available such as:  

- Newsletters (e.g. private label version of Lync User Forum)  

      from Constant Contact Certified Experts click here 

- Webseminars ("Highest Scores Ever" - Microsoft)

- Customer Case Studies ("Best Customer Case Study' - Broadsoft)

- White Papers (Top-10 Tips for VoIP Implementation - XO)

- SEO (top placement of key words in Google), e.g. Google  IVR Lync

- Social marketing (Twitter, social media course) see my Twitter account @techtionary

- Social media training (course evaluations available)

- Articles - email for example

- Press Releases (email for examples)

- Training - your courses

- Course development new courses (Qwest, Microsoft, others)

- Elearning course development and delivery (Qwest)

- Videos

- Consulting (product, strategic planning, crossnetpoints model)

 Email today to get help cross@gocross.com

Get Lync Smart: TECHnet click on image for link           

Here's a great place to get Lync Smart. I particularly like the labs and podcasts (which you can download and take with you).  

Webcasts 

Tune in as Microsoft subject-matter experts present product overviews and strategies for improving productivity and driving down costs. Webcasts include technical presentations about configuring, securing, and extending your unified communications infrastructure.

Videos 

Learn smart strategies, get new insights, and stay up-to-date on Microsoft tools, technologies, and services. Stream or download a video today.  

Virtual Labs 

Test drive Microsoft's unified communications solutions in a virtual lab. It's simple-no complex setup or installation is required. You get a downloadable manual and a 90-minute block of time for each module, and you can sign up for additional 90-minute blocks anytime.

Podcasts 

Stream or download these audio podcasts on to your favorite podcast software or mobile device. These podcasts are free and do not require registration-just click, listen, and learn.

Here's from one of the labs I explore: The New Enterprise Voice Features of Microsoft Lync Server 2010.   Microsoft Lync Server 2010 introduces the ability to give users a second, private telephone line in addition to the primary telephone line. Private telephone lines are often assigned to executives and others who want an unlisted telephone number at which they can be reached directly.  Private telephone lines can only be configured with the Lync Server Management Shell.   

Lync Forum Jobs Board

 click here to see. 

Jobs added for free on Lync Forum website

Jobs added in Newsletter for a fee.

Email links to your jobs to cross@gocross.com