Comparison between Microsoft and CISCO Products

Microsoft, everyone on Earth knows that it is a representative of windows, so its strength is the operating system and software. Cisco is also not unknown. It is the manufacturer of network products. It is only unexpected hardware, and it does not produce hardware ...... The two companies have launched their own unified communication products. Now let's look at the differences between them.

1. Voice/online status display

Microsoft's voice/online status display corresponds to Microsoft's OfficeCommunicationsServer2007, which is the core of Microsoft's infrastructure. It provides voice switching/routing and some telephone control capabilities, instant message/online status display, and video conferencing functions. This type of server also applies to specific tasks, such as intermediary servers (for SIP and audio translation) or edge servers (for firewall penetration ).

Cisco's voice/online status display is Cisco's Unified Communication Manager, which is the center of Cisco's Unified Communication Environment. It provides telephone processing components. The Unified Communication Manager is designed to provide voice, video, mobility, and online status display services to IP phones, media processing devices, VoIP gateways, mobile devices, and multimedia applications, in addition, these resources are combined into a "Workplace" with a maximum of 60 thousand users ".

Ii. Client Software

The Microsoft Client software corresponds to OfficeCommunicator, which is used for instant messaging, video, and soft phones, including telephone control. The network-based version looks and feels the same, but does not support voice and video.

The Cisco client software corresponds to UnifiedPersonalCommunicator (Unified Personal Communicator) and is a desktop client software, provides access to voice, video, instant messages, network meetings, voice emails, and online status information from a multimedia interface on a PC or Mac computer.

Iii. Conference System

Microsoft's meeting system corresponds to OfficeLiveMeeting. This service can be integrated into any unified communication application. The LiveMeeting meeting engine can be embedded in OCS (Office communication server) for those who want to apply locally ). The following picture shows the scene observed by Microsoft's Roundtable (a 360-degree video camera.

The Cisco conferencing system corresponds to the UnifiedMeetingPlace. This is a multimedia conferencing system that integrates voice, video, and network conferencing to bring "face-to-face quality" to remote conferencing. This system is applied on the network, installed behind the firewall, and integrated into a dedicated voice and data network of an organization and enterprise applications.

Iv. Message System

Microsoft's message system corresponds to ExchangeServer2007, which integrates online status information and includes voice operation functions, such as calling a server and changing calendar input content using voice commands.

Cisco's message system corresponds to Unity. This is Cisco's voice and unified messaging platform. It can be used with Microsoft Exchange or ibmlotus Domino to access email, voice, and fax messages from a single inbox on any device.

V. Security System

Microsoft's security system corresponds to ExchangeHostedServices. This is another service inserted into the unified communication platform. It includes four services: Virus/Malware Protection and message filtering, archiving, backup and encryption.

Cisco's security system corresponds to SecureUnifiedCommunications. This is part of Cisco's website and provides Product Overview, such as hardware products (Integrated Service-time routers, ASA5500 security devices), software applications (IOS Firewall Session Initiation Protocol ), it also provides guidance on best practices to ensure unified communication infrastructure security for the entire enterprise.

Vi. devices involved

The terminal devices involved in Microsoft's Unified Communication solution correspond to round-table cameras, mobile phones, and IP Telephones. Microsoft provides this 360-degree video camera for video conferencing, and its partners provide a large number of traditional mobile phones and USB-based telephones.

The Cisco Unified Communication solution involves TelePresence, IP phones, and all supported devices. Cisco provides a TelePresence virtual conferencing system with personal and meeting room configurations. Cisco also provides more and more advanced IP phones, and cooperates with companies such as Polycom, RIM, Symbian, Nokia, apple, and Microsoft to provide a large number of fixed and mobile interfaces for the Unified Communication Environment.

VII. Summary

Which company's solution fits the user's network best? This is obviously a complicated decision. You need to consider the current network configuration of your enterprise, its Unified Communication Strategy, and how to determine the future development of these providers.