Microsoft puts finishing touches on updated unified-communications platform

Microsoft released to manufacturing on December 19 Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 (R2),  its core unified-communications platform.

R2 is a “minor” upgrade to OCS 2007, which Microsoft rolled out in the fall of 2007. OCS R2’s official “virtual launch” is February 3, 2009.

Microsoft is billing the R2 update to OCS as furthering its enterprise-voice, conferencing and collaboration and development-platform stories with its unified instant messaging/VOIP/conferencing product. Single-number reach and hosted audio conferencing are among the R2 update's myriad features.

OCS R2 is a 64-bit only product. Customers for the R2 update need both server and client access licenses. According to an update I received from a Microsoft spokesperson:

"The Standard CAL has the IM and presence capabilities including new group IM and rich presence features and costs roughly $21 for the average-size enterprise. The new Enterprise CAL provides all of the new conferencing and VoIP call management features and costs roughly $97 for the average-size enterprise. For most customers, the Standard and Enterprise servers cost about $488 and $2,791, respectively."

Microsoft is close to delivering the R2 update to Office Communicator Mobile 2007. OCS Mobile is the Windows Mobile client for OCS. Sounds like that announcement is imminent, however.

Still no word from Microsoft on Rouge, which are supposedly a set of premium unified-communications services for mobile devices aimed at business customers....