ITS: Web Conferencing & Lync
What is Unified Communications?
This is new technology which integrates:
- Voice/ telephone systems;
- Outlook email messaging, address book and calendar;
- Secure instant message chat; and
- Desktop web conferencing.
All these functions will be deployed on your PC and will change the way you find, discuss and meet with others. At CCAC, we will be using Microsoft’s tool for Unified Communications which is called Lync.
Why are we making this transition to unified communications?
Our current phone systems are obsolete and with the recent Nortel bankruptcy, the stability of these systems is extremely uncertain. Support will soon be either unavailable or very expensive. Due to our Microsoft Campus agreement, this system gives us a low-cost and high quality alternative to video-conferencing. If we can meet by web conference rather than traveling from campus to campus for meetings, we can reduce our energy costs and support our green initiatives. By integrating phone, voicemail and email communications, we will become more productive by saving time and increasing our responsiveness to our colleagues and customers.
Procedures for Web Conferencing using Lync
Web conferencing provides us with the next best alternative to face-to-face meetings, as it combines the rich media of video and audio in a synchronous fashion. It also allows you as a team to meet at more convenient times and cut down on expenses and lost time due to travel and working around busy schedules.
If you or other participants don’t have Lync installed on your PC, you can reserve a conference room at your campus and/or other locations. It is the responsibility of the meeting organizer to reserve the conference rooms through your Campus R25 Scheduler. Once you know which rooms will be used, email the ServiceDesk to request the video cart be delivered to the conference room(s).
Instructions for Setting Up Web Conferencing:
For further instructions and documentation for Lync, see Moodle training course.
More online resources:
- Tips for Virtual Communications
- Microsoft’s Demo and Tour
- Microsoft’s Tips for a Better Web Conference
Procedures for Requesting Skype Usage
College administrators/faculty may request time-constrained access to Skype for the purposes of interviewing or meeting with remote users. This requires pre-planning, setup and pre-testing by the ITS staff. Meeting/interview planners are asked to provide information to the ServiceDesk at least five business days prior to the interviews/meetings.