Chapter 3. Feature Overview of Microsoft Lync Server

Lync Server is difficult to summarize in a single phrase, but it can be considered a secure, flexible, and extensible collaboration platform. From many people’s perspective, it is simply considered Microsoft’s instant messaging (IM) product since its inception. However, Lync Server has transformed into a complete Unified Communications (UC) solution for a business that encompasses presence, IM, web conferencing, audio/video (A/V) conferencing, and complete voice over IP (VoIP) services.

This chapter is a high-level overview of what Lync Server provides to an organization. Its features can be deployed together or in pieces, as determined by business requirements. This flexibility is exactly what makes the product so compelling and beneficial to organizations.