Devices for your OCS deployment
I think that one of the most important factors on getting success in rolling out OCS as your primary voice plat form in the business is to choice the right device for your users.
First of all it must be plug and play, I don’t only mean that it should be drivers less but also it must be trimmed with the right microphone and speaker volume pr. default, by that 80-95% of your users don’t have to configure their new audio device, it’s really just plug and play.
- And then there is the choice of type device, wired or not wired.
- Everybody wants wireless and the “hip VIPs” people what’s just a little era plug inn.
USB wired headset will work every time you plug it in the laptop, you can travel with it, and if you choice stereo headset it can be used music and webcast as well.
- Stereo headset is perfect for long live meetings, the chance for interrupting sounds and noise are minimum, (yes you look like a “nerd” with that type of headset on J)
- Wireless headsets are perfect for the user only working from their desktop, and have an everyday desk. (But remember to plug the headset in to the dock or it will run out of battery just when you need it) and the dock solution isn’t that useful when traveling.
- The device must have a pickup button especially for heavy phone users, and if your get an incoming phone call and aren’t login. Don’t go the Skype way, your buy a low price headset and say “that’s good enough for my users” because I need to keep my investment founding low, this will never be a success and your TCO will be bad by running down that road, because your support cost will grow due to that decision.
- Are you implementing Nortel Convergence Office with Dual forking and Remote Call Control (In Convergence Office solution it’s up to user what device that they will use, Normal phone or Communicator) A good device could be the GN 9350 this device is a “dual” device that can be used for Communicator and the “old” phone at the same time, this lower the cost and could be a way to moving your users from using the old phone “like they always do” to using Communicator as their primary “phone”. And if they should use Web conferencing with Audio, they need a good headset.
- For users that are VERY glad for the PHONE, you know a handset you can “smack” on when you have ended a very bad phone call J you could choice the Catalina (from Nortel=IP8501 and from Polycom=CX200) this is a phone just without the number pad, and in the back it is possibly to plug some of the old headset with the RJ4 plug, my experience is that the sound in the old headset plugged in, wasn’t the best.
- Someone was comparing Catalina and Tanjay with a B&O design,……….. hmmmm I come from B&O’s home country…….. And it’s NOT B&O design, maybe a “wannerbe” but not for real.
- My conclusions don’t keep the investment down by choosing low end devices for your OCS deployment, and this could be the biggest investment in the OCS budget, but that’s the case in any IPT solution you choice.
- Test a lot of devices and find 2-3 that are perfect and not to advanced and they must be “real plug and play” if you find devices that aren’t that support costly the broader range of device you can give you users to choice from without it will influence on your TCO.
- Find devices optimized for Microsoft Office communicator here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/ocs/bb970310.aspx
- In my daily work I "OCSrun" on Nortel CS100 Rel 5.5 with GN 2000 as my traveling device and GN 9330 at my office, (yes I have two devices that because I am a OCS Nord J actually I have more but I primary use those ) btw: I love my GN 2000 it works every time and it never run out of battery .
- I have tested a lot of the Microsoft OC ready devices Tanjay, Catalina; CX100, Roundtable unfortunately not any Plantronics devices because they didn’t exists at the OCS 2007 TAP time zone, over all devices optimized for Microsoft Office communicator are working very well when used in the right way/place.
