Summary

As we’ve seen in this chapter, there’s a lot more to preparing for a deployment than merely gathering up the software and installing it. Many of the most important steps are the so-called “soft decisions” and the proper presentation of the project to the decision makers. This includes not only those who make the technical decisions but those who make the financial decisions as well. It’s critical to understand the needs of the business and to determine how Lync Server 2010 can address those needs in the best manner. By aligning the technology solutions with the business drivers, one can greatly increase the chances of getting the project approved and of implementing it successfully.

The goal in the preparation phase should be to build an architecture as simple as possible that still meets all the requirements of the environment. By the time the installation occurs, all questions should have already been answered and be accepted by all the project stakeholders. In this manner, there won’t be any surprises because everyone will already know exactly what to expect from the project.

Always take the opportunity to look beyond the design and implementation and to ask questions such as “Who is going to manage this environment?” or “How will we make sure the Help Desk can do their jobs without giving them the ability to break the application?” and plan for those events. By accounting for them in the preparation phase, it’s easier to avoid situations where one has to make suboptimal decisions at the last minute. With Lync Server 2010, it’s especially true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.