By Charlene O'Hanlon

If the number of vendors announcing products around Microsoft Lync 2010 is any indication, the next generation of Microsofts Office Communication Server is going to be a hit in the enterprise.

Unified communications and collaboration software vendor Aspect is integrating its Aspect Unified IP contact center platform with Lync 2010 capabilities to provide UC capabilities for agents within the contact center and knowledge workers across the enterprise. 

The upcoming release of Aspect Unified IP will use specific functionality within Lync that will provide increased capabilities to contact center users including Unified Communications Powered Agent Desktop, which will eliminate the need for two separate desktop applications for contact center agents that want to take advantage of Lyncs instant messaging, presence and federation capabilities; UC collaboration for contact center agents, which can be used to initiate desktop sharing between agents in the contact center, supervisors and experts; advanced security of customer information including encryption, access controls and authentication through Active Directory; and support of distributed architecture models to enable data center consolidation and virtualization as well as distributed and work-at-home agents and information workers.

Communications provider Global Crossing announced that its portfolio of SIP Trunking solutions are qualified for Microsoft Lync 2010. The company was one of a small group of qualified SIP Trunking providers worldwide working with beta customers on SIP Trunking testing with Lync Server 2010.

Global Crossing provides customers a portfolio of SIP Trunking services to complement their Lync deployments,” said Kirk Gregersen, senior director of product management, Microsoft Lync in a statement. We are pleased to be working with Global Crossing in bringing cost-effective solutions to customers in transforming their communications.”

Plantronics, meanwhile, announced that its portfolio of unified communications products are now optimized for Lync 2010, and previewed three new products, Calisto 825, Savi 730 and Voyager PRO UC v2.

Calisto 825 is a multi-device speakerphone that connects to a PC and a mobile phone and seamlessly manages calls between them. It also features a wireless microphone that provides speakerphone-audio quality.

Savi 730 is a wireless headset system that connects to multiple devices and enables users to manage all calls from a single headset, unifying communication between a computer, desk phone and mobile phone calls. Users can also listen to any PC-based audio including music players, streaming audio and video, Webinars and podcasts. Savi 730 features a noise-canceling microphone, wideband audio support and DECT wireless technology.

Voyager PRO UC v2 is a headset that connects to a PC and mobile phone and features smart sensor technology that allows users to answer calls simply by placing it on their ear while simultaneously updating their softphone presence to busy. It also includes a mini Bluetooth USB adapter for increased portability. Voyager PRO UC includes noise and wind cancellation on both mobile phones and softphones and supports multipoint technology, enabling users to switch between their mobile phone calls and PC calls with the touch of a button.