Presence

Presence is the core feature of Lync Server and drives or enhances almost every other feature. In its simplest form, presence is defined as the combination of a person’s availability and willingness to communicate at any given time. This presence is published to colleagues and peers. It is what enables others to determine an appropriate time to contact a user and which communication modality makes the most sense at that time. A user has complete control over his presence state, which means he can choose when to appear available or unavailable to peers.

Without presence information, users tend to fall back on other communication methods such as sending email messages that say, “Are you free?” or, “Do you have time to talk now?” With presence information at their disposal, users have no need to send these types of messages. With a quick glance, users can see a contact’s presence and make a determination about when it’s appropriate to initiate a conversation. These conversations are not necessarily IM-based; they can be in the form of an IM, a phone call, or a video conference. However, the appropriate time and modality of communication are driven by the presence information. For instance, a user whose presence is currently Busy most likely isn’t going to be receptive to a phone conversation, but might be willing to communicate through IM for a short period.