LifeSize: True Video Collaboration Through New Interoperability With Microsoft UC Platforms

LifeSize today announces the expansion of its rich video collaboration offerings through interoperability with Microsoft UC platforms.

LifeSize HD video conferencing products will integrate with Microsoft unified communication (UC) platforms, enabling users across the enterprise to connect over video from LifeSize systems to the desktop, and vice versa. Organizations of all sizes will be able to scale video collaboration capabilities more cost-effectively to better accomplish their communication and productivity objectives.

LifeSize will be one of the first video conferencing vendors qualified to interoperate with Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 R2™. The following LifeSize video conferencing systems will be qualified in calendar year 2011:

• LifeSize® 220™ Series (LifeSize® Room 220™, LifeSize® Team 220™, LifeSize® Express 220™)

o      With LifeSize Team 220 planned for qualification in calendar Q1, 2011

• LifeSize® Passport™

LifeSize’s interoperability to Microsoft UC platforms means that customers can enjoy a variety of communications services from one single user interface – email, video, chat, or phone. Colleagues, customers, partners and other business users can keep in touch with anyone, anywhere regardless of location – meeting or conference room, home office, on the road, or desktop.

“Our partnership with Microsoft is a key component in our vision to extend the highest quality collaboration capabilities to anyone, anywhere, giving customers true simplicity across existing UC platforms,” Craig Malloy, LifeSize Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer & Logitech Senior Vice President. “We look forward to working with Microsoft and continued collaboration in enabling joint customers to fully realize their communications goals.”

LifeSize’s solution qualification will mean  support for Microsoft Office Communications Server, including support for:

o       Authentication and Encryption (TLS/SRTP) for secure, reliable communications

o       Firewall/NAT Traversal via Microsoft Edge Services to ensure issue-free calling outside organizations

o       Auto-configuration: When a system is registered to Office Communications Server, it auto-configures, simplifying deployment to end users

o       Unified presence status with the ability to place and receive calls from one Office Communications Server account between multiple devices (PC or a LifeSize system)

o       Addition of LifeSize systems to contact and buddy lists in the Microsoft Office Communicator view and vice versa

o       Easy placement of calls from LifeSize systems to third-party systems within the OCS environment, using commonly supported video and audio codecs

“Microsoft is pleased to be working with LifeSize to offer customers a more comprehensive UC solution via interoperability with LifeSize video conferencing systems,” said Bill Verthein, Principal Group Program Manager for Lync Devices at Microsoft Corp. “The combination of LifeSize technology with Microsoft UC platforms will enable joint customers to extend their video conferencing ecosystems with service to both conference rooms and PCs. Through our qualification process, LifeSize will become one of the first video conferencing vendors qualified to interoperate with Microsoft OCS.”

LifeSize’s solution immediately offers interoperability with Microsoft® Lync™. Later in 2011, LifeSize will seek increased qualification with Microsoft Lync. Customers will be able to make calls between desktops with Microsoft Lync and LifeSize endpoints, ensuring the most genuine, face-to-face interaction possible, within their existing Microsoft environment and workflow.

Along with this portfolio of enterprise video conferencing products from its LifeSize division, Logitech is offering a broad range of video communications solutions to businesses that are optimized for Microsoft Lync 2010. Logitech UC offerings optimized for Microsoft Lync include: The Logitech® B910 HD Webcam, available now in the U.S. and Europe for $99.99 (U.S.). Logitech plans to introduce Lync optimized corded and wireless headsets in the first half of 2011.

In addition, LifeSize, along with Microsoft, is a founding member of the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF) and is leading the technical working group to define the future of interoperability between leading unified communications solution providers.

More information:

Unified Communications

Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF)