Telecom Italia is the leading provider of telecommunications services in Italy and one of Europe’s largest operators of fiber optic networks. Working with Microsoft Italy, Telecom Italia has helped to deploy Microsoft communications solutions to some of the largest companies inside Italy. To stay up-to-date with the latest technology offerings from Microsoft, the telecommunications firm deployed a proof-of-concept of Microsoft Lync Server 2010 for 100 marketing employees to evaluate the latest capabilities and provide demonstrations for customers. Telecom Italia believes that Lync Server will help employees be more productive and strengthen their relationships with each other and with partners and customers.

1. Microsoft Lync Server 2010
Customer Solution Case Study
Telecom Italia Believes Communications
Solution Strengthens Enterprise Networks
Overview “Customers like how the overall Microsoft
Country or Region: Italy communications solution is taking the form of a social
network. Because that is how they operate in their daily
Industry: Telecommunications
lives, it feels more familiar to them. It helps improve
Customer Profile
Telecom Italia is a telecommunications relationships.”
provider that operates more than 26 Fabio Baglioni, MS Systems Engineer, Telecom Italia
million phone lines in Italy. Based in Milan,
it employs 52,000 people.
Telecom Italia is the leading provider of telecommunications
Business Situation
Telecom Italia is a Microsoft Gold Certified services in Italy and one of Europe’s largest operators of fiber
Partner that deploys communications optic networks. Working with Microsoft Italy, Telecom Italia has
solutions built around Microsoft Office
Communications Server 2007 R2. helped to deploy Microsoft communications solutions to some of
the largest companies inside Italy. To stay up-to-date with the
Solution
Telecom Italia deployed a proof-of- latest technology offerings from Microsoft, the
concept of Microsoft Lync Server 2010 to telecommunications firm deployed a proof-of-concept of
evaluate the features and benefits for its
customers. Microsoft Lync Server 2010 for 100 marketing employees to
evaluate the latest capabilities and provide demonstrations for
Benefits
 Strengthens enterprise networks customers. Telecom Italia believes that Lync Server will help
 Simplifies administration
employees be more productive and strengthen their relationships
with each other and with partners and customers.

2. Situation communications technologies. Its Top
“Federation makes it The Telecom Italia Group operates in all the Clients Marketing division has 10
sectors of the advanced communications demonstration rooms around Italy where
seem as though your chain, with highly developed business in the company deploys proof-of-concept
fixed-mobile communications and the solutions for employees so that they can
partners are right there Internet with the brands Telecom Italia, TIM evaluate products and provide
in the office with you and Virgilio; multimedia and television (La7, demonstrations for customers. Most
MTV Italia); in the office and system recently, the group has been evaluating
every day. It is a great solutions (Olivetti); and in research and Microsoft Lync Server 2010. Lync Server
development (Telecom Italia Lab). With provides enhanced versions of the
way to collaborate.” operations in Europe, the Mediterranean communications capabilities provided by
Fabio Baglioni, MS Systems Engineer, Basin, and South America, the Telecom Office Communications Server 2007 R2—
Telecom Italia Italia Group is one of the largest fixed presence, instant messaging, robust
telecommunications operators, with almost conferencing, and enterprise voice—as well
15.6 million physical lines in Italy and a as improvements in topology, deployment,
broadband portfolio equal to over 9 million and management tools. It deployed the
accesses. The Group has also over 30.6 solution for 100 marketing employees who,
million mobile telephone lines. Abroad, TIM in addition to providing demonstrations for
Brasil is one of the largest operators customers, use the Microsoft Lync 2010
providing mobile telephone and desktop client to communicate with
convergent services for 46.9 million mobile colleagues, partners, and shareholders
lines. every day.
Working with Microsoft Italy, Telecom Italia Solution
helps to configure and deploy Telecom Italia deployed Lync Server 2010
communications solutions for enterprise at its main “Demo Center” in Rome in a
customers. Internally, Telecom Italia has basic configuration with one Enterprise
also deployed several Microsoft solutions front-end server. The company also
to help employees be more productive at deployed an edge server, which enables it
their jobs. For messaging, it implemented to federate with external users who also use
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. For instant Lync Server or earlier versions of Microsoft
messaging and presence awareness, the communications software, or with users
company deployed Microsoft Office Live communicating through public IM clients.
Communications Server 2005 for 40,000 The Top Clients Marketing division uses its
employees. It plans to upgrade Live own Active Directory service, so employees
Communications Server to Microsoft Office in that group can easily chat with and see
Communications Server 2007 R2 for those presence information for colleagues who
employees by March 2011. With Office are using Office Live Communications
Communications Server, Telecom Italia can Server.
provide additional capabilities such as
audio, video, and web conferencing and The group is also federated with technical
desktop sharing to make it easier for partners, shareholders, and subsidiaries.
employees to collaborate with each other. “Federation makes it seem as though your
partners are right there in the office with
Telecom Italia joined the Microsoft you every day,” says Fabio Baglioni, MS
Technology Adoption Program (TAP) to Systems Engineer at Telecom Italia. “It is a
stay up-to-date on the latest great way to collaborate.”

3. For auditing and reporting, the group also Lync Server for video conferencing.
deployed a Monitoring Server, which Telecom Italia supports a program for
collects call detail reports (CDRs); usage customers called “My Communication HD,”
information related to voice over Internet a high-definition video conferencing
Protocol (VoIP) calls; IM messages, audio service. The company hopes to tie in this
and video conversations, meetings, service with Lync Server 2010 deployments
application sharing, and file transfers; to provide high-quality video conferencing
numerical data describing the media with additional capabilities, like desktop
quality on the network and endpoints; and and application sharing, for its customers.
call error and troubleshooting information The Top Clients Marketing employees also
for failed calls. As it works with its proof-of- use the video cameras to communicate
concept, Telecom Italia can use these with customers or to stay in touch with
reports to track usage and to troubleshoot colleagues back at the office when they are
any issues. Because the Monitoring Server traveling.
captures end-to-end call quality
information, it can also produce reports to With Lync on the desktop, users have a
identify potential problems with network single, unified client to access capabilities
equipment and services. With a Monitoring like audio conferencing, video
Server in place, the group can provide conferencing, and desktop sharing. Several
sample reports for customers to show them enhancements to the Lync client provide
how monitoring will help them more of a social networking experience for
troubleshoot issues in their own users, which Telecom Italia believes will
environments. appeal to customers who want to
encourage collaboration. With Activity
Telecom Italia has also deployed a Feed, they can provide additional presence
survivable branch appliance (SBA), which is information for their coworkers and
based on cost-effective media gateways federated colleagues. Through Rich Contact
hosting the Microsoft Survivable Branch Card, they can see organizational
Appliance software package. The SBA information such as people’s managers and
provides a public switched telephone direct reports—and they can also see
network (PSTN) connection that continues people’s pictures.
to provide communications capabilities in
the event of wide-area network failure. The To further demonstrate the social
group is using the SBA to show customers networking and business productivity
how their branch offices can stay aspects of Lync for its customers, Telecom
connected. In addition to the SBA, the Italia has also configured Lync Server to
group is testing other hardware that is take advantage of the interoperation with
optimized to work with Lync Server, such as Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and
the Jabra GN2000 USB headset. Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. Through
Employees—or customers—can use the SharePoint Server or the Lync client,
headset to place and manage calls and employees can use Skill Search to find
conferences through the Microsoft Lync subject matter experts in other
2010 client on the desktop. departments or other regions more easily.
They can also view presence information
Additionally, the Top Clients Marketing through SharePoint Server or through the
division is evaluating the Microsoft HD Microsoft Office Outlook messaging and
LifeCam Cinema video cameras to use with collaboration client. For available contacts,

4. “With Lync Server, employees can click to start an instant Strengthens Enterprise Networks
messaging session or voice call In its Top Clients Marketing division,
administrators have immediately. Telecom Italia also deployed Telecom Italia has directly experienced the
Exchange Unified Messaging, so that benefits of Lync Server 2010. “Our team is
much more intuitive and employees can receive and manage voice- more collaborative, and it’s easier to stay in
user-friendly tools for mail messages through Outlook or through touch with presence because you can see
the voice-mail tab in the Lync client. when people are available. You can talk and
server deployment and solve problems in real time,” explains
Telecom Italia is also evaluating updated Baglioni. By federating with colleagues
management.” deployment and management features in inside the company and at subsidiaries and
Fabio Baglioni, MS Systems Engineer, Lync Server. With Topology Builder, an shareholders, employees can strengthen
Telecom Italia application engineer can quickly define all relationships.
the parameters required to design a new
installation. Topology Builder then Another aspect of Lync Server 2010 that
communicates with the servers to install Telecom Italia believes will benefit
the correct configuration. For customers is the social networking
administrators, the Windows PowerShell direction the solution has taken with the
command-line interface and the web-based interoperation between technologies and
management console provide more flexible features like Activity Feed and Rich Contact
options for managing Lync Server. With Card. “Customers like how the overall
PowerShell, administrators can easily Microsoft communications solution is
automate repetitive tasks, or add or edit taking the form of a social network.
user settings for groups. Administrators can Because that is how they operate in their
use the web-based management console daily lives, it feels more familiar to them. It
to access and manage the Lync Server helps improve relationships,” says Baglioni.
deployment from any location, without the
need to install administrative software. To Simplifies Administration
better define help-desk and administration Telecom Italia has identified several areas
roles, administrators can use the role-based where customers can benefit from eased
access control (RBAC) feature for more deployment and management. “With Lync
granular control over how they assign Server, administrators have much more
permissions. intuitive and user-friendly tools for server
deployment and management,” says
Benefits Baglioni.
With Lync Server 2010, Telecom Italia can
provide its customers with a With Topology Builder, on-premises
communications solution that is easier to installations at customer sites will be much
deploy and manage and helps their easier and customers can feel confident
employees collaborate more effectively and that they have the best configuration for
be more productive at their jobs. “Lync their environment. With the web-based
Server is a communications platform that management console, administrators can
brings many capabilities inside the log on from any computer with a browser
enterprise to help companies succeed at and a network connection to manage Lync
their business,” says Baglioni. Server. They no longer need to install
special tools on a machine to perform
administrative tasks. Another feature that
eases management for administrators is the

5. For More Information Windows PowerShell command-line Microsoft Lync Server 2010
For more information about Microsoft interface. The company expects that Microsoft Lync Server 2010 ushers in a new
products and services, call the Microsoft scripting will make it easier for customers connected user experience that transforms
Sales Information Center at (800) 426- to manage their own deployments, every communication into an interaction
9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft especially because they can easily automate that is more collaborative, and engaging;
Canada Information Centre at (877) 568- common tasks. and that is accessible from anywhere. For
2495. Customers in the United States and IT, the benefits are equally powerful, with a
Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing With Lync Server 2010, Telecom Italia can highly secure and reliable communications
can reach Microsoft text telephone offer its customers a more complete system that works with existing tools and
(TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. communications solution. systems for easier management, lower cost
Outside the 50 United States and of ownership, smoother deployment and
Canada, please contact your local migration, and greater choice and
Microsoft subsidiary. To access flexibility.
information using the World Wide Web,
go to: For more information about Microsoft Lync
www.microsoft.com Server 2010, go to:
www.microsoft.com/lync
For more information about Telecom
Italia products and services, visit the
website at:
www.telecomitalia.com
For more information about Jabra products
and services, call (800) 826-4656 or visit the
website at:
www.jabra.com
For more information about Polycom
products and services, call (800) Polycom
or visit the website at:
www.polycom.com
Software and Services Hardware
 Microsoft Office  Jabra GN2000 headsets
− Microsoft Lync 2010  Polycom CX-Series IP phones
 Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
− Microsoft Lync Server 2010
− Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
This case study is for informational purposes only.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published December 2010