Worldwide Microsoft Lync Federation Directory: Who Is Federating in the USA and Beyond?

 

One of the big benefits of Microsoft Lync is the ability to collaborate with ease with those outside your organization. The goal of the Lync Federation Directory Project is to make Lync users and administrators more aware of just how many organizations are available for federation—today.

While other vendors are capable of UC federation, the Microsoft Lync product is the first to bring the benefits and actually deliver federation, a compelling alternative to PSTN, to the masses.

Our opinion is that in UC federation is a communication method alternative to PSTN that is compelling enough to drive replacement of PSTN. While SIP trunks gave an IP alternative to PSTN, it largely delivered the same experience. UC federation gives all the benefits of PSTN plus:

• presence
• easy to remember ID’s like john.smith@company.com
• Instant Messaging
• free calling between organizations
• HD voice calls
• Call voice mail of partner organizations directly
• Video calls
• Desktop sharing and Web conferencing
• free communication to personal networks like LiveMessenger, Yahoo, AIM, Gmail.

What Are People Saying?

• “Love the list and outlook tool of Lync federated companies” @MikeOnUC Mike Sheridan, EVP of Sales at Aspect
• “…even in my contact list…I found some old contacts I didn’t know…have Lync.” --Lync MVP, Tom Arbuthnot in article on WCF Tool
• "I actually get upset when a company doesn't use Lync and I can't federate!" @Maxsanna
• "Loving Lync federation these days..." @ThomasVochten
• ”Lync federation is fantastic. Wish everyone was federated, makes communications SO much easier!” @mbullock
• ”Tried (“Who Can Federate” Tool) today, found several new biz partners I can federate with – great!” @aublumberg
• “…the Who Can Federate tool is an Awesome tool to work out who you can eliminate call charges with” @dave_simm
• “Love this new tool to find OCS/Lync federated contacts!” @xabulon
• On WCF Tool: “Very nice tool, thanks!” @jgelijsteen 
• “Who Can Federate Tool was a great help for me” @stefansustar
• “Fantastic product…extremely useful.” @chrisbrownie

See Who You Can Lync With Using Our WCF Tool App
Using our free, Windows based WCF Tool over at Technet you can scan your own Outlook contact list and get a list of your contacts that are ready and waiting to federate! This tool is powered by the Lync Federation Directory Project’s data and end-user and admin alike can use it with ease.

• Click Here to Get the WCF Tool for Windows/PC
• NEW! Click Here to Get the WCF Tool for Windows Phone

Features of the Directory:
-CTRL+F to Find text
-Click on column header button to sort list



Lync Server federation by organization type.



By Country

How can you help the Lync Federation Directory Project?

• Add your organization to this list by {clicking here} 
• Help yourself and community by seeing who in your Outlook contact list has Lync/OCS by running WCF Tool and submitting entries not currently in Lync Federation Directory Project. Takes 1 min! {click here}
• Promote http://bit.ly/lyncfed
• Do you have a domain list you want us to scan? {Click here} to email us.
• Comment or Tweet how federation helps you.

How to Federate Lync to Other UC Solutions?
Below are some tips for federating to Lync/OCS if you are using a UC solution other than Microsoft

• Gtalk/Gmail IM/P: Click Here (for Lync 2013)
• Cisco CUPS Interdomain Federation: Enable Interdomain Federation
• Webex IM Federation: Webex IM Federation HowTo (page 18)
• PIC Setup Pointers (AOL/LiveMessenger/Yahoo) Click Here
• Sametime Federation: Requires SameTime Gateway from IBM (you will need IBM PartnerWorld account to get download) Click Here for setup docs.
• How to “Federate” to Mobile Phone Text Messaging/SMS: Click Here
• Skype (preliminary via client): Click Here
  

Acknowledgements & Similar Projects

• Original source of inspiration for this Lync Directory was @jiminynzl who had an NZ list but is now a global list as well. See list here..
• To see who's federated in Sweden, Australia Click Here
  

** NOTE: Link to this blog post, do not link to the skydrive file as that may change locations. Your welcome to download the file and use it how you want except for re posting/cross posting.





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