Communication tools are important to everyone, but this is particularly true in business and enterprise environments. Rather than relying on email, VoIP, instant messaging and video chats in a number of different apps and services, people are looking for unified solutions that have all of these bases covered in one handy tool — it makes things easier not only for end users, but also for developers.
Microsoft’s offering in this area is Lync, and in a new blog post Microsoft’s Arushi Agrawal explains why the platform is superior to Google’s solution. Singled out for attention is the fact that Google Hangouts relies on third-party applications for many of its capabilities while Lync is a far more tightly integrated option.
Interoperability between Skype and Lync Online means that Microsoft is able to serve hundreds of millions of users and connect enterprise users with customers and other non-business users. Google comes under fire for offering a single communication platform, and one that is only aimed at consumers. To bridge the gap, Google has had to reach out to third parties, but adding new features and support in this way opens up new compatibility, security and usability issues.
Lync takes a far simpler approach that makes things easier to manage — from both Microsoft’s point of view and that of users. There is a level of connectivity that is simply not available through Google. Lync integrates with Office 365, SharePoint, apps and the intranet. This allows for great features such as the ability to see users’ online status, as well as their availability based on calendar entries.
Lync Server is ready to replace traditional office phones which can help to reduce on-going business costs. Support for conference calls involving hundreds of users — something which would be very expensive using other systems. But perhaps the biggest advantage of opting to use Lync is its tight integration with Office — something that no other platform can claim.
Check out the blog post for further information. The measured approached to highlighting the benefits of using Microsoft over Google are a far cry from the likes of the Scroogled campaign — it’s quite a refreshing change.
