Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued) vs. Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (BE6000) was a telephony and VoIP business phone with unified communications features from Cisco, targeted at SMBs. The product is discontinued, and superseded by functionality found in Cisco Webex Calling.N/A
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
Pricing
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Cloud PBX
Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
8.6
18 Ratings
5% above category average
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
-
Ratings
Hosted PBX8.210 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)9.216 Ratings00 Ratings
User templates8.417 Ratings00 Ratings
Call reports8.34 Ratings00 Ratings
Directory of employee names9.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Call Management
Comparison of Call Management features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
8.8
21 Ratings
4% above category average
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
-
Ratings
Answering rules8.919 Ratings00 Ratings
Call recording9.115 Ratings00 Ratings
Call park8.819 Ratings00 Ratings
Call screening8.820 Ratings00 Ratings
Message alerts8.519 Ratings00 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
8.7
20 Ratings
5% above category average
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
-
Ratings
Video conferencing9.219 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio conferencing8.920 Ratings00 Ratings
Video screen sharing8.21 Ratings00 Ratings
Instant messaging8.616 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile apps
Comparison of Mobile apps features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
7.5
15 Ratings
10% below category average
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
-
Ratings
Mobile app for iOS7.415 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app for Android7.514 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
7.5
193 Ratings
7% below category average
High quality audio00 Ratings8.0189 Ratings
High quality video00 Ratings7.7184 Ratings
Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings6.6181 Ratings
Mobile support00 Ratings7.9145 Ratings
Screen Sharing
Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
8.5
190 Ratings
6% above category average
Desktop sharing00 Ratings8.8190 Ratings
Whiteboards00 Ratings8.3119 Ratings
Online Meetings / Events
Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
7.8
187 Ratings
5% below category average
Calendar integration00 Ratings8.0173 Ratings
Meeting initiation00 Ratings8.1181 Ratings
Integrates with social media00 Ratings7.783 Ratings
Record meetings / events00 Ratings7.6142 Ratings
Slideshows00 Ratings7.7114 Ratings
Online Events Collaboration
Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
8.6
172 Ratings
2% above category average
Live chat00 Ratings9.1170 Ratings
Audience polling00 Ratings8.493 Ratings
Q&A00 Ratings8.193 Ratings
Online Events Security
Comparison of Online Events Security features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
8.0
155 Ratings
5% below category average
User authentication00 Ratings8.1141 Ratings
Participant roles & permissions00 Ratings7.9147 Ratings
Confidential attendee list00 Ratings8.0109 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Small Businesses
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
Score 9.1 out of 10
TeamViewer
TeamViewer
Score 8.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(21 ratings)
8.6
(196 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(7 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(1 ratings)
9.0
(14 ratings)
Support Rating
9.4
(19 ratings)
8.5
(40 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (discontinued)Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Likelihood to Recommend
Discontinued Products
Cisco Business Edition 6000 (BE6000) is well suited on small and medium sites that need entry-level voice and IP telephony capabilities, together
with powerful, easy-to-use collaboration tools. However , if a single user interface or VMware servers are deal breakers for you, I suggest another call system will likely be a better fit.
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Microsoft
Skype is useful for collaborations across distances, including work from home, as well as a more convenient way to communicate with a large group of people. Skype is also useful to communicate with specific parties quickly, rather than relying on cellular service in areas where not as available. Skype is less useful if the team does not use computers , tablets, smartphones, etc in daily workflow as it would rarely be used.
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Pros
Discontinued Products
  • provides phone support for many models of phones and conferencing devices
  • provides full telephony support for pretty much any phone requirement including call centre options
  • 911 service dialing options and tracking
  • bundle pricing on voice, phone and server licensing
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Microsoft
  • Instant messaging to anyone who we know only by name/email. Even if they're offline, they get the message in missed convos and a notification automatically goes to them via Outlook mail. All conversations are saved and accessible via Outlook.
  • Video and voice calls are a norm in the WFH scenario, and an average employee has around 4-5 calls a day. Skype gives notifications for upcoming meetings, allows easy scheduling via outlook calendar, and its audio/video quality [is] reasonably good compared to the amount of data it consumes.
  • Status availabilities - in the WFH scenario, you could be off for lunch, out of office, busy, sharing screens - and might not want to be disturbed. Skype allows you to do that, and in case you're off, ensures that you know that you have missed messages.
  • Screen sharing - we have to share screens at least once or twice a day with a coworker when working on some issues/features, and Skype easily lets us do that. One of the best things about Skype is that the screen can be shared without being on a video/voice call - which is of immense advantage because oftentimes, you could prefer sharing the screen, while it [is] too noisy to talk.
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Cons
Discontinued Products
  • Include tools for inter-cluster migration, currently these are provided by 3rd parties
  • Improve the software upgrade process by automating the pre-upgrade and post-upgrade checks
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Microsoft
  • Probably the biggest area is the video element as it has historically struggled in this area.
  • The need to be forced to federate with another organisation by providing yours and enabling the other organisation settings is a bit tedious but once done, allows for simple collaboration between third-parties.
  • Functionality wise, as it's an older product and being superseded by MS Teams, it feels as if it's run its course but was very good for what it does/did at the time.
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Likelihood to Renew
Discontinued Products
Happy with Cisco Business Edition 6000 (BE6000); works great for us and costs to maintain it are well in hand. it also fits our current and future requirements going forward.
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Microsoft
The software is simple to install and configure. It is rather simple to explain for correct use. It is possible to profile users for the different functions offered. It is integrated quite completely with Outlook and with Active Directory security. It performs all communication functions well with one or more interlocutors and the possibility of granting control of your computer is convenient.
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Usability
Discontinued Products
BE6K [is] not just a bare metal server ,it is [a] complete solution with its own management tools.
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Microsoft
Very easy to use. Even though Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and integrations, as a user I feel completely comfortable on finding what I need, getting information about the app extensions and using them. It's a very comprehensive tool, intuitive design and does not make me feel tired to be using it. I am glad with the current experience.
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Support Rating
Discontinued Products
Overall, the product provides excellent value for money. Our employees may interact at the same time on the Cisco Business Edition 6000 without disrupting the conversation. We have a significant number of employees that perform the same thing with calls, texting, and presence, and none of them have an issue.
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Microsoft
I have only had to reach out to the Support team at Skype for Business once with an issue, and I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the quickness and thoroughness of their response. The wait time was short and my question was dealt with politely and clearly, so I would say the support team has it together.
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Implementation Rating
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Skpe for business is utilized company wide in regards to my company. Everyone not only uses it, but uses it often. It is an effective way of communicating. It also integrates very nicely with outlook and all conversation history is pushed to a folder within the outlook system. We also have it so that if someone misses a message, they are sent an email reminder saying that there is a message that went unread.
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Alternatives Considered
Discontinued Products
Both Mitel and [Cisco Business Edition 6000 (BE6000)] allow the benefit of virtualization. If desired you could have an entirely virtual system. Cisco handles the virtualization a little better, however Mitel MiCollab is easier to integrate presence and calls. Cisco underlying architecture seems to be a little more stable, Mitel seems to be a little more user friendly. There are pros and cons and both are good solutions.
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Microsoft
For the below reason I will always choose this app over its competitors: Better audio and video quality, Little to no disconnections or freezing when on a call/video conference Integrates well with mailbox/ calendar/ one drive, and SharePoint is easy to use
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Return on Investment
Discontinued Products
  • Been easy to scale as our business has grown and from acquisitions
  • Been pretty easy to maintain the software and upgrade it over its lifetime to date
  • Software and license renewals are pretty straight forward
  • Adding newer model hardware to the system is pretty straight forward
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Microsoft
  • We almost lost our biggest client because of the poor performance early on in our implementation...the online meetings were poor quality for audio and bandwidth refreshing
  • Many of the employees in our company disliked the quality so much, they started to sign up for free Cisco WebEx accounts to use instead
  • The majority of employees in our company lost trust in our CTO because of his decision to switch from Cisco WebEx to Skype for Business
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ScreenShots