2020 is Calling: Cisco UCM Cloud Momentum and Benefits

In a brand-new year where the market will continue to see calling as a linchpin of and strategic differentiator for enterprise digital transformation, Cisco is taking a unique approach. While other collaboration vendors are pushing their customers to the cloud without a viable migration path, Cisco is continuing to invest in our on-premise architecture while migrating our market–leading solutions to the cloud.

The good news for Cisco on-premises customers is that traveling the path to the cloud (or to a hybrid state) does not have to take too long or be too treacherous. Cisco Unified Communications Manager Cloud (UCM Cloud) is the quickest, most natural migration path to cloud calling for customers who are looking to:

Minimize disruptions with familiar user experiences
Enjoy the latest UCM features
Re-use existing Cisco endpoints and infrastructure
Continue with existing PSTN service agreements and gateways
Simplify procurement with a Cisco Collaboration Flex Plan
Take advantage of generous trade-in incentives and migration programs

The UCM Cloud team is excited to communicate that we have expanded our global footprint, and our European data centers are now live, and we are actively working onboarding partners in the region. That is why our presence this year at Cisco Live Barcelona will focus on continuing to drive momentum as we expand globally.

Global Cloud Calling Momentum

Since the August Launch of UCM Cloud, we have seen tremendous global momentum with the expansion of the UCM Cloud service to Webex data centers in North America and Europe, with Asia Pacific scheduled to come online in Q1 of this calendar year. Our customers across the world can now buy their chosen service in their contract country with localization options that match our on-premises UC Manager product. These localized options include support for phone and gateway tones in 82 countries and a self–care portal in 50 languages and clients in more than 30 languages simplifying the cloud migration process.

The Benefits of Cisco UCM Cloud Calling

A recent Gartner Unified Communications forecast suggests that by 2023 there will be 167 million cloud calling and collaboration users on the planet, nearly twice as many as there are today.1

Moving enterprise calling workloads to the cloud can be a daunting prospect for organizations where daily business relies on highly customized collaboration workflows. Over the last several months, our customers have told us they need a migration path to the cloud without disrupting their business–critical day-to-day activities. These customers need the same features, functionality, third-party integrations, and customizations they have been using for years, and the desire to continue to use their existing voice and video endpoints to extend their return on investment for these assets.

The need for a highly customizable cloud calling platform to maintain functionality is one of many factors that is driving Cisco enterprise customers to our UCM Cloud calling solution. Our enterprise customers are not alone in this request. Recent research done by MZA shows that a majority of organizations with more than 1,000 seats are interested in a private instance cloud calling solution.

The Advantages of Cisco UCM Cloud

Addressing the needs of our customers looking for a highly customizable calling platform was one of the primary drivers behind the development of UCM Cloud. The service offers the same familiar, award-winning Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) features and user experience providing an ideal migration path to the cloud for enterprise customers with on-premise UC Manager deployments.

With UCM Cloud You Get:

A dedicated calling application instance hosted and operated by Cisco in Cisco Webex Data Centers
A customizable calling platform with all of your favorite Cisco UC Manager capabilities along with an API strategy that enables deep third-party application integrations
A large-scale, flexible architecture that can adapt quickly to new growth requirements
A robust, secure platform, with a FedRAMP authorized version, cloud-enabled Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST) features, e911 capabilities, and other key UC Manager enterprise security modalities embedded within the platform
A familiar user experience that speeds migration to the cloud and bypasses the need for employee re-training
A unified client for calling, messaging, meetings and team collaboration that is usable across all device types
Compatibility with Cisco’s full portfolio of phones, gateways, and video devices
Hybrid deployment capabilities as UCM Cloud represents the quickest path to the cloud for Cisco on-premise customers

How Cisco UCM Cloud and the Webex Single Platform Advantage Fit

UCM Cloud is a strategic component to the Webex Single Platform Advantage, helping provide Cisco customers with a cloud calling option that manages security and streamlines risk, improves scalability, and reduces costs—well–known challenges for today’s business and IT leaders. We have integrated UCM Cloud with the Webex Platform, connecting services and integrating experiences to deliver consistency regardless of which workload—calling, meetings, messaging, devices, or contact center—you use or where—desktop, mobile, or devices—you collaborate. Our single platform approach is grounded with a focus on enterprise–class security, IT control, and visibility, which helps our customers solve their digital transformation challenges.

What’s Next?

Together with Webex Calling, Cisco UCM Cloud provides you with a comprehensive and flexible cloud calling solution to ensure you have a successful migration.

The cloud calling team is excited to be kicking off 2020 at Cisco Live Barcelona. You can find several of our experts in the World of Solutions, the lightning talk theater, or in individual breakout sessions during the show.

If you are interested in learning more, I invite you to join us on Wednesday, January 29th for our Cisco UCM Cloud-focused session, “Demystifying Cisco UCM Cloud, A Brand-new Offer in Cisco’s Cloud Calling Portfolio.”

To learn more about how Cisco’s Cloud Calling offers to exist in harmony check out the recording of our recent #CiscoChat