Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) vs Microsoft Teams

Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM), previously Call Manager, and Microsoft Teams are online communications platforms designed to centralize communications across large businesses. Cisco UCM is an established enterprise option with extensive flexibility for complex communications needs. Microsoft Teams focuses more on collaboration within a business, offering extra features to help users work together better. 

Both products are used mostly by enterprise-level businesses, though Microsoft Teams also has a strong presence in mid-size companies.

Features

Both Microsoft Teams and Cisco UCM include core communications features like high-quality IP telephony and video conferencing, but they each offer unique benefits.

Microsoft Teams offers robust collaboration features. This includes real-time collaborative editing on Microsoft Office files and seamless integration with other Microsoft products. It also uses a centralized UI from which users can start a group chat, share a file, schedule an event, or make a phone call. Its contact search tool helps users find exactly who they need to talk to by name, role, or department.

Cisco UCM is known for being a reliable enterprise-grade solution that can scale and adapt to most business needs. It has a wealth of features and customization options for both implementation and end-user experience. For example, large businesses create custom configurations for multiple call centers and business locations across the world. As an industry-standard solution, there’s plenty of expert knowledge available to help design a solution that fits specific needs.

Limitations

Despite both being comprehensive communications platforms, Microsoft Teams and Cisco UCM won’t be ideal for every buyer.

Cisco UCM may be extensively customizable and scalable, but can also be highly complex to implement. You’ll need experienced engineers with plenty of product knowledge to set up the platform properly and make full use of its feature set. Some users may find the interface dated and disorganized. Finally, its high price point and complicated licensing models can make it a hard sell for small to midsize businesses.

Although Microsoft Teams may be easier to implement, users often report a frustrating learning curve. The user interface can be confusing and unintuitive, making it hard for new users to get going or learn advanced features. Permissions can be clunky to manage, and some users find that the software consumes too many computer resources.

Pricing

Microsoft Teams has four tiered purchasing options. The free tier includes all of the core features, such as audio/video calls, screen-sharing, real-time collaboration within Office documents, and file-sharing (limited to 10 GB). 

The business basic tier is $5.00 per user per month, adds meeting recordings, and increases the file-sharing limit to 1 TB plus 10 GB per license. The business standard tier is $12.50 per user per month and adds desktop versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. The final tier, Office 365 E3, is $20.00 per user per month and adds the ability to host online events for up to 10,000 attendees.

Pricing for Cisco UCM is available via quote from Cisco partners. Overall, Microsoft Teams may be a better fit for small and midsize businesses than Cisco UCM, given its price point. Cisco UCM’s complexity and price point mean that large enterprises will likely get more value for their money than smaller organizations.