Microsoft OCS 2007 R2-New Version ( Updated )

There will be a new version announced in November 2008 and released in January 2009, this will be Office Communications Server 2007 R2and one major difference will be it’s transition to a 64bit ONLY platform a la Exchange 2007. This version 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…

There will then be a completely new version-OCS 2009/2010 (probably 2010)-released to coincide with the availability of Office 14. This along with 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

 

Updated :

Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Features:

The most exiting feature, is the “one number calling” concept. It has been introduced in the original Unified Communications wave in the fall of 2007, but in the R2 build, it should be here. What to expect is not to say, but as I understand it will 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 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 will 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, access to a touchtone menu to have their calls forwarded to the right department/person and so on.

The TAP program has started June 2008, and the new R2 version will be released to companies in the program.

The OCS 2007 R2 product should be released December 2008 or January 2009

Wave 13
This is the internal name for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 at Microsoft. The “wave” indicates that we can expect more than just e few additional features in this release, and from what i have seen and heard so far, this will be true. Wave 14??? Yes there is also a Wave 14, most likely to be OCS 2009.

64-bit
Its official now. The OCS team is now openly discussing the next release on their blog, and its confirmed that OCS 2007 R2 will be 64 bit only. Rumor has it that some components might still need to be 32 bit, like the Communicator Web Access.

BETA
There has been rumors of an public beta of Office Communications Server 2007 r2, but there is none out there yet. I am not sure we will see a public beta of OCS 2007 R2, because of the limited time until its release. The current beta program is running as an TAP program (Technology Adoption) and is out there for selected customers mostly in the US. There have been inside rumors of a second program, but I’m not sure this will be public.

Source: Richard Gibbons  on http://richfrombechtle.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/microsoft-ocs-2007-r2-new-version