VCOMM, a subsidiary of internet telephony provider Coms Plc, a UK-based company, has launched Vlync Pilot, a hosted version of Microsoft’s Lync. Vlync Pilot is a fully managed and hosted Microsoft Lync service that comes bundled with 5 user licences and 5 Polycom handsets (per bundle) enabing businesseses to pilot Microsoft Lync.

Vlync Pilot brings full unified communications functions to the desktop in a hosted setup. Another similar offering is from Workflow Communications who told me back in February to be the only hosted Lync provider offering direct SIP trunking. Features in this hosted offering include:  Instant Message conferencing, peer-to-peer voice and video, AV and web conferencing, Federation, desktop sharing, Exchange UM, Outlook Web App, Enterprise Voice and integration into Microsoft Office applications.

Toby Fryer, Sales Director Vcomm says: “Vlync Pilot allows our resellers to offer their clients a real PBX replacement. It’s a white labelled product, delivered as a fully managed service for a very low setup fee. It delivers Enterprise Voice to SMEs who, despite their size, are crying out for this technology.”

The Vlync Pilot service is available to resellers in five-user trial packages costing £500. Each package includes one CX600, CX500 and CX300 plus two CX200 Polycom phones. Resellers also get to keep the Polycom phones once the introductory phase has finished.

According to VCOMM, "Vlync Pilot is the first wave of the overall strategy.  The secondary, impeding launch will be for Vlync Hosted.  This is the natural progression after a successful pilot offering the same functions and features including Enterprise Voice, but on a longer term in line with traditional hosted models."

VCOMM’S Vlync scheme includes a consultancy service for reseller and customer, planning and designing, network discovery, implementation, going live and deployment.

“Resellers tell us that cost is one of the main barriers to selling Microsoft Lync” says Richard Bennett, CEO of Coms plc “Lync Pilot enables enterprise customers to quickly and cheaply trial integrated Microsoft Exchange and Lync and asses the benefits of unified communications for their organisations.”