Chapter 33. UC Endpoints

Although many administrators might pass over this chapter in the book, it is likely one of the most important. The concept of “user experience” is an oft-overlooked idea and yet vital to a successful Unified Communications deployment. IT success is often measured by metrics and numbers, but they rarely tell the whole story. UC adoption can be viral, but only if the right tools are in place and end users have a quality experience. The backend infrastructure is certainly important; however, end users never see any of it. What they use everyday is a UC endpoint.

UC endpoints encompass a wide range of devices. Although some people argue that PCs should be included, my personal experience suggests that they provide a poor experience and a dedicated, purpose-built device such as a headset or an IP/USB phone should be used for an optimal experience. For that reason, we’ll leave laptops and PCs out of the discussion in this chapter.

Microsoft ensures that specific devices meet set user-experience quality levels through a third-party test and evaluation process. These devices are labeled “Optimized for Microsoft Lync.” Without getting into a sales pitch over what’s the best, the key point here is to recognize that devices certified to work with Lync are sure to provide a quality end-user experience. In addition, the Lync client will always prefer “Optimized for Microsoft Lync” devices over standard devices. At the writing of this book, Microsoft lists close to 100 optimized devices ranging from wired and wireless headsets to webcams to IP phones to conference devices. Lync optimized devices are literally plug-and-play. The Lync client finds them automatically as soon as they are plugged in and starts using the device immediately. This chapter covers a wide range of devices, including these:

• Standalone IP phones

• USB headsets, speakerphones and handsets

• Webcams

• Conferencing devices

Finally, the chapter concludes with best practices for choosing and deploying UC endpoints for various scenarios.