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Exchanging live voice and video over IP (VoIP and Video over IP) has progressed from simply being being a savvy method to cut phone bills to an indispensable technology for collaboration and worker productivity. Unified communications, once restricted to integrating Internet-based voice and faxes on a single network platform in order to replace traditional PBX systems, now includes voice and video, mobile communications, chat, presence, services, and much more all within a cohesive environment that is easy to manage, scalable, highly secure, fault-tolerant, economical, and intuitive.

Cisco is the market leader in providing solutions for supporting the new paradigm of unified communications (UC). Cisco's UC product line enhances the efficiency of IT systems by cutting operational costs; combining multiple collaboration features with familiar software applications to improve worker output; supporting collaboration among workers, partners, and vendors to save effort and improve business results; and simplifying the management of your converged voice and data infrastructure.

Cisco's UC solutions address these main product areas:,

• Call Control Agents for controlling rich media calls and sessions
• VoIP and Video Phones and Softphones to enhance end-user engagement
• Unified Communications Applications for more productive access to real-time, chat, voice and video, voice messages, white boarding, and voice/video conferencing
• Communications Gateways for connecting to public networks and teleworkers

Call Control Software - Unified Communications Manager (CallManager)
Cisco's call-processing agent is the core of the Cisco IP Communications portfolio and gives you the flexibility to deploy a central call-processing design, a decentralized design, or a combination of both. In a centralized deployment, Unified Communications Manager (UC Manager or CUCM) expands enterprise phone capabilities to packet telephony network devices such as VoIP handsets, media management devices, VoIP gateways, and multimedia applications throughout the IT environment. Unified Communications Manager enables extra multimedia functions such as unified messaging, video conferencing, and collaborative client communication networks.

The most recent release of Unified Communications Manager, previously known as CallManager, offers a variety of improvements that accelerate ROI by cutting administrative and maintenance expenses, increasing worker productivity, enhancing teamwork, supporting the bring-your-own-device style of working, strengthening security, and making efficient use of network infrastructure. Headline innovations include Global Dial Plan Replication (GDPR), streamlined certificate management, extended support for standards-based single sign-on for administrators and end users, device-independent call recording, mobile access with no need for VPN, a new self-provisioning interface that makes it easy for end users to select their options for all of their devices, and support for Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol for mobile clients.

In cases where you deploy a central Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster to control voice processing for customers at remote sites, administrators can help ensure non-stop phone availability using Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony, an IOS Software image for routers. If a WAN connection breaks, Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony incorporated in the Cisco router provides core Unified Communications Manager services until the connection is restored. For a description of Progent's consulting services for Cisco routers, see consulting support for Cisco routers.

For small businesses, branch offices, and retail environments that do not need the complete feature set offered by Unified CM, Unified Communications Manager Express, previously known as CallManager Express provides an economical solution that handles the needs of locations with as many as 450 users. Since Unified Communications Manager Express Unified Communications Manager Express (Unified CCX) is embedded in the IOS Software operating on a Cisco Integrated Services Router (ISR), smaller offices can rapidly implement a converged voice/data environment.

Cisco's BE6000 is a line of one-stop platforms that provide essential collaboration capabilities including routing, gateway, high definition voice and video, messaging, instant messaging and presence, conferencing, and paging support, enabling any user to collaborate on any endpoint from any place. All Business Edition 6000 systems come preloaded with a virtualization hypervisor and collaboration applications, making deployment fast and simple and cutting operating expenses for companies with from 25 to 1000 employees. All systems are shipped preconfigured with virtualization and UC applications software. Organizations can instantly enable UC software applications when their requirements grow.

The entry-level Business Edition 6000S includes five preselected unified communications applications preloaded on one integrated router/IP gateway/virtualized E1600 M2 server device and supports up to 150 workers and 300 endpoint devices. The mid-market BE6000M includes four UC software application options enabled on a single virtualized Cisco UCS C220 M4 server platform and supports as many as 1000 users, 1200 endpoint devices, and 100 contact center agents. The high-end BE6000S includes 8 UC application options enabled on a single virtualized Cisco C220 M4 server platform and has the ability to support up to 1000 users, 2500 endpoint devices, and 100 contact center agents.

For additional information about Progent's expertise with Unified Communications Manager (CallManager), visit Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco CallManager design, configuration, migration and troubleshooting.

Cisco IP Phones: VoIP and IP Media Endpoints
A communications endpoint is a user instrument, either a hardware handset or a soft phone application on a PC or handheld computer. In the IP world, each IP phone is Ethernet connected. VoIP phones have all of the capabilities that a conventional telephone has, but Voice over IP phones can also offer extra functions such as the ability to connect to websites or host collaboration software.

Unlike traditional Private Branch Exchange technology, in a Cisco IP telephony environment you can perform virtually instantaneous moves, adds, and changes. You merely take the IP phone to your new spot, attach it to an Ethernet jack, and the phone registers itself with Cisco Unified Communications Manager. All user privileges and settings are automatically replicated, eliminating the expense and delay of dispatching technicians to wiring closets. An additional helpful feature is extension mobility, which allows you to log into any Cisco IP phone and receive your personal phone extension and rights.

Cisco offers a broad range of collaboration handsets. The low-cost SPA 300 family are basic IP and Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) phones offering wide-band voice, compatibility with hosted Internet Protocol phone systems or an IP PBX, easy installation and safe online provisioning, in-service software updates, and browser-based set up. The value-priced SPA301 is a one-line IP endpoint with no screen or speakerphone function, a base dialer with a single Ethernet port, and a wired handset without a keypad. The SPA302D, designed solely for use with Cisco's SPA232D DECT ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), is a multiple-line cordless DECT IP phone that offers 10-lines, a 176 x 220 color display, and a keypad with speakerphone capability. Cisco's SPA303 is an entry-level three-line IP phone with dual Ethernet ports, a 128x64 monochrome graphical display and a speakerphone.

Cisco's SPA500 line IP phones are low-cost devices that support SIP and SPCP signaling protocols, two integral switch ports, speakerphones, Power over Ethernet, and conferencing capability. Most versions have a 128 x 64 mono screen display, The SPA501G has eight lines and has eight programmable buttons but no hi-res display. The SPA502G VoIP phone supports a single line and has no programmable keys. The SPA504G IP Phone supports four lines and has four soft keys. The SPA508G IP Phone supports eight lines and eight soft keys. The SPA509G VoIP phone supports 12 lines and features 12 soft buttons. The SPA512G IP Phone supports four lines, no soft buttons and supports 10/100/1000 Ethernet. The SPA514G VoIP phone 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 keys.

Cisco's IP Phones 3900 Series and IP Phones 6900 Series are specialty VoIP devices designed for infrequent-use settings such as cafeterias, hallways, and conference centers. The Unified SIP Phone 3905 IP Phone features a 128 x 32 pixel mono screen, a 10/100 Ethernet switch, a speakerphone, and Power over Ethernet. The bare-bones Cisco Unified IP Phone 6901 is a single-line device with no screen and requires a hook switch for transferring a call and joining a conference.

Cisco's 7800 Series of budget-priced IP phones are VoIP desktop endpoints featuring backlit mono screens, four soft keys, 11 dedicated keys, an Ethernet port with PoE, and an integral speakerphone. Cisco's 7800 Series IP Phones support only the SIP signaling protocol. All devices in Cisco's 7800 Series feature the same high-fidelity speakers and microphones as Cisco's 8800 Series IP phones to provide a state-of-the-art audio solution. Cisco's EnergyWise power-save feature, offered on the higher end 7800 models, reduces off-hours energy usage by up to 60 percent. The Cisco IP Phone 7811 is a single-line VoIP phone designed for common areas and for employees with occasional-to-light voice communications requirements. The IP 7811 VoIP phone comes with a 3.28-inch 384 x 106 screen and a narrow-band speakerphone. Wideband audio is offered through an optional handset. Cisco's IP Phone 7821 is a dual-line endpoint with a 396 x 162 display. The IP Phone 7841 is a four-line phone with a 396 x 162 display and is the only model in the 7800 line that provides Gigabit Ethernet. The top-of-the-line IP Phone 7861 is a 16-line device intended for administrators, contact center personnel, and supervisors who have heavy voice communications requirements.

Cisco Unified IP Phone 7900 Series are dual-protocol (SIP/SCCP) media devices with a 320 x 240 color screen, a 1xGb Ethernet switch, Class 3 Power over Ethernet, 10 fixed-feature buttons and a speakerphone. The Cisco Unified IP Phone 7945G is a two-line device and the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7965G supports four lines. Both IP phones include a 5-inch display and four programmable buttons. The Cisco Unified IP Phone 7975G device is an eight-line IP voice and video phone with a 5.6-inch touch screen and five programmable buttons.

Cisco's IP Phone 8800 Series is a line of SIP-only endpoints that features desktop devices, a conference IP phone, and mobile wireless IP Phones. The desktop units 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. Cisco's 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 PoE. Cisco's IP Phone 8845 features a WVGA color display, 720p HD video, an adjustable camera, Bluetooth, Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice, and supports Class 2 Power over Ethernet. The Cisco IP Phone 8851 has a WVGA color display and one USB port with charging capability, supports Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice and Class 3 PoE, and is available in Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth models. The Cisco IP Phone 8861 has a WVGA color display, Bluetooth, dual USB connections with charging capability, and supports Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Class 4 PoE. The Cisco IP Phone 8865 has a WVGA color display, 720p HD video, a tiltable camera, Bluetooth, dual USB connections with charging capability, and supports Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice, Wi-Fi, and Class 4 Power over Ethernet.

Cisco's wireless IP phones are industrial-grade Wi-Fi handsets intended for workers who are on the move within campus, warehouse, retail or other environments where IT management wants user endpoints that offer more control, data security and ruggedness than is possible with the BYOD style of mobile collaboration. Cisco's 8821 and 8812-EX wireless IP phones provide mobile onsite users the benefits of voice over wireless LAN communications in environments with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi infrastructure. The 8821 Wireless IP Phone features a hi-res color display, a rugged shell designed for shock resistance and IP67 for dust and moisture resistance, long-life batteries, a built-in full-duplex speakerphone, and an integrated Bluetooth radio for hands-free operation with wireless headsets. Cisco's 8821-EX Wireless VoIP Phone adds anti-sparking protection for use in hazardous work sites. Cisco's 8821-EX also has a shell fabricated out of yellow plastics, which makes the device easier to locate in a crisis. Learn about Progent's Cisco Wireless IP Phone integration consulting.

Cisco's discontinued 9900 Series of powerful VoIP endpoints combine high-definition voice with business-grade color displays to provide a productive multimedia communications solution for managers and executives. Both IP phones in this family have an SD 24-bit color screen, a Bluetooth 2.0 transceiver to support a broad choice of headsets, and a built-in 1 GE Ethernet port. The Cisco Power Save feature is offered as an option and can lower off-hour energy consumption by as much as 90 percent. The Cisco IP Phone 9951 features a 5-inch screen and supports up to 2 IP Expansion Modules for adding scalability to customizable line and function keys. The IP Phone 9971 features a 5.6-inch screen, a built-in 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi transceiver for deployment with voice-over-wireless LAN environments, and 4 programmable touchscreen keys to access Cisco Unified Communications features. The 9971 VoIP phone allows up to 3 IP Expansion Modules for adding customizable line and function keys.

Unified Communications Applications
Within Cisco's Unified Communications architecture, IP phone, video, and other UC applications are isolated from the call-processing and voice-processing infrastructure, and they may be anywhere within the system. A cohesive connectivity infrastructure offers an open environment for feature-rich applications and serves as a firm basis for future convergence-based software. Cisco cooperates with third-party IT industry vendors to provide a wide range of IP phone and video applications and products. Cisco also supports the ability to create and administer specialized internal programs.

Unified Communications application software available from Cisco and supported by Progent's consultants include:

Jabber
Jabber is a converge media application that provides presence, IM, voice, high-definition video, voicemail, desktop sharing, and real-time conferencing functions for Windows PCs, Apple Macs, Apple and Android tablets plus iPhones, Android phones, and Blackberries. Jabber is an evolution and integration of the Unified Personal Communicator, Cisco Mobile, and Cisco WebEx Connect, with important enhancements to HD video features and desktop sharing, and extending the collaboration environment to additional operating systems and endpoint hardware. Cisco Jabber operates in conjunction with Unified Communications Manager for call control, Cisco Unified Presence for IM and presence, Cisco Unity Connection for voicemail and automated attendant, and Cisco WebEx Meeting for conferencing.

Because Cisco Jabber is based on popular communication standards, it can communicate with a broad selection of third-party platforms. As an example, Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol allows Cisco Jabber users to exchange IM and presence information with other XMPP clients including as Adium, IBM Sametime, and Microsoft Lync and Office Communications Server. Cisco Jabber features are available from Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook and SharePoint. This extensive platform compatibility optimizes productivity by providing a consistent user experience and fully enabling the BYOD paradigm of networking. Progent offers the assistance of Microsoft-certified Exchange and Outlook consultants and SharePoint application developers who can show you how to integrate Jabber with Microsoft's popular collaboration platforms. Progent also offers help with iPhone and iPad integration as well as Google Android phone and tablet integration to assist you to increase the business value of your BYOD environment.

WebEX Meeting Center
Cisco WebEx Meeting Center provides web conferencing for participants using a web browser or virtually any PC or mobile computer. Cisco WebEx Meeting Center is offered as software as a service through Cisco's WebEx Cloud. This makes it simple to deploy and expand, reduces the cost of management, eliminates heavy up-front expenditures, features maximum uptime and enterprise-grade data protection, and provides fast performance. Key features include the ability to share discrete content or your whole screen with remote participants in real time, the capability to add rich media into presentations including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, session recording plus editing and playback for training, single sign-on (SSO) and integration with Cisco collaboration applications like Cisco Jabber and TelePresence, plus stringent data protection and encrypted access with strict policy management.

Cisco WebEx Meeting Center works with Microsoft Windows, Mac, and Linux desktops and notebooks and allows mobile users to launch, schedule, and participate in meetings on Android smartphones and tablets, Apple iPhones and iPads, BlackBerry phones, and Microsoft Windows Phone. You can also launch online conferences with a few clicks from Microsoft Office, Outlook, Notes, and a selection of IM applications.

Cisco TelePresence Portfolio for In-house Teleconferencing Ecosystems
For medium-size organizations and enterprises who wish to create a local or hybrid local/cloud environment for teleconferencing, Cisco provides a portfolio of Cisco TelePresence products that deliver high-quality and standards-based video conferencing for participants with virtually any IP endpoint at any location. Cisco TelePresence Server is an expandable teleconferencing bridge that runs in conjunction with Cisco Unified Communications Manager to provide multiparty video, audio and content sharing to unified communications environments and can expand meetings to include cloud-connected WebEx Meeting Center participants. Cisco TelePresence Conductor software simplifies the control of the way video conferencing bandwidth and features should be rationed for each attendee, enabling administrators to specify the exact service level and user experience needed for each user. Cisco TelePresence Content Server collects video conference presentations for live distribution as well as video on demand viewing.

Cisco Unity Connection Platform and Unity Express for Converged Voicemail and Automated Attendant
The Cisco Unity Connection, an integrated extension of Unified Communications Manager, is a unified voicemail solution that promotes collaboration by offering flexible set of options for retrieving voice messages within a framework that is simple to implement and administer. Unity Connection lets you access and manage your voicemail messages from your email inbox, web browser, Jabber, a Cisco Unified VoIP endpoint, a smartphone, or an iPad or tablet. Cisco Unity Connection also offers sophisticated speech-recognition features for hands-free management and extensive Automated Attendant capabilities such as smart routing for incoming phone calls and easily customizable call-screening and message-alert settings. The Cisco Unity Connection system runs as a fully virtualized system that can be hosted on a BE6000 server or a Cisco SRE 910 router blade service module and can accommodate as many as 20,000 voice mailboxes on each server.

Unity Express (CUE), available in certain Cisco Integrated Services routers, offers affordable voicemail, integrated messaging, interactive voice response, and greeting functions for small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) and enterprise satellite offices with as many as 500 voice mailboxes. Unity Express permits users to manage voicemail via a Cisco Unified IP Phone screen, your web browser, or your email system. Integrated Services Routers for which Unity Express is available as an advanced integration module include Cisco's 1861, 2800, 2900, 3800, and 3900 families. Progent can provide certified consulting and support services for all ISR routers.

Cisco Unified Contact Center
Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise (Unified CCE or UCCE) works with Unified Communications Manager and agent desktop apps such as Finesse to provide automatic call distribution (ACD) capabilities that allow an organization to connect customers with the right salesperson or service representative. Unified CCE or UCCE provides intelligent call distribution, computer telephony integration (CTI), support for multichannel customer contact management, network-wide call queuing, IVR and consolidated enterprise-wide reporting to simplify the deployment and management of a modern contact center. Cisco platforms incorporated in Unified CCE's client contact management ecosystem include Cisco Unified IP Phones, Cisco Voice Gateways, and Cisco network infrastructure.

Cisco Unified Contact Center Express (Unified CCX) provides an out-of-the-box bundle for building a customer contact center for branch or midmarket deployments that support up to 400 agents. Multiple bundles are offered, plus a selection of special options. Unified Contact Center Express works with Cisco Unified Communications Manager and provides intelligent call routing, client management, integrated reporting, interactive voice response, and management of voice, email, chat, and social media inquiries. Unified CCX comes with Cisco Finesse, a browser-based desktop agent that needs no client-side software setup. Optional enhancements include conditional routing, expected-wait-time announcements, and quality management.

Cisco Mobile Connect and Single Number Reach (SNR)
Mobile Connect, popularly known as Single Number Reach (SNR), makes it possible for users to be called via one phone number that rings at the same time on their Cisco VoIP Phone and their cell phone. Users can switch live conversations between their Cisco IP phone and their mobile phone seamlessly. Unanswered calls can be redirected to a Unity or Cisco Unity Connection voicemail account. Users can create personal access lists that specify which calls are directed to different phones.

Cisco Prime Collaboration
Prime Collaboration Provisioning offers an automated process for initial deployments and for follow-on moves, adds, changes, and deletions. An intuitive interface delivers a unified view of a subscriber and the user's services. Prime Collaboration significantly accelerates site rollouts and reduces the time needed to implement ongoing changes. Prime Collaboration also provides advanced analytics including application adoption and usage trends, enabling organizations to optimize IT resources and further reduce TCO.

Cisco Collaboration Gateways
Cisco's collaboration gateways allow Cisco Unified Communications environments to connect with other networks and with users working outside the corporate firewall. Cisco's line of communication gateways provide unified communications services for a wide variety of gateway as well as session-border-control deployments.

Communications gateways offered by Cisco and supported by Progent include:

Cisco Expressway Collaboration Gateway
Cisco's Expressway is a powerful collaboration gatekeeper that allows companies to allow employees, suppliers, customers and prospects, or business partners who are using different network environments, collaboration platforms, or endpoint devices to access to Unified Communication features. Cisco's Expressway gateway works with a Cisco Communications Manager deployment or Cisco BE6000, or can be accessed through the cloud with Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution to help make collaboration more pervasive. Key capabilities of Expressway are include:

• Mobile and Off-site Connectivity: Off-site users who have any Jabber-compatible device or telecommuters with Cisco TelePresence endpoints have the convenience of one-time sign-on and of Transport Layer Security (TLS) and are able to access all their collaboration workloads (high-definition video, voice, content IM, and presence) without requiring the inconvenience a VPN. In addition, teleworkers have the ability to use their Cisco TelePresence endpoints without a VPN, providing a user environment at home that is the same as the corporate office.
• Jabber Guest Support: Expressway is integral for enabling Cisco's Jabber Guest, which permits “guests” to interact with your business simply and safely using 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 offering support for Cisco Collaboration Meeting Rooms, Cisco Expressway deliver an advanced, scalable meeting experience that transparently combines high-quality voice, video, and content sharing to any client, anywhere, on any device.
• Interoperability: In case your company currently has third-party video systems, Expressway can assist you to move easily to a Cisco solution when you choose. Cisco Expressway offers video interoperability with industry standard H.323, H.264 Scalable Video Coding, or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) environments. Gateway capabilities supported by Expressway include IPv4 to IPv6, H.323 to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and Microsoft Lync 2013 H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) to H.264/AVC.

• Cisco WebEx Cloud Connected Audio for SIP-media-connected conferencing
• Voice and Video recording
• Enterprise Call-center and IVR solutions
• Policy-based security evaluation of phone calls
• B2B telepresence over SIP

Cisco's End-of-Life UC520, UC540 and UC560 VoIP Gateways
The end-of-life Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series is an early VoIP and unified communications solution for small businesses. UC500 packages provide voice, data, voicemail, automated attendant, video, firewall, and WiFi functionality, work with older Cisco VoIP phones, and support various public switched telephone network (PSTN) interfaces.

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

Progent's Cisco-certified VoIP consultants can assist you to support your legacy UC500 VoIP system or plan and implement a smooth upgrade to a modern IP telephony and voicemail system such as the Cisco Business Edition 4000.

How Progent Can Help You with Cisco VoIP and IP Media Phones, CUCM, and Video Conferencing
Progent offers online or on-premises help from a certified CCIE Collaboration expert to help your business to design, install, manage and repair converged communications environments that incorporate Cisco Unified Communication technology in an in-house, distributed, or hybrid environment. Progent's Cisco engineers have extensive backgrounds supporting Cisco Unified Communications Manager and CallManager, Voice over IP and video phones and soft phones, UC applications such as Cisco Jabber and Unity Connection, Cisco's teleconferencing products, collaboration gatekeepers, tools incorporated into Cisco switches and routers. Progent can also offer expertise with technologies such as Cisco SRST, Cisco Unified Border Element, SIP gateways, Call Admission Control, IP voice trunks, various signaling protocols, and Cisco's AVVID architecture. Progent's SIP infrastructure experts can in addition help you to build SIP infrastructure environments that incorporate SIP IP voice phones and media endpoints, SIP trunks, and SIP management tools via Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Progent's custom application developers can create specialized unified communications software that will help your business to integrate the telephony capabilities of Cisco Unified Communications Manager into your business processes for enhanced efficiency. Progent can audit your existing network and Internet connectivity infrastructure to make sure your system is configured to accommodate high-quality VoIP and HD video, help you to choose and install Cisco products that make sense for your present situation and future expansion goals, and interface your Cisco collaborative communications products with products from other vendors. Progent's CISSP-ISSAP certified network security consultants can assist you to create, carry out, and validate an enterprise-wide security plan for your unified communications solution. Also, Progent can assist your organization to deploy Cisco fault-tolerant technologies such as Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST) to provide affordable call control redundancy in remote-branch and home-office sites, and Progent's disaster recovery and business continuity preparedness experts can help you create a sensible disaster recovery plan to protect your business-critical unified communications system.

Cisco Unified Communications Manager/CallManager Migration Services
Versions of Cisco Unified CM earlier than 8.6 and every version of CallManager have reached end-of-life. Therefore Cisco will cease to develop, fix, or test this older software. Security patches for this pivotal application will end, which in some situations may cause compliance or even legal liability problems.

Progent continues to provide premier support for outdated versions of Unified CM and Cisco CallManager, but if you are now using an out-of-dated version of this pivotal software your organization should start now to prepare for your upgrade. Progent's Cisco-certified consulting professionals can help you to upgrade efficiently to the current version of Cisco Unified CM and can routinely save customers as much as 50% off consulting costs versus most computer service firms because of Progent's documented procedures and hands-on experience in this practice area. By adhering to leading practices, Progent can make sure your organization sees a fast payback on your IT investment by helping you benefit fully from the enhanced feature set, reduced administrative and support expense, more productive collaboration, and tighter security offered by the latest version of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Progent's upgrade services include return-on-investment analysis, project management, pilot testing and validation, Cloud integration, setting up collaboration endpoints from Cisco and third-party suppliers, smartphone and tablet integration, data protection services, streamlined management, disaster recovery planning, network architecture design, staff and user training, and ongoing consulting services and troubleshooting. Progent also offers fixed-priced migration service bundles to make sure your costs are visible and under control.

To see more details about Progent's professional expertise for Cisco technology, pick a subject:

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• Cisco WiFi Controllers Integration Consulting
• Meraki Wireless Access Points Design Services
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Configuration and Technical Support
• Cisco Jabber Migration and Support Services
• Catalyst Switches Consulting and Support Expertise
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• Centralized Management Strategies for Cisco-powered Environments