A mediation server supports the connectivity between OCS and SIP-based equipment. Each mediation server supports only one gateway. So, if you wanted to deploy OCS with VoIP to multiple locations you would need mediation servers and gateways equal to the number of remote locations. With the Tenor, the UCP allows you to deploy VoIP to multiple locations without needing to deploy a mediation server at each location. The UC Proxy lets you deploy a digital Tenor that may be connected between the PSTN and the PBX, providing connectivity to OCS, with another analog gateway that sits behind it, which is transparent to OCS, providing connectivity for fax machines and other analog or modem-based devices.

But, Quintum has just announced a new Hybrid Tenor which incorporates the mediation server software into the existing Tenor code. This offers a single box solution which simplifies VoIP deployments for Microsoft Unified Communications, and further reduces the total cost of ownership.