IGNITE ACC brings instant messaging capabilities to another level

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. --  Air Combat Command is fielding a collaboration service this fall called Office Communications Server, or OCS, a tool similar to AOL Instant Messenger, to all 80,000 members assigned to ACC in support of the IGNITE ACC vision. 

This program allows Airmen to collaborate using chat, conduct voice or video calls and share desktops with anyone in ACC, along with several major commands that already have federated the capability with ACC. 

The program is different from the Air Force Instant Messenger service now provided on Air Force Portal, said Richard Parris, Headquarters ACC Communications Directorate IGNITE ACC action officer. 

"OCS provides chat, voice, video, shared desktop and most importantly presence," he said. "It's focused on empowering Airmen, changing culture and enabling knowledge. With Office Communicator, you can start an instant messaging session with a single contact or multiple contacts. After you start a session, you can invite other contacts."

Although OCS is only available to ACC users, it's federated with U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Air Force Materiel Command and Air Force Reserve Command, so ACC OCS users can connect to users in any of those commands. 

The program's biggest advantage, Mr. Parris said, is "Presence," a tool that lets someone know if a person is busy, in a meeting, offline or inactive from within any Microsoft productivity application. 

"Presence lets you know if a person is at their desk and available to work with you," Mr. Parris said. "It ties into other applications like Outlook and SharePoint and is connected to your e-mail. So if a calendar has scheduled a meeting, your Presence will automatically change to indicate that you are not available. It's a great time saver, and lets you better choose a mode of communication based on an individual's real-time availability." 

The feature will empower Airmen to determine the best way to get a hold of someone, said Mr. Parris. For instance, if a contact's name status is "busy," it might be better to send an e-mail or check their contact card to find out when they will be free for a conversation rather than call and get no answer. 

For more information or assistance, people can contact their client system administrators or their base communications squadron.