Office Communications Server 2007 facilitates, unifies, and moderates real-time communication by a variety of methods. Office Communications Server supports instant messaging (IM), presence information, Web conferencing, and telephony, all utilizing pre-existing software and technology in an office environment.

This offering is the enterprise edition, which can support unlimited users and allows individual components to be deployed on dedicated servers. The enterprise edition requires a dedicated back end SQL database on a separate server. The standard edition, also available from TechSoup Stock, runs on a single server and can support up to 5000 users.

Additional processor licenses can be acquired through Microsoft's Charity Open Licensing programme.

Office Communications Server can serve as a hub for all live communications within an organization and with people outside the organisation. Users connected to Office Communications Server can participate in IM and voice conversations and share Office documents. Meetings can be requested and launched through a special menu in Outlook or through a Web interface.

Office Communications Server's IM functionality works with Office Communicator and Microsoft Live Meeting. Additionally, it provides access through a Web-based interface and most popular IM clients, allowing constituents and associates outside of the office to communicate conveniently. When a third user is invited to a conversation, the IM Conferencing Server relays messages among participants regardless of what IM clients the participants are using. The transition to a multiple-user conference is automatic with no cosmetic changes.

Office Communications Server can manage both voice over IP (VoIP) and traditional (PSTN) telephony. Participants may use any combination of physical phones and Office Communicator's voice interface. By adhering to industry telephony standards, Office Communications Server can work within the confines of an organization's existing telephone and PBX systems.

Through close integration with other Microsoft Office products, Office Communications Server supports multiple venues for collaboration and application-sharing. PowerPoint presentations can be utilized and distributed within a Web conference and Office documents can be edited in real time by local and remote participants.

Office Communications Server also accommodates live audio and video conferencing among multiple users. Office Communications Server is compatible with Microsoft RoundTable or any device adherent to RTP or RTCP protocols.

Licence Requirements: This product includes only the license for a server running Office Communications Server. Each user or device that accesses the IM or presence capabilities of Office Communications Server must have an Office Communications Server standard user or device client access license (CAL) or be covered by a standard external connector (EC) license.

In addition to the standard CAL or EC license, each user or device that accesses the web conferencing, telephony, and application sharing capabilities must have an Office Communications Server enterprise user or device CAL or be covered by an enterprise EC license.

Acquiring the License Key: Installing this product requires a license key and installation media. Instuctions for obtaining the license key will be sent to your organisation email address after your eligibility has been verified and your administrative fee has been received.