Likelihood to Recommend The Cisco Unified Communications Manager platform would be most suited for the below scenarios. 1. An organization with very restricted policies and compliance where can't move to cloud-based solutions for data security. They can install the CUCM on-premises. 2. An organization that is still on a legacy phone system could adopt CUCM to save costs and have better services.
Read full review Lifesize Video Conferencing is a real-time meeting and video conferencing solution that works simply and immediately with features that fit our needs. I recommend it because it is professional, easy to configure, with maximum security, and where collaboration and teamwork are essential. possible, increasing workflow and productivity, to increase communication and efficiency in projects, it offers positive results and a pleasant experience for all.
Read full review Pros This solution is extremely stable and has been running in our environment for several years without (unscheduled) downtime. The ability to have voicemails automatically sent as an email message is extremely helpful in helping us to keep in touch while away from the desk. The Call Manager provides us very granular settings to route our calls as we want. Read full review The touchpad makes it extremely easy to join or start conference calls with a single pushbutton. The Lifesize solution is affordable and has been extremely reliable for our video conference calls. Camera quality is great and provides clear video for our organization. The pan/tilt/zoom features are very helpful to focus in on specific people or items during a training or demonstration. Read full review Cons Administration web page is little bit hard to understand at the beginning specially if you are not familiar with naming convention and GU Interfaces. Call Detail Record interface is fine but would be desirable to include more options that fit organization needs in terms of reporting purposes. Self Care Portal interface could be more useful to the end user if it includes options to manage some features without administrators involving. Read full review Lack of features or options to integrate with other solutions Audio was just ok. If it was a meeting with more than 3-4 people, it seemed it was too much I had a hard time with support. They were not very responsive and felt like an up-hill battle at times. Read full review Likelihood to Renew We have been using this product for 20+ years and will continue too. This is a great product and new features are always coming out.
Read full review Other than the HIPAA compliance, we have no compelling reason to retain LifeSize when we can already pay for similar services included with our UCaaS service. Our UCaaS vendor,
Fuze , includes video conferencing with the VoIP services via single, integrated client software package. Additional limitations include minimal implementation assistance, training service, training materials and assistance driving internal adoption. Issues with slow speed for desktop sharing and audio quality make the technical aspects of Lifesize inferior to competitors.
Read full review Usability Although it's very easy to use, once you understand the concepts of IP telephony, as I said before, I think Cisco could have improved the management interface of the platform, adding modern technologies and the design language of the other platforms like DNA Center, etc. This interface hasn't had a substantial improvement for about 10 years
Read full review Overall experience with Lifesize Video Conferencing has been great. While it serves it's basic purpose of allowing smooth video/audio meetings of people located at different places with option of screen sharing/chatting/ recording, what add to it's pros are it's accessibility from various platforms, flexibility to switch to a listen only mode in case of network issues and ease of operation.
Read full review Reliability and Availability Since we are an educational institution we not only have scheduled classes which must be available, but we have staff members in a variety of areas ranging from recruiting and admissions to advancement and the President's office who need to connect with students, alumni and other interest groups, often at odd hours. I have not, since using Lifesize had anyone complain of not being able to connect
Read full review Performance Lifesize is an amazing platform for VC. However, it is a costly solution for any scaling startup. However, implementation and user acceptability was fairly easy and worth the additional spend. Quality has always been on point and support has always taken care of us. Our account manager also ensured a seamless transition process for Google Hangouts. Will go with this solution again at any other organization.
Read full review Support Rating CUCM is supported by most third-party vendors for related products, so it makes finding solutions to specific needs easy. Also Cisco TAC is very knowledgeable, and we have never run into a problem they have not been able to resolve. Usually they are resolved without the need to escalate tickers either.
Read full review Support has been decent throughout our use of Lifesize Video Conferencing. There were times we needed to make changes, customizations and additions to the application which took a little longer than expected. Overall the support team for Lifesize was very responsive to our requests. When we experienced issues with the application they were resolved to our expectations.
Read full review In-Person Training Sensus was really helpful in the initial setup and training of our technical Support Team. Sensus gave us training on site so that it would be our own equipment that was set up. Then the in house tech team took over to train other users who would be using the system. When needed the Sensus and Lifesize tech support were really helpful in trouble shooting or guiding us through any difficulty.
Read full review Online Training I gave this rating because Lifesize's website offers multiple quality videos that shows you exactly how the software works. The videos are divided into different categories which makes searching for a video fairly simple! If for some reason you have a question not answered in one of the how-tos you can always contact support. Excellent product, excellent service!
Read full review Implementation Rating This was the first phone system we implemented that could span multiple locations. We were very satisfied once fully implemented
Read full review Great for companies that need to accomplish multiple things at once while at different places. From our experience, broadcasting news is most favorable considering the level of excellence you get with the product plus the affordability. It can be used both privately amongst employees, or shared publicly through covering events
Read full review Alternatives Considered We have been a Cisco based shop and have looked at other cloud voice options such as MS Teams pbx, and others, but ultimately, the features, endpoints, and reliability of Cisco has been the common factor in staying with them as our voice provider. Their integrations, room systems, and hybrid design allows for us to be flexible and keep a high up time vs reliance on 100% cloud.
Read full review When compared to Zoom, one of the massive benefits that Lifesize brings is total peace of mind with security. Call encryption is part of the core in Lifesize and not an optional feature as in Zoom. I don't know about you, but every conversation can contain private and confidential information, so protecting me, my team, and my customers is totally covered with Lifesize! When compared with other providers, the quality of the video and lip sync on Lifesize is simply flawless. With the ability to deliver a call at 4k ultra high definition at 60 frames per second, the platform is simply awesome! Zoom is only 720p and the data share is only 5 frames per second. Zoom is simply substandard when compared to Lifesize. We often speak with clients who are using Teams or Skype for Business, but when you compare the video and audio quality with that achieved by Lifesize, they simply do not match up. If you want excellent quality video and ultra-sharp audio, then Lifesize is the only way to go!
Read full review Scalability With LifeSize Cloud, it's very easy to simply add another Icon to your system and join it to your cloud. You can easily and instantly create meetings and add users both in your organization and out without any difficulty. The cooperation between the Icons and cloud users running on their laptops makes it easy to scale this out to your entire company, including joint venture without difficulty.
Read full review Return on Investment Communication and collaboration - Our offices are able to communicate both internally and externally due to this system. Down time - Struggles with CUCM has caused a lot of down time due to the instability of the system. High Costs - the cost of both the license and the maintenance was much higher than other systems. Read full review Training users on how to use the software is quick and easy. Calling abroad saves a good chunk of money for both the end user and company. Does save on travel as remote users are able to have a similar experience as the people attending the meetings and no need to travel to the other locations for meetings. Read full review ScreenShots Lifesize Video Conferencing Screenshots