There is a lot of depate over Cisco's ability to deliver a solid voice solution to the enterprise. They don't have the PBX touch, feel or history, like an Avaya. While that maybe true, that is not all bad. Have a voice solution that is network aware is a better fit for many organizations. In addition, Cisco Call Manager has come a long way. Plus the telepresence technology is very good.
Let's look at some important points:
1. Cisco MXE. The MXE is a media transformation engine that allows you to format content to fit any glass. If I want to watch a recording of the company leaders I can view on a laptop or an iPhone. The MXE also adds written transcript to video sessions. If the video is two hours long but I just want to hear about a specific section I can search the transcript for a keyword and jump to that in the video. For corporate communications - impressive technology.
2. I know Cisco TPx is perceived as proprietary but that’s absolutely false. You should keep your existing Video Systems and when appropriate use TPx (telepresence) along with Cisco CUVA for integration to traditional Polycom and Tandberg systems. Start out with a small solution and grow into it. It is a significant investment, make sure the organization is going to utilize it and get the benefits.
3. I fully understand the investment in Avaya with many organizations. With the addition of Nortel one should expect some changes but the key to me is Microsoft integration. How will your existing systems integrate with the Microsoft investment you have. Cisco Telephony integrates very nicely and partners with Microsoft. If you have Cisco Call control you open up capabilities for integration to MOC as the softphone on the desktop and focal point for Presence. You can use Microsoft Exchange as the voicemail box with Cisco Call Control. Sharepoint is great internal sharing mechanism but doesn’t work external. WebEx should be considered for Interwise replacement and integration into Outlook for one click external meetings and collaboration. Cisco UC has a deep portfolio for SIP trunking to the carriers which will reduce PSTN costs at the remote facilities and utilize the MPLS network many companies are moving towards. Leverage your MS investment and toolsets that the users already use and know.
4. Building the network correctly will allow many companies to leverage the network and Call control to have single number reach, presence, location tracking, content recording, distribution and playback to any end point. I can use Cisco TPx to record a session and publish it out via DMS, Cisco Show and Share or placed in Sharepoint for viewing later. Proper design will help transform your company and allow them to drop barriers to collaboration, innovation and teamwork.
Take a second look at Cisco for your many voice, video and collaboration needs. They truly are a leader in this space.
About Me
- Scott Arnett
- Scott Arnett is an Information Technology & Security Professional Executive with over 30 years experience in IT. Scott has worked in various industries such as health care, insurance, manufacturing, broadcast, printing, and consulting and in enterprises ranging in size from $50M to $20B in revenue. Scott’s experience encompasses the following areas of specialization: Leadership, Strategy, Architecture, Business Partnership & Acumen, Process Management, Infrastructure and Security. With his broad understanding of technology and his ability to communicate successfully with both Executives and Technical Specialists, Scott has been consistently recognized as someone who not only can "Connect the Dots", but who can also create a workable solution. Scott is equally comfortable playing technical, project management/leadership and organizational leadership roles through experience gained throughout his career. Scott has previously acted in the role of CIO, CTO, and VP of IT, successfully built 9 data centers across the country, and is expert in understanding ITIL, PCI Compliance, SOX, HIPAA, FERPA, FRCP and COBIT.
Scott, given Cisco recent purchase of Tandberg, do you see Polycom being the next target? Will Cisco eventually buy their way into this space? I see Polycom really getting better and some real nice cost effective solutions coming out - a viable solution? Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteGreat question. I do see Polycom as a potential target, as Cisco looks to round out their product offerings in this space. As part of the Tandberg aquisition Cisco had to make their TPx protocol available to others, so that opens the door for Polycom product development. Polycom has some great products, and is a great fit for many companies. My question is around the integration with other enterprise products, such as Microsoft. Is it seamless and efficient? We need to bring effective, efficient and ease of use technology to the employee to increase productivity.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.