Voice Policies

Voice policies in Lync Server 2010 define what features users might leverage with their Enterprise Voice service. This includes options such as simultaneous ringing, team call, or call forwarding. The other main component of voice policies is that PSTN usages are associated with a policy.

From a planning perspective, examine the various options of a voice policy and make a decision on whether multiple policies are required. Policies can be global, assigned to a site, or directly assigned to user accounts.

PSTN usages are the key component of voice policies from a dialing perspective because they control what routes a user account might use. For example, a route might exist that matches a dial string considered as long distance by the organization and a PSTN usage of Long Distance is associated with that route. For a user to successfully dial the number, he must be assigned a voice policy that includes the PSTN usage.

For example, assume Company ABC’s San Francisco office is allowed to dial local numbers beginning only with the 415 area code. A route for the dial string pattern beginning with +1415 exists and is associated with the PSTN usage Local, and the PSTN usage Local is included in the Global voice policy for Company ABC. Now a group of executives must be able to dial long distance numbers to Chicago’s 312 area code, but because they have no PSTN usage that allows this route, their calls will fail. The rest of the office should also not be allowed to dial this area code.

To accommodate the executives, a new policy, route, and PSTN usage must be created. First, create a route that begins with +1312 and is associated with a PSTN usage of Long Distance. Next, a voice policy called Executives should be created, which includes both the Local and Long Distance PSTN usages. Finally, the new voice policy should be assigned to the executive user accounts who require this capability.

Because they now have a voice policy that includes a PSTN usage matching the route, only their Enterprise Voice accounts are able to place calls to the 312 area code. The rest of the San Francisco office will still not be able to make those calls even when the route exists because their voice policy does not include the PSTN usage associated with the route.