Sending real-time voice and video over IP (VoIP and Video over IP) has progressed from simply being being a smart way to cut phone carrier bills to being a strategic technology for productive collaboration. Converged communications, at one time restricted to managing Internet-based voice and faxes on a single system in order to take the place of traditional PBX equipment, today incorporates voice and video, mobile communications, chat, presence, collaboration services, and more within a cohesive ecosystem that is easy to manage, extensible, protected, fault-tolerant, economical, and user friendly.
Cisco is the leader in providing the hardware and software infrastructure for supporting the current model of unified communications (UC). Cisco's UC solution adds to the productivity of information networks by cutting operational expenses; integrating rich media features with popular software applications to improve user output; facilitating teamwork among workers, associates, and vendors to save effort and improve business results; and simplifying the management of your communications infrastructure.
Cisco's Unified Communications solutions cover several important product categories:,
Call and Session Processing Agents - Unified Communications Manager (CallManager)
The call-processing agent is the core of the Cisco IP Communications portfolio and provides the versatility to implement a centralized call-processing model, a decentralized design, or a combination of the two. In a centralized approach, Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UC Manager or CUCM) extends corporate phone capabilities to packet telephony products such as VoIP phones, media management appliances, VoIP gateways, and multimedia applications throughout the network. Unified Communications Manager supports extra mixed media services such as unified messaging, video conferencing, and group-based customer communication networks.
The most recent version of Cisco Unified CM, formerly named Cisco CallManager, includes a variety of improvements that accelerate your return on investment by lowering administrative and maintenance expenses, improving user productivity, facilitating collaboration, accommodating the BYOD model of working, elevating security, and making optimal use of IT resources. Top new features include automatic dial-plan replication and batch provisioning, streamlined certificate management, extended support for standards-based single sign-on (SSO) for managers and users, device-agnostic call recording, mobile access without requiring VPN tunneling, a new self-provisioning utility that makes it simple for workers to select their options and preferences for all of their endpoints, and support for Transport Layer Security and Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol for mobile clients.
In cases where you implement a centralized Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster to control voice processing for users at remote sites, administrators can help ensure non-stop call service through Cisco SRST, an IOS Software image for Cisco routers. If a Wide Area Network connection breaks, Cisco SRST incorporated in the Cisco router offers core Unified Communications Manager capabilities until the connection is returned. To learn about Progent's consulting services for Cisco ISR routers, refer to consulting and troubleshooting support for Cisco Integrated Services routers.
For small business networks, branch offices, and retail environments that do not require the complete functionality offered by Unified CM, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, previously known as CallManager Express offers a budget-friendly PBX alternative that handles the requirements of sites with up to 450 users. Because Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express Unified Communications Manager Express (Unified CCX) is embedded in the IOS Software running on a Cisco router, smaller offices can rapidly deploy a converged voice and data environment.
The Cisco Business Edition 6000 is a line of complete platforms that provide fundamental collaboration capabilities including routing, gateway, premium voice and video, messaging, IM and presence, conferencing, and paging support, enabling any end user to connect on any endpoint device from anywhere. All Business Edition 6000 systems come preinstalled with a virtualization hypervisor and collaboration applications software, making deployment quick and simple and cutting operating expenses for companies with from 25 to 1000 employees. All solutions come packaged preloaded with a virtualization hypervisor and collaboration applications. Organizations can instantly enable UC software applications when their needs evolve.
The entry-level Business Edition 6000S includes five fixed collaboration software applications installed on one integrated router/IP gateway/virtualized blade server platform and supports up to 150 workers and 300 endpoint devices. The mid-market BE6000M includes 4 unified communications application options activated on a virtualized Cisco C220 M4 server platform and can handle a maximum capacity of 1000 users, 1200 endpoint devices, and 100 contact center agents. The high-end Business Edition 6000H includes 8 UC software application options enabled on a virtualized Cisco UCS C220 M4 server and has the capacity for up to 1000 workers, 2500 devices, and 100 contact center agents.
For more details about Progent's expertise with Unified Communications Manager, visit Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager planning, configuration, migration and technical support.
Cisco IP Phones: IP Voice and IP Video Phones
A collaboration endpoint is an end-user instrument, and can be a hardware handset or a soft phone application on a PC or handheld computer. In the Internet Protocol world, every IP endpoint is Ethernet connected. IP phones offer all of the functions that an ordinary telephone has, but VoIP phones often provide extra features including the ability to access websites or run collaboration software.
In contrast to conventional PBX systems, in a Cisco IP communications environment you can implement virtually instant relocations, additions, and changes. All you do is move the VoIP phone to your new spot, plug it into the Ethernet connection, and the device announces itself with Cisco Unified Communications Manager (formerly CallManager). All user privileges and settings are automatically re-established, eliminating the expense and hassle of sending technicians to wiring closets. Another useful feature is location independence, which allows you to log into any Cisco VoIP phone and get your own phone number and privileges.
Cisco offers a broad range of collaboration phones. The entry-level SPA 300 Series are no-frills IP and Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications screenless or monochrome phones that feature wide-band audio, support for hosted Internet Protocol phone environments or an IP PBX, easy installation and highly secure remote installation, zero-downtime software updates, and web-based set up. The low-end SPA301 is a one-line VoIP endpoint with no screen or speakerphone, a base dialer that has a single Ethernet port, and a wired handset without a keypad. The SPA302D, designed exclusively for use with Cisco's SPA232D Multi-Line DECT ATA, is a multiple-line cordless Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications IP phone that offers 10-lines, a 176 x 220 color display, and a dial pad with a speakerphone. Cisco's SPA303 is an entry-level three-line SIP-based IP phone with two switched ports, a 128x64 monochrome graphical display and a speaker.
The SPA500 family IP phones are low-cost endpoints with support for both SIP and SPCP signaling protocols, two integral switch ports, speakerphones, PoE, and conferencing capability. Most versions have a 128 x 64 pixel mono screen display, The SPA501G IP Phone supports eight lines and has eight programmable buttons but no hi-res screen. The SPA502G has a single line and has no programmable buttons. The SPA504G IP Phone supports four lines and has four soft keys. The SPA508G VoIP phone supports eight lines and eight soft keys. The SPA509G supports 12 lines and has 12 soft keys. The SPA512G VoIP phone supports four lines, no programmable buttons and supports Gigabit Ethernet. The SPA514G IP Phone supports four lines, has programmable buttons, and supports 10/100/1000 Ethernet. The high-end SPA525G2 VoIP phone has a 320 x 240 pixel color display, supports five lines, and includes five programmable buttons.
Cisco's Unified IP Phones 3900 Series and 6900 Series are specialty VoIP endpoints intended for infrequent-use settings such as lobbies, hallways, and conference facilities. Cisco's Unified SIP Phone 3905 IP Phone features a 128 x 32 monochrome non-backlit screen, an integrated Ethernet switch, a speakerphone, and PoE. The simple Cisco Unified IP Phone 6901 is a single-line device with no screen and uses a hook switch for call transfer or joining a conference.
The 7800 line of economical IP phones are VoIP desktop endpoints featuring backlit mono displays, four soft buttons, 11 dedicated keys, an Ethernet switch with Power over Ethernet, and an integral speakerphone. The 7800 Series IP Phones support only the SIP signaling protocol. All models in Cisco's 7800 Series feature the same advanced speakers and microphones as Cisco's 8800 Series IP phones to provide a state-of-the-art audio solution. Cisco's EnergyWise power-save technology, available on the higher end 7800 units, cuts off-hours energy usage by up to 60 percent. The Cisco IP Phone 7811 is a one-line phone intended for shared areas and for workers with infrequent voice communications requirements. The IP 7811 comes with a 3.28-inch 384 x 106 display plus a narrow-band speakerphone. Wideband audio is available through an optional wideband handset. Cisco's IP Phone 7821 is a dual-line phone with a 396 x 162 screen. The IP Phone 7841 is a four-line endpoint with a 396 x 162 display and is the only device in the 7800 line to support 1xGb Ethernet. The high-end IP Phone 7861 is a 16-line device intended for administrators, call center agents, and managers who have heavy voice communications requirements.
Cisco Unified IP Phone 7900 Series are SIP and SCCP media devices with a 320 x 240 pixel color display, an integral 10/100/1000 Ethernet switch, Class 3 PoE, 10 dedicated buttons and a speakerphone. The Cisco Unified IP Phone 7945G is a dual-line device and the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7965G supports four lines. Both VoIP phones have a 5-inch display and four soft buttons. The Cisco Unified IP Phone 7975G unit is an eight-line media phone with a 5.6-inch touch screen and five programmable keys.
Cisco's IP Phone 8800 Series is a portfolio of SIP-only endpoints that features desktop devices, a conference phone, and wireless IP Phones. The desktop models are five-line IP phones with a 5-inch 800 x 480 pixel screen, a Gigabit Ethernet switch, a speakerphone, four soft keys and 12 fixed-feature keys. The Cisco IP Phone 8811 includes a monochrome display and supports Class 2 PoE. The Cisco IP Phone 8841 has a WVGA color display and supports Class 2 PoE. Cisco's IP Phone 8845 has a WVGA color display, 720p HD video, a tiltable 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 a USB connection with charging capability, supports Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice and Class 3 PoE, and is offered in Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth models. Cisco's IP Phone 8861 includes a WVGA color screen, Bluetooth, dual USB connections with charging capability, and supports Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice, Wi-Fi, and Class 4 Power over Ethernet. The Cisco IP Phone 8865 includes a WVGA color screen, 720p HD video, an adjustable camera, Bluetooth, dual USB ports with charging capability, and supports Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Class 4 PoE.
Cisco's wireless VoIP phones are hardened Wi-Fi handsets intended for professionals who are on the move within office, warehouse, health-care or other venues where IT management requires user endpoints that provide more administrative control, data security and durability than is achievable with the BYOD style of mobile collaboration. Cisco's 8821 and 8812-EX wireless VoIP phones offer mobile on-premises users the benefits of voice over wireless LAN communications in workplaces that support 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi. Cisco's 8821 Wireless VoIP Phone includes a 2.4 inch color display, a rugged case designed to withstand dropping and compliant with IP67 for particulate and splash resistance, long-life batteries, a full-duplex speakerphone, and a Bluetooth transceiver for hands-free operation with wireless headsets. The 8821-EX Wireless IP Phone adds anti-sparking protection for use in potentially combustible environments. The 8821-EX also features a case fabricated of yellow plastics, which makes the 8821-EX easier to find in a crisis. Find out about Progent's Wireless IP Phone integration and troubleshooting consultants.
Cisco's legacy 9900 family of high-performance IP endpoints combine high-definition voice with business-grade color displays to deliver a rich multimedia communications solution for managers and executives. Both IP phones in the 9900 family feature an SD VGA color display, a Bluetooth 2.0 transceiver to support a wide choice of headsets, and a built-in 1 GE Ethernet port. The Cisco EnergyWise feature is optional and can cut off-work power consumption by 90 percent. The Cisco IP Phone 9951 features a 5-inch screen and supports up to 2 IP Color Key Expansion Modules for expanding programmable line and feature keys. The IP Phone 9971 features a 5.6-inch display, an integrated 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi transceiver for connecting to Voice-over-WLAN environments, and 4 customizable touchscreen keys to access Cisco UC functions. The 9971 VoIP phone allows up to 3 Cisco IP Color Key Expansion Modules for adding programmable line and feature keys.
Unified Communications Applications
Within Cisco's Unified Communications architecture, IP voice, video, and other UC applications are physically isolated from the call- and voice-processing infrastructure, and they may reside at any location within the network. A cohesive connectivity framework offers a versatile platform for feature-rich applications and provides a solid foundation for downstream convergence-based software. Cisco cooperates with leading technology vendors to provide a wide selection of IP voice and video software applications and products. Cisco also supports the capability to develop and manage customized in-house applications.
Unified Communications application software offered by Cisco and supported by Progent include:
Jabber
Cisco Jabber is a UC client application that provides presence, instant messaging, voice, video, voice messaging, desktop sharing, and online conferencing functions for Windows PCs, Apple Macs, tablets and smartphones. Cisco Jabber is an evolution and combination of the Unified Personal Communicator soft phone application, Cisco Mobile, and Cisco WebEx Connect, with important improvements in the areas of HD video capabilities and desktop sharing, and expanding the collaboration experience to more operating systems and endpoint hardware. Cisco Jabber works in conjunction with Unified Communications Manager for call and session management, Cisco Unified Presence for IM and presence, Cisco Unity Connection for voice messaging and programmable attendant, and Cisco WebEx Meeting for conferencing.
Since Cisco Jabber utilizes popular industry protocols, it can interoperate with a broad range of non-Cisco products. As an example, Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol allows Cisco Jabber to exchange IM and presence data with a variety of XMPP clients such as Adium for Mac, Sametime, and Microsoft Lync and Office Communications Server. Jabber capabilities can be accessed from Microsoft Office programs such as Outlook and Microsoft SharePoint. This cross-platform support maximizes output by delivering a common user experience and accommodating the BYOD model of networking. Progent can provide the assistance of Microsoft-certified Exchange consultants and Microsoft SharePoint experts who can assist you to integrate Jabber with Microsoft's powerful collaboration platforms. Progent also can provide help with iPhone and iPad integration as well as Google Android phone and tablet integration to help you to increase the productivity of your BYOD environment.
Cisco WebEx Meeting Center
Cisco WebEx Meeting Center provides online conferencing for users with a browser or virtually any PC or mobile computer. Cisco WebEx is delivered as software as a service (SaaS) via Cisco's WebEx Cloud. This makes it simple to roll out and expand, reduces the cost of management, eliminates major initial investment, offers high availability and enterprise-class data protection, and delivers fast throughput. Important capabilities include the ability to share specific content or your entire screen display with online participants in real time, the capability to add rich media into presentations including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash animations, session recording plus playback for training and demonstrations, single sign-on and support for Cisco collaboration applications such as Jabber and Cisco TelePresence, plus stringent data privacy and encrypted connections with tight policy control.
Cisco WebEx Meeting Center runs on Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux-powered PCs and allows mobile workers to launch, calendarize, and attend meetings on Google Android devices, Apple iPhones and iPads, BlackBerry handhelds, and Microsoft Windows Phone. You can also initiate online meetings with a few clicks from Microsoft Office, Outlook, Notes, and a selection of instant messaging solutions.
Cisco TelePresence Portfolio for In-house Teleconferencing Ecosystems
For midsize businesses and larger enterprises who wish to build an in-house or hybrid local/cloud environment for video conferencing, Cisco offers a selection of Cisco TelePresence products that enable high-quality video conferencing for users with virtually any IP endpoint at any site. Cisco TelePresence Server is a scalable video conferencing bridge that runs with Cisco Unified CM to provide multiparty video, audio and content sharing to unified communications deployments and can extend meetings to include cloud-connected Cisco WebEx Meeting Center users. Cisco TelePresence Conductor software simplifies management of how video conferencing resources should be allocated for each attendee, allowing administrators to specify the exact service level and user experience needed for each user. Cisco TelePresence Content Server collects video conference presentations for real-time distribution as well as video on demand viewing.
Cisco Unity Connection and Unity Express for Unified Voicemail and Automated Attendant
Cisco's Unity Connection, an extension of Unified CM, is a converged voicemail system that promotes collaboration by offering flexible set of alternatives for accessing voice messages within an environment that is simple to implement and administer. Unity Connection lets you read and manage your voice messages from your email inbox, web browser, Cisco Jabber messaging integration platform, a Cisco Unified IP Phone, a smartphone, or a tablet. Unity Connection also provides sophisticated speech-recognition features for hands-free operation and extensive Automated Attendant functions such as smart routing for inbound phone calls and easily customizable call-screening and message-notification options. The 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 support as many as 20,000 mailboxes on each server.
Cisco Unity Express (CUE), offered in select Cisco ISR routers, offers cost-effective voicemail, integrated messaging, IVR, and greeting services for small to mid-size businesses and enterprise branch offices with as many as 500 users. Unity Express permits users to access and manage voicemail via a Cisco IP Phone display, a browser, or your email system. ISR Routers for which Unity Express is available as a network module include Cisco's 2800, 2900, 3800, and 3900 Series. Progent offers comprehensive configuration and troubleshooting services for ISR routers.
Cisco Unified Contact Center
Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE) integrates closely with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 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 provides intelligent call routing, computer telephony integration (CTI), multiple channel customer contact management, call queuing, IVR and advanced company-wide reporting to streamline the deployment and management of a modern contact center. Cisco products incorporated in UCCE's customer interaction management solution include Unified IP Phones, Voice, and Cisco LAN/WAN technology.
Cisco Unified Contact Center Express (CCX) provides a packaged solution for building a customer contact center for mid-scale deployments that support up to 400 agents. Several packages are offered, as well as a variety of optional advanced features. Cisco Unified Contact Center Express integrates closely with Unified Communications Manager and offers intelligent call distribution, client management, reporting, IVR, and management of voice, email, chat, and social media requests. Cisco Unified Contact Center Express comes with Finesse, a web-based customizable desktop agent that requires no client-side software setup. Special options include call-in-queue, projected-wait-time messages, and workforce quality management.
Cisco Mobile Connect for Single Number Reach (SNR)
Mobile Connect, popularly referred to as Single Number Reach, allows users to be called from one phone number that rings simultaneously on their Cisco IP Phone and their smartphone. Users can transfer active conversations between their desktop IP 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 are directed to different phones.
Cisco Prime Collaboration
Prime Collaboration offers an automated platform for first-time deployments as well as for “day 2” moves, additions, changes, and deletions. An intuitive console delivers a unified view of a subscriber and the subscriber's services. Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning substantially speeds up site rollouts and reduces the time needed for ongoing changes. Prime Collaboration in addition provides management analytics that show application adoption and usage rates, allowing administrators to make more efficient use of IT resources and further reduce total cost of ownership.
Cisco Communications Gateways
Cisco's communications gateways permit Cisco Unified Communications environments to connect with other networks and with clients operating outside the corporate firewall. Cisco's portfolio of communication gateways provide unified communications support for all types of gateway and session-border-control deployments.
Communications gateways available from Cisco and supported by Progent include:
Cisco Expressway Communication Gateway
Cisco's Expressway is an advanced collaboration gatekeeper that allows companies to allow colleagues, vendors, customers, or partners who are working on different network environments, workgroup platforms, or endpoint devices to access to Cisco Unified Communication features. The Expressway gateway works in conjunction with an enterprise Cisco CM system or Cisco Business Edition, or can be run through the cloud with Cisco HCS to help make productive collaboration more pervasive. Important features of Expressway are are:
Cisco's End-of-Life UC520, UC540 and UC560 VoIP Gateways
The legacy Cisco Unified Communications 500 product line is an all-in-one VoIP communications appliance and software package for small organizations. UC500 models deliver voice, data, voicemail, automated attendant, IP video, firewall, and wireless functionality, work with older Cisco VoIP phones, and support various public switched telephone network connections.
All UC500 series bundles include a compact switch with 8 Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) interfaces plus additional foreign exchange stations (FXS) and foreign exchange office (FXO) interfaces, a firewall, and VPN support. Built-in WiFi is an option. User capacity can be increased by connecting with Cisco Catalyst Express switches. Each 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 package supports 8 to 16 VoIP users and include 4 FXS and 4 FXO interfaces. The Cisco UC540 system allows 24 to 32 clients and provides 8 FXO ports. The Cisco UC560 package supports 48 VoIP clients and 12 foreign exchange office interfaces.
Progent's Cisco-certified VoIP experts can assist you to support your legacy UC500 VoIP gateway or design and implement an efficient migration to a modern VoIP system such as the Cisco cloud-managed Business Edition 4000.
How Progent Can Help You with Cisco VoIP and IP Media Phones, CUCM, and Telepresence
Progent can provide online or onsite access to a certified CCIE Collaboration specialist to help your business to design, deploy, manage and repair unified communications environments based on Cisco Unified Communication products in a centralized, distributed, or hybrid deployment. Progent's Cisco-certified engineers have extensive experience with Cisco Unified Communications Manager and CallManager, VoIP phones and other endpoints, UC applications like Jabber and Unity Connection, Cisco's immersive telepresence products, communication gateways, utilities incorporated into Cisco switches and routers. Progent can also offer support for related technologies such as Cisco SRST, Cisco Unified Border Element, H.323 gateways, Call Admission Control, IP voice trunks, PSTN, and AVVID. Progent's SIP integration consultants can also assist you to create SIP connectivity environments that include SIP-based IP voice phones and media endpoints, SIP-based CUBE trunks, SIP conferencing and SIP administration tools with Cisco Unified CM.
Progent's custom application developers can build specialized IP telephony applications that will help your business to incorporate the telephony capabilities of Cisco Unified Communications Manager into your business processes for enhanced efficiency. Progent can analyze your current network and Internet access infrastructure to determine whether your environment is optimized to accommodate business-quality IP voice and high-definition video, help you to choose and integrate Cisco hardware and software that make sense for your present needs and downstream growth plans, and interface your Cisco collaborative communications products with technology from other suppliers. Progent's CISSP-ISSAP certified information security consultants can assist you to develop, deploy, and test a comprehensive security strategy for your converged communications ecosystem. Also, Progent can assist you to deploy Cisco high-availability mechanisms such as Cisco Unified SRST to provide affordable call control redundancy in remote-branch and home-office sites, and Progent's disaster recovery planning experts can help you develop a viable disaster recovery strategy to ensure the availability of your crucial communications environment.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager/CallManager Upgrade Consulting
Versions of Unified Communications Manager 8.6 earlier than 8.6 and every version of CallManager have reached end-of-life. Therefore Cisco Engineering will cease to develop, fix, or test the product software. Security updates for this pivotal product will stop, which in some situations may cause compliance or even legal liability problems.
Progent will continue to provide world-class consulting and troubleshooting support for outdated releases of Unified CM and Cisco CallManager, but if you are now using an out-of-dated release of this critical software you should begin immediately to prepare for your migration. Progent's Cisco-certified consultants can help your company to migrate efficiently to the current release of Unified CM and can typically save customers up to 50% off consulting costs compared to most IT service firms because of Progent's documented process and experience in this area. By adhering to leading practices, Progent can ensure that your company gets a quick return on your IT investment by showing you how to benefit fully from the new and improved feature set, lower management and maintenance expense, more productive collaboration capabilities, and stronger data protection provided by the current release of Unified CM.
Progent's migration services include ROI analysis, project management or co-management, system testing, Cloud integration, setting up endpoint devices from Cisco and other suppliers, mobile integration, data protection services, streamlined management, disaster recovery/business continuity planning, network infrastructure design, training, and ongoing consulting services and technical support. Progent also has put together ultra-affordable migration packages to keep your costs visible and affordable.
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