Cisco Network Consulting

Exchanging live voice and video over Internet Protocol (VoIP and Video over IP) has evolved from simply being being a shrewd way to save money on phone bills to a required technology for collaboration and productivity. Unified IP communications, at one time limited to managing Internet-based voice and faxes on a single platform to take the place of traditional PBX systems, now includes VoIP and video, mobile communications, messaging, presence, collaboration services, and much more all within a single framework that is manageable, extensible, secure, fault-tolerant, cost-effective, and user friendly.

Cisco is the market leader in providing solutions required to support the current model of unified communications (UC). Cisco's UC architecture enhances the productivity of IT systems by slashing operating costs; combining rich media functions with popular software applications to improve worker output; facilitating teamwork among employees, partners, and suppliers to save time and enhance business results; and simplifying the support of your converged voice and data ecosystem.

Cisco's UC technology address several important product categories:,

• Call Control Platforms for controlling rich media calls and sessions
• IP Phones and Softphones to enhance end-user productivity
• Unified Communications Applications for integrated access to real-time, IM, voice and video, phone messages, desktop sharing, and voice/video conferencing
• Communications Gateways for interfacing with public networks and remote users

Call and Session Control Software - Unified Communications Manager/CallManager
The call-processing agent is the core of the Cisco IP Communications infrastructure and provides the versatility to implement a centralized call-processing model, a decentralized design, or a mix of both. In a centralized deployment, Unified Communications Manager (UC Manager or CUCM) extends corporate phone capabilities to packet telephony network devices such as VoIP handsets, media management appliances, VoIP gateways, and multimedia programs throughout the IT environment. Cisco Unified Communications Manager supports extra multimedia functions including unified messaging, video conferencing, and collaborative customer communication networks.

The most recent release of Cisco Unified CM, previously known as Cisco CallManager, offers a variety of enhancements that expedite your return on investment by cutting administrative and maintenance costs, improving user output, enhancing collaboration, supporting the BYOD model of working, strengthening data protection, and allowing optimal use of IT resources. Top new features include Global Dial Plan Replication (GDPR), simplified certificate control, extended support for standards-based single sign-on for managers and users, device-agnostic call recording, on-the-road access with no need for VPN tunneling, a new self-care interface that makes it simple for workers to select their options and preferences for all of their endpoints, and support for Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol for mobile users.

When you implement a central Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster to manage call processing for users at remote locations, administrators can help ensure continuous phone service through Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST), a Cisco IOS Software image for routers. If a Wide Area Network connection breaks, Cisco SRST incorporated in the Cisco router provides basic Cisco UC Manager functions until the link is returned. For information about Progent's consulting support services for Cisco routers, refer to consulting and troubleshooting services for Cisco Integrated Services routers.

For small businesses, branch offices, and retail environments that do not need the full feature set offered by Unified CM, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, formerly named CallManager Express provides a cost-effective PBX alternative that handles the requirements of sites with as many as 450 users. Since Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express Unified Communications Manager Express (Unified CCX) is embedded in the IOS Software running on a Cisco ISR router, smaller organizations can rapidly set up a converged voice/data environment.

Cisco's Business Edition 6000 is a line of one-stop platforms that provide fundamental unified communications capabilities such as routing, IP gateway, premium voice/video, messaging, IM and real-time presence, conferencing, and paging services, allowing any user to collaborate on any endpoint device from any location. All Business Edition 6000 solutions are delivered preconfigured with a virtualization hypervisor and Unified Communications applications, making deployment quick and simple and reducing cost of ownership for organizations with up to 1000 employees. All versions are shipped preinstalled with virtualization and Unified Communications applications software. You can instantly activate collaboration software applications when their requirements grow.

The entry-level BE6000S supports five preselected UC software applications preloaded on one integrated 2921V router/IP gateway/virtualized blade server platform and can handle as many as 150 users and 300 devices. The medium-scale BE6000M includes 4 UC application options activated on a single virtualized C220 M4 server platform and supports as many as 1000 users, 1200 devices, and 100 contact center agents. The high-end Business Edition 6000H Supports 8 UC software application options activated on a virtualized C220 M4 server platform and supports as many as 1000 users, 2500 endpoint devices, and 100 contact center agents.

For more details about Progent's expertise with Unified Communications Manager (CallManager), see Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager design, configuration, migration and troubleshooting.

Cisco IP Phones: VoIP and IP Video Endpoints
A collaboration endpoint is an end-user device, and can be a hardware handset or a software phone application that runs on a PC or handheld computer. In the Internet Protocol world, each IP handset or soft phone has an Ethernet connection. IP phones have all of the features that a conventional phone has, but Voice over IP phones often have extra features such as the ability to access the web or run collaboration software.

Unlike conventional Private Branch Exchange technology, in a Cisco IP telephony environment you can implement almost instant moves, additions, and modifications. All you do is take the VoIP handset to your new spot, plug it into the Ethernet jack, and the phone announces itself with Cisco Unified Communications Manager (formerly CallManager). All client privileges and settings are programmatically re-established, doing away with the expense and hassle of dispatching technicians to rewire connections. Another efficient feature is extension mobility, which allows you to log into any Cisco IP device and receive your personal phone extension and rights.

Cisco provides a wide range of Unified CM hardware endpoints. The low-cost Small Business SPA 300 family are no-frills IP and DECT phones that feature high-quality audio, compatibility with hosted IP telephony environments or an IP private branch exchange, simple deployment and highly secure online installation, unobtrusive software upgrades, and browser-based configuration. The low-end SPA301 is a one-line IP endpoint with no screen or speakerphone, a base dialer that has one Ethernet port, and a wired handset without a keypad. The SPA302D, intended solely for operation with the Cisco SPA232D Multi-Line DECT ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), is a multiline cordless Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) handset that offers 10-lines, a TFT 176 x 220 pixel color screen, and a keypad with speakerphone capability. Cisco's SPA303 is an entry-level 3-line SIP-based IP phone with two switched Ethernet ports, a 128x64 monochrome graphical display and a speakerphone.

Cisco's SPA500 line IP phones are low-cost endpoints with support for both SIP and SPCP signaling protocols, two Ethernet switch ports, speakerphones, Power over Ethernet, and voice conferencing capability. Most models have a 128 x 64 pixel monochrome screen display, The SPA501G has eight lines and has eight soft keys but no LCD display. The SPA502G IP Phone supports a single line and has no soft keys. The SPA504G VoIP phone supports four lines and has four programmable buttons. The SPA508G VoIP phone supports eight lines and eight programmable keys. The SPA509G VoIP phone supports 12 lines and features 12 soft buttons. The SPA512G IP Phone supports four lines, no programmable keys and supports 1xGb Ethernet. The SPA514G supports four lines, has soft buttons, and supports 10/100/1000 Ethernet. The high-end SPA525G2 IP Phone has a 320 x 240 color screen, supports five lines, and has five programmable buttons.

Cisco's IP Phones 3900 Series and 6900 Series are specialty IP voice devices intended for occasional-use settings like lobbies, elevators, and conference facilities. The Unified SIP Phone 3905 IP Phone features a 128 x 32 mono screen, an integrated Ethernet switch, a speakerphone, and Power over Ethernet. The simple Cisco Unified IP Phone 6901 is a one-line endpoint without a screen and requires a hook switch for call transfer and joining a conference.

Cisco's 7800 Series of value-priced IP phones are VoIP devices featuring backlit monochrome displays, four programmable buttons, 11 dedicated buttons, an Ethernet port with Power over Ethernet, and a speakerphone. Cisco's 7800 Series VoIP phones support only the SIP signaling protocol. All devices in the 7800 line feature the same advanced speakers and microphones as Cisco's 8800 Series IP phones to provide a state-of-the-art audio experience. Cisco's EnergyWise power-save feature, offered on the higher end 7800 models, cuts after-hours energy consumption by as much as 60 percent. The Cisco IP Phone 7811 is a single-line VoIP phone intended for shared locations and for workers with occasional-to-light voice communications requirements. The IP 7811 comes with a 3.28-inch 384 x 106 screen plus a narrow-band speakerphone. Wideband audio is available via an optional handset. Cisco's IP Phone 7821 is a two-line phone with a 396 x 162 screen. The IP Phone 7841 is a four-line VoIP phone with a 396 x 162 display and is the only device in the 7800 series that provides Gigabit Ethernet. The top-of-the-line IP Phone 7861 VoIP phone is a 16-line device targeted for administrators, call center agents, and managers who have heavy voice communications requirements.

The Cisco Unified IP Phone 7900 Series are SIP and SCCP media endpoints with a 320 x 240 color display, a 1xGb Ethernet switch, Class 3 Power over Ethernet, 10 dedicated buttons and a speakerphone. The Cisco Unified IP Phone 7945G is a dual-line device and the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7965G features four lines. Both IP phones include a 5-inch screen and four soft keys. The Cisco Unified IP Phone 7975G device is an eight-line media phone featuring a 5.6-inch touch screen and five soft keys.

Cisco's IP Phone 8800 Series is a line of SIP-based endpoints that features desktop units, a conference IP phone, and mobile wireless IP Phones. The desktop models are five-line IP phones featuring a 5-inch 800 x 480 display, a Gigabit Ethernet switch, a speakerphone, four programmable buttons and 12 dedicated keys. The Cisco IP Phone 8811 features a backlit mono display and supports Class 2 Power over Ethernet (PoE). Cisco's IP Phone 8841 features a WVGA color screen and supports Class 2 Power over Ethernet. Cisco's IP Phone 8845 features a WVGA color display, 720p HD video, a tiltable camera, Bluetooth, Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice, and supports Class 2 PoE. The Cisco IP Phone 8851 has a WVGA color screen and a USB connection with charging capability, supports Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice and Class 3 PoE, and is available in Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth models. Cisco's IP Phone 8861 has a WVGA color screen, Bluetooth, two USB ports with charging capability, and supports Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice, Wi-Fi, and Class 4 PoE. The Cisco IP Phone 8865 has a WVGA color display, 720p HD video, an adjustable camera, Bluetooth, two USB connections with charging capability, and supports Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Class 4 Power over Ethernet.

Cisco's wireless IP phones are hardened Wi-Fi devices designed for workers who are on the move within campus, hospitality, retail or other venues where management requires portable phones that offer more administrative control, data security and durability than is achievable with the BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) mode of workplace communications. Cisco's 8821 and 8812-EX wireless VoIP phones provide mobile on-premises users the advantages of voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) technology in workplaces with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi. The 8821 Wireless IP Phone includes a 2.4 inch color screen, a durable case rated Mil-SPEC 810G for shock resistance and compliant with IP67 for dust and splash resistance, extended batteries, a full-duplex speakerphone, and an integrated Bluetooth transceiver for hands-free operation with cordless headsets. The 8821-EX Wireless IP Phone adds anti-sparking protection for potentially combustible environments. The 8821-EX also features a case composed out of yellow plastics, which makes the 8821-EX easy to find in a crisis. Learn about Progent's Cisco Wireless IP Phone integration and troubleshooting support.

Cisco's legacy 9900 Series of high-performance IP endpoints integrate high-definition voice with high-resolution color video to offer a productive collaborative communications solution for knowledge professionals, managers, and executives. Both IP phones in the 9900 family incorporate a Standard Definition 24-bit color screen, a Bluetooth transceiver to work with a broad range of headsets, and an integrated 1 GE Ethernet port. The Cisco EnergyWise power-save feature is optional and can lower off-hour power draw by as much as 90 percent. The IP Phone 9951 features a 5-inch screen and supports up to 2 Cisco IP Color Key Expansion Modules for adding scalability to customizable line and feature keys. The IP Phone 9971 features a 5.6-inch screen, an integrated 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi transceiver for connecting to wireless networks, and four soft-label touchscreen keys to access Cisco UC functions. The 9971 allows up to 3 Cisco IP Color Key Expansion Modules for expanding programmable line and function keys.

Cisco Unified Communications Applications
Under Cisco's Unified Communications platform, IP voice, video, and other converged applications are physically separate from the call/voice processing infrastructure, and they may be anywhere within the network. A cohesive connectivity framework provides a versatile platform for feature-rich applications and acts as a solid foundation for future convergence-based applications. Cisco works with leading technology companies to offer a wide selection of IP telephony and video software applications and products. Cisco also supports the capability to develop and manage customized internal applications.

Collaborative application software available from Cisco and supported by Progent include:

Cisco Jabber
Cisco Jabber is a unified communications client application that supports presence, instant messaging, business-quality voice, video, voice messaging, screen sharing, and online conferencing features for Windows PCs, Apple Macs, iPads and Android tablets plus smartphones. Cisco Jabber is a rebranding and integration of the Cisco Unified Personal Communicator soft phone application, Cisco Mobile, and WebEx Connect, with significant enhancements to video capabilities and desktop sharing, and expanding the team experience to more platforms and endpoint hardware. Cisco Jabber operates in conjunction with Unified CM for call management, Cisco Unified Presence for IM and presence, Unity Connection for voicemail and programmable attendant, and WebEX Meeting for conferencing and online meetings.

Because Jabber is built around key communication protocols, it can communicate with a wide selection of third-party products. For instance, Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) allows Jabber to exchange IM and presence data with various XMPP clients such as Adium for Mac OS, IBM Sametime, and Microsoft Lync. Cisco Jabber features are available from Microsoft Office applications such as Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft SharePoint. This extensive platform support optimizes output by providing a common end-user experience and fully enabling the BYOD model of computing. Progent offers the assistance of certified Exchange consultants and Microsoft SharePoint application developers who can show you how to take advantage of Jabber with Microsoft's premier collaboration platforms. Progent also offers expertise with Apple iPhone integration and management as well as Android smartphone integration to assist your organization to increase the business value of your BYOD environment.

Cisco WebEx Meeting Center
Cisco WebEx Meeting Center enables web meetings for users with a web browser or almost any desktop or mobile computer. WebEx Meeting Center is offered as software as a service (SaaS) via the Cisco WebEx Cloud. This makes it simple to roll out and expand, streamlines administration, eliminates major up-front investment, offers high availability and enterprise-grade data protection, and provides excellent throughput. Important features include support for sharing specific content or your whole screen with online participants in real time, the capability to add multimedia into your presentations including PowerPoint and Flash animations, recording plus playback for future reference and training, single sign-on and integration with other Cisco collaboration applications like Jabber and Cisco TelePresence, plus stringent data protection and encrypted connections with tight policy control.

Cisco WebEx Meeting Center works with Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux-powered desktops and notebooks and permits mobile workers to launch, calendarize, and take part in conferences on Google Android smartphones and tablets, Apple iPhones and iPads, BlackBerry phones, and Windows Phone. Users can also initiate web meetings with a few clicks from Microsoft Office, Outlook, Lotus Notes, and a selection of instant messaging solutions.

Cisco TelePresence Products for In-house Video Conferencing Environments
For medium-size businesses and larger enterprises who wish to create a local or hybrid on-premises/cloud solution for video conferencing, Cisco offers a portfolio of Cisco TelePresence platforms that enable high-definition video conferencing for users with almost any IP endpoint at any location. Cisco TelePresence Server is a scalable teleconferencing bridge that works with Cisco Unified CM to provide multiparty video, audio and content sharing to unified communications deployments and can extend meetings to include cloud-based WebEx Meeting Center participants. Cisco TelePresence Conductor software streamlines management of how teleconferencing bandwidth and features are allotted for each participant, allowing managers to define the exact service level and experience required for each user. Cisco TelePresence Content Server captures video conference presentations for real-time streaming as well as on-demand viewing.

Cisco Unity Connection and Unity Express for Unified Voicemail
The Cisco Unity Connection, an extension of Cisco Unified CM, is a converged voicemail platform that promotes productive collaboration by offering a variety of options for retrieving voice messages within a framework that is easy to deploy and administer. Cisco Unity Connection lets you read and manage voicemail messages from your email inbox, web browser, Cisco Jabber, a Cisco Unified IP endpoint, a smartphone, or an iPad or tablet. Cisco Unity Connection also offers sophisticated voice-recognition features for hands-free operation and powerful Automated Attendant functions such as intelligent routing for inbound phone calls and easily customizable call-filtering and message-notification options. The Unity Connection platform operates as a fully virtualized system that can be hosted on a BE6000 server or a Cisco Services Ready Engine 910 router service module and can accommodate up to 20,000 mailboxes per server.

Unity Express (CUE), available in certain Cisco Integrated Services routers, offers affordable voicemail, integrated messaging, interactive voice response (IVR), and automated-attendant functions for small to medium businesses and corporate branch locations with up to 500 users. Unity Express permits users to manage voicemail using a Cisco IP Phone display, a browser, or an email system. ISR Routers for which Unity Express is available as an advanced integration module include Cisco's 1861, 2900, 3800, and 3900 families. Progent offers comprehensive consulting and support services for all Cisco routers.

Cisco Unified Contact Center
Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise (Unified CCE) works with CUCM and agent desktop applications like Cisco Finesse to provide automatic call distribution features that allow an organization to connect customers with the proper sales or support person. Unified CCE features smart call distribution, computer telephony integration (CTI), multichannel customer contact management, network-wide call queuing, interactive voice response (IVR) and advanced enterprise-wide reporting to streamline the creation and management of a large-scale contact center. Cisco products incorporated in Unified CCE's customer contact management ecosystem include Cisco Unified IP Phones, Voice, and Cisco LAN/WAN technology.

Unified Contact Center Express (Unified CCX) provides an out-of-the-box solution for building a customer contact center for branch or midmarket systems that support as many as 400 agents. Several bundles are offered, as well as a variety of optional advanced features. Unified Contact Center Express integrates with Unified CM and provides smart call routing, client interaction management, reporting, IVR, and management of voice, email, web chat, and social media inquiries. Cisco Unified CCX includes Cisco Finesse, a browser-based customizable desktop agent that requires no client installation. Optional advanced features include call-in-queue, expected-wait-time messages, and workforce and quality management.

Cisco Mobile Connect and Single Number Reach (SNR)
Mobile Connect, popularly referred to as Single Number Reach (SNR), allows users to be reached via a single number that rings at the same time on their Cisco desktop VoIP Phone and their cell phone. Users can switch active conversations between their Cisco VoIP phone and their mobile phone without disruption. Calls that are not answered can be transferred to a Unity or Unity Connection voicemail account. Users can create their own access lists that determine which calls get extended to alternate endpoints.

Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning
Prime Collaboration Provisioning provides an automated platform for initial installs as well as for “day 2” moves, additions, changes, and deletions. An intuitive console provides a single look at a user and the subscriber's services. Prime Collaboration Provisioning substantially accelerates company-wide installations and minimizes the time needed to implement ongoing updates. Prime Collaboration in addition provides advanced analytics including application adoption and consumption trends, allowing organizations to make more efficient use of IT resources and further reduce total cost of ownership.

Cisco Collaboration Gateways
Cisco's communications gateways permit Cisco Unified Communications environments to connect with public systems and with users operating outside the corporate firewall. Cisco's line of gateways deliver unified communications services for all types of gateway as well as session-border-control applications.

Communications gateways available from Cisco and supported by Progent include:

Cisco Expressway Communication Gateway
Cisco's Expressway is a powerful collaboration gatekeeper that enables companies to allow colleagues, suppliers, consumers, or partners who are working on different network environments, workgroup applications, or endpoint devices to access to Cisco Unified Communication features. The Expressway collaboration gateway works with an enterprise Cisco Communications Manager deployment or Cisco Business Edition, or can be accessed via the cloud with Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution to help make collaboration more pervasive. Key features of Cisco Expressway are:

• Mobile and Remote Connectivity: Remote workers who have any Jabber-compatible desktop or handheld computer or telecommuters with Cisco TelePresence endpoints have the convenience of single-sign-on plus Transport Layer Security (TLS) and can access all their collaboration applications (high-definition video, high-quality voice, content instant messaging, and presence) without requiring the inconvenience starting a VPN connection. In addition, teleworkers can use their Cisco TelePresence endpoints without a VPN, delivering a user experience at home the same as the office.
• Jabber Guest Support: Expressway is integral for supporting Cisco's Jabber Guest, which makes it possible for “guests” to communicate with your business easily and securely via lightweight web-browser and mobile multimedia phone calls.
• Cisco Cloud Connectivity: Cisco Expressway can act as a gateway that connects between on-premises Cisco or non-Cisco collaboration solutions and Cisco's WebEx cloud. By supporting Cisco Collaboration Meeting Rooms, Expressway offers a world-class, scalable meeting experience that seamlessly integrates high-quality voice, high-definition video, and content sharing to any client, anywhere, using any endpoint.
• Interoperability: In case your company currently has third-party video technology, Expressway can assist you to migrate efficiently to a Cisco solution whenever it makes business sense. Cisco Expressway provides video compatibility with industry standard H.323, H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC), or Session Initiation Protocol environments. Gateway standards supported by Cisco Expressway include IPv4 to IPv6, H.323 to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and Microsoft Lync H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) to MPEG-4/H.264 AVC.

• Cisco WebEx Cloud Connected Audio for high-capacity SIP-based audio conferencing
• Voice and Video recording
• SIP-based Call-center and interactive-voice-response applications
• Policy-led evaluation of voice calls
• B2B immersive telepresence over SIP

Cisco's End-of-Life UC520, UC540 and UC560 VoIP Phone Systems
The end-of-life Cisco Unified Communications 500 product line is a VoIP and unified communications appliance and software package for small organizations. UC500 packages provide voice, data, voicemail, auto attendant, IP video, firewall, and WiFi functionality, work with older Cisco VoIP endpoints, and support PSTN interfaces.

All of Cisco's UC500 series bundles include a desktop switch with 8 Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) interfaces plus additional FXS and FXO ports, a firewall, and VPN. Built-in WiFi is an option. User capacity can be increased by connecting with Cisco Catalyst Express switches. Every UC500 offering also includes licenses for Cisco Unified Communications Manager for VoIP call processing and Cisco Unity Express software for voice messaging and automated attendant. The Cisco UC520 system supports 8 to 16 users and incorporate 4 FXS and 4 FXO interfaces. The Cisco UC540 package allows 32 clients and has 8 FXO interfaces. The Cisco UC560 package supports 48 VoIP clients and 12 foreign exchange office interfaces.

Progent's seasoned VoIP experts can help you to maintain your legacy UC500 VoIP gateway or plan and carry out an efficient upgrade to a current VoIP solution such as the Cisco cloud-managed Business Edition 4000.

How Progent Can Help You with Cisco VoIP and IP Media Phones, Cisco Unified CM, and Telepresence
Progent can provide online or on-premises access to a certified CCIE Collaboration expert to help you to design, implement, administer and troubleshoot unified communications environments supported by Cisco Unified Communication technology in a centralized, cloud-based, or hybrid environment. Progent's Cisco engineers have in-depth experience integrating Unified Communications Manager and Cisco CallManager, VoIP phones and soft phones, Unified Communications applications such as Jabber and WebEx Meeting Center, Cisco's teleconferencing technologies, communication gatekeepers, utilities incorporated into Cisco switches and routers. Progent can also provide expertise with related technologies such as Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony, Cisco Unified Border Element, H.323 gateways, Call Admission Control, VoIP trunks, various signaling protocols, and Cisco's AVVID architecture. Progent's SIP infrastructure consultants can in addition assist you to build SIP connectivity solutions that include SIP VoIP phones and video endpoints, SIP-based CUBE trunks, SIP conferencing and SIP administration tools with Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Progent's custom application programmers can create specialized unified communications applications that will enable your organization to incorporate the features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager into your company processes for enhanced efficiency. Progent can analyze your existing network and Internet access infrastructure to determine whether your system is configured to support high-quality VoIP and high-definition video, assist you to select and integrate Cisco products appropriate for your present needs and future growth plans, and integrate your Cisco collaborative communications solution with products from other suppliers. Progent's CISSP-ISSAP certified information security consultants can show you how to develop, carry out, and test a comprehensive security plan for your converged communications solution. Also, Progent can help you to deploy Cisco fault-tolerant technologies like Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST) to provide cost-effective call control backup in branch office and telecommuter sites, and Progent's disaster recovery preparedness consultants can help you develop a sensible DR/BC plan to protect your business-critical unified communications system.

Unified Communications Manager/CallManager Migration Services
Versions of Unified CM lower than 8.6 and all releases of its predecessor CallManager have reached end-of-life. This means Cisco will cease to enhance, repair, or validate the product software. Security patches for this business-critical product will stop, which in certain situations may create regulatory compliance or potential liability problems.

Progent continues to provide premier consulting and support for outdated releases of Cisco Unified Communications Manager and CallManager, but in case you are still using an out-of-dated edition of this essential software your organization should begin now to plan your upgrade. Progent's Cisco-certified consulting professionals can assist your company to upgrade efficiently to the latest edition of Cisco Unified CM and can typically save customers up to 50% off consulting expense versus most IT service firms because of Progent's documented process and hands-on experience in this area. By following leading practices, Progent can make sure your company sees a fast payback on your IT investment by helping you benefit fully from the enhanced feature set, reduced administrative and support costs, more engaging collaboration, and tighter security provided by the current edition of Cisco Unified CM.

Progent's upgrade services include return-on-investment assessment, project management or co-management, pilot testing and validation, Cloud connectivity, configuring endpoint devices from Cisco and other vendors, mobile integration, data protection consulting, management automation, disaster recovery/business continuity planning, network infrastructure design, training for IT staff and end users, and continuing consulting and technical support. Progent also offers ultra-affordable upgrade service bundles to make sure your costs are predictable and under control.

To see additional details concerning Progent's engineering help for Cisco networking products, pick a topic:

• Overview of Progent's Cisco Network Support
• Timely Online Assistance from a Cisco CCIE Engineer
• Cisco Firepower Series Firewalls: Integration and Troubleshooting Services
• ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Firepower Services: Consulting and Troubleshooting Services
• ASA 5500 Series Firewall Engineering Support
• Cisco PIX Series Firewall Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco Routers Consulting Services
• Cisco Wireless Engineering Services
• Aironet APs Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi APs Consulting Support
• Catalyst 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless Access Points Solution Design, Deployment and Debugging Support
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Consultants
• Cisco Meraki Wireless APs Design Expertise
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Configuration and Technical Support
• Cisco Jabber Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Configuration and Maintenance Services
• Nexus Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Meraki MS Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco VPN Setup and Troubleshooting Support
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and Cisco CUBE Integration Consulting
• Design Solutions for Cisco-powered Data Centers
• Infrastructure Optimization Services for Internet Service Providers
• Centralized Network Management Strategies for Cisco-powered Infrastructure