Unified Communication is hard at Cisco and soft at Microsoft

When talking about the Unified Communication field, we are sure we know the contest between Cisco and Microsoft. From their own development perspective, Cisco = hardware, Microsoft = software. So two completely different methods bring different solution concepts to enterprises. What are their characteristics?

Cisco and Microsoft have adopted completely different methods in the field of Unified Communication: Cisco's approach is based on network and hardware, while Microsoft's approach is "software, software, or software ".

1. Voice/online status display

Microsoft voice/online status display corresponds to Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, 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 mediation servers for SIP and audio translation) or Edge Server 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

Microsoft Client software corresponds to Office Communicator, which is used for instant messaging, videos, 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 the Unified Personal Communicator of the uniied Personal Communicator). It 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 conferencing system corresponds to Office Live Meeting. This service can be integrated into any unified communication application. The Live Meeting engine can be embedded on the OCSOffice Communication Server for those who want to apply locally ). The following picture shows a 360-degree video camera with Microsoft's Roundtable.

The Cisco conferencing system corresponds to the Unified MeetingPlace. 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 Exchange Server 2007, which integrates online status information and includes voice operations, such as calling a Server and using voice commands to change calendar input content.

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

V. Security System

Microsoft's security system corresponds to Exchange Hosted Services. 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 Secure Unified Communications. This is part of Cisco's website, which provides Product Overview, such as the service period router for hardware product integration, the ASA 5500 security device), and the software application 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.