The Schwartz Reportby Jeffrey Schwartz, Executive Editor
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Microsoft Reveals Lync Pricing
Microsoft this week revealed pricing and licensing for its new Lync Server, the product previously known as Office Communications Server.
The company announced the name change and imminent release two weeks ago. Lync is Microsoft's effort to replace or augment PBX or office telephone systems with a software-based telecommunications platform that integrates with Office and Exchange Server.
Microsoft first started talking about Lync, code-named Communications Server 14, in March at the annual VoiceCon show.
Lync Server will offer instant messaging and presence, audio video and Web conferencing and telephony functions. It is an upgrade to Microsoft's Office Communications Server 2007 R2 that Microsoft believes can enhance or replace existing office telecom systems. The new platform is due to be released before the end of the year, Microsoft said.
Microsoft posted pricing and licensing documentation this week, which points to two server (Standard and Enterprise) editions and four client access license (CAL) offerings.
The Lync client software is necessary to communicate with the server and is available for $31 for the standard CAL and $107 for the Enterprise or Microsoft Office Professional Plus editions. Lync Server Standard Edition will list for $699 and the Enterprise Edition for $3,999.
A Microsoft spokeswoman explained the company is emphasizing the Lync Server 2010 Enterprise CAL and the new Lync Server 2010 Plus CAL, in effect separating audio, video, and Web conferencing and adding new PBX functionality to the Plus CAL. As a result, Microsoft has cut the price of the Enterprise Edition CAL by 23 percent, she said. All other prices remain unchanged.
Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on September 29, 2010