Ixia (Nasdaq: XXIA) announced that it has been selected by Microsoft as the official provider to qualify mobile devices for use with Microsoft’s Lync application. The expanding use of mission-critical applications encompassing voice, video and messaging is placing increased strain on mobile devices, while at the same time, customer expectations for quality are rising. Ixia’s Wi-Fi device qualification includes rigorous testing in real-world scenarios to ensure that smartphones, tablets and laptops perform as expected when running Microsoft Lync.
News highlights
As a unified communications (UC) platform that provides a single client experience for instant messaging, voice and video chat, Microsoft Lync helps foster collaboration across global enterprise workforces. However, with the explosion of the “bring your own device” (BYOD) trend, applications such as Lync are increasingly being used on mobile devices instead of on desktops. This, coupled with high quality expectations from enterprise users, means manufacturers must be sure that new mobile devices perform as needed.
Microsoft and Ixia are collaborating to test and qualify mobile devices for Microsoft Lync applications using the Ixia Wi-Fi mobile device test solution. As the official testing house for the complete Microsoft Lync Wi-Fi ecosystem, Ixia works directly with Microsoft partners to test and qualify technology used with the UC system following a proven process:
—Over a one-week timeframe, Ixia uses its VeriWave solution to create real-world conditions by emulating a full range of scalable, media-rich application traffic and measuring performance, roaming capabilities, interoperability, and more.
—Once testing is complete, Ixia delivers a qualification report to Microsoft and the technology partner with performance, security and reliability findings. Based on this report, Microsoft determines whether the technology is qualified for use with the Lync platform.
—As a result, Microsoft now has confidence that Lync users will receive high-quality UC services, which equates to an increase in adoption of the powerful and essential collaboration tool.
During the past year, Ixia has worked as the official test house to qualify Microsoft’s Lync application against Wi-Fi networking devices, such as Wi-Fi access points, and has worked directly with Microsoft partners to test and qualify the technology used with the system.
Industry commentary
“Enterprise collaboration tools have become a critical part of today’s working culture, and with the rise of BYOD, a good experience on mobile devices is essential,” said Todd Haugen, Group Manager of Skype Wi-Fi at Microsoft. “Microsoft is driven to ensure our customers have the quality Lync experience they expect, and working with Ixia to qualify the Lync ecosystem – starting with Wi-Fi network devices and now with the associated mobile devices – accomplishes this goal.”
“Mobile usage is growing exponentially with more and more users depending on mobile devices to connect to and use mission-critical tools such as Microsoft’s Lync collaboration suite,” said Joseph Zeto, Director of Product Marketing for Ixia. “Quality of Experience is no longer a ‘nice to have,’ as enterprises and individual users rely on mobile devices to work anywhere and anytime. Working with Microsoft and mobile device manufacturers, Ixia is helping to prepare today’s devices for tomorrow’s applications.”
