Application Integration

Another component of Enhanced Presence is the automatic availability of presence in other Microsoft products. This means that although a Lync client runs in the background, users are able to see presence for those contacts in Outlook right next to their names. This presence can be seen directly in the context of the mail message, so there is no need to switch between applications to view a user’s presence. Right from the e-mail message or contact card, the user can see the presence and initiate an IM, e-mail, or phone conversation with only one or two clicks of the mouse.

Lync Server can also integrate with Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Outlook Web App to provide presence and IM capabilities directly within the Outlook Web App interface. This allows users to see presence information within the context of e-mail either from the full Outlook client or while using a web browser.

The same rich presence information is also available in Microsoft Office SharePoint where users can view presence in the context of documents and files. The contact card displayed in other applications is the same card and interface displayed within Lync, ensuring users have a consistent view of contacts and presence across any application.

With Lync any kind of telephone number displayed on a web page in Internet Explorer suddenly becomes a hyperlink and can be clicked to initiate a phone call. All of these integration points are not overwhelming by themselves, but collectively create an improved end-user experience unique from any other product.