Cisco WebEx: Technical and Commercial Review by a Techie

First of all, it is giving us a platform to collaborate with the people that is up almost every time when I need it. We have been using the platform for many years for the entire organization. We love it over any other platform. Quick meetings, training, and remote support from any device at any time.

It's used across various industries and sizes of companies, from small businesses to large enterprises. However, the extent of its adoption can significantly vary from one company to another based on their unique needs, budget, technical infrastructure, and company policies.

we are planning to have more Collaboration devices which include the higher specs laptop and advanced collab devices i.e ANC headphone, 4K camera with speaker track.

Communication: Ensuring effective communication in a hybrid model can be challenging as employees work from different locations and possibly different time zones. Technology and Infrastructure: Implementing the right technology and infrastructure to support remote work is crucial. This might include VPN access, video conferencing tools like Webex, project management software, and more. Management and Supervision: Managing and supervising remote employees can be a challenge, requiring new skills and approaches from managers. Security: Securing company data when employees are working remotely can be a challenge, as home networks may not be as secure as office networks.

Features such as video meetings and team collaboration tools can help maintain a sense of community and connection among team members, which can support a positive company culture. By providing high-quality, user-friendly tools that can be used anywhere, Cisco's solutions can help ensure that all employees have the tools they need to succeed, whether they're working remotely or in the office.

Hybrid work models can offer greater flexibility, allowing employees to balance their work and personal life more effectively. This can lead to increased employee satisfaction and potentially better productivity. While tools like Cisco Webex can help facilitate communication, working in a hybrid model can sometimes lead to communication gaps. Employees working remotely might miss out on impromptu conversations and brainstorming sessions that can happen in the office.

This platform is often compared to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. It stands out due to Cisco's longstanding reputation in the realm of networking and security, advanced features like background noise removal, and AI-powered meeting transcription.

Automatic noise suppression can help attendees focus on the meeting without being distracted by background noise. Real-time transcription can aid in understanding and following the conversation, especially for non-native speakers or individuals with hearing impairments. The automatic note-taking feature can save time and ensure that key points are not missed. If Webex Meetings is integrated with other tools that a company uses (like calendar apps or project management tools), this can streamline workflows and increase efficiency.

Cisco Webex Room Series: The Room Series video conferencing devices, including the Room Kit, Room Kit Plus, and Room Kit Pro, are designed to integrate with Webex Meetings. This integration allows for a more immersive meeting experience with high-quality video and audio.

Cisco Webex Board: The Webex Board is a digital whiteboard, presentation screen, and video conferencing device all in one. Combined with Webex Meetings, it can enrich meeting experiences, especially for remote participants.

Cisco Jabber: Though some of its features overlap with Webex Teams, Jabber is another UC tool from Cisco that provides instant messaging, voice and video calls, voicemail, and conferencing. Some organizations may use it in tandem with Webex Meetings, especially if they have already invested in Jabber.

Interoperability: Webex Meetings allows users to join meetings from any device, including desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. It also integrates well with a wide range of other tools, such as productivity and project management apps, which can help streamline workflows.

Security: Cisco is known for its focus on security. Webex Meetings is designed with end-to-end encryption, and administrators have the ability to enable various security settings. Furthermore, meeting data in transit and at rest is encrypted.

Participant Management: Webex Meetings provides hosts with various participant management tools. Hosts can mute participants, turn off their video, admit participants from a waiting room, and more.

Host Settings: Hosts have a great deal of control over meetings in Webex. They can control whether participants can join before the host, record the meeting, share their screen, and more. Hosts can also save their settings for future meetings.

At this point, I don't see any competition nearby from WebeX.

Personalize your settings: Spend some time in the settings area to understand what can be customized. This can include video preferences, audio inputs and outputs, and scheduling options. Make sure these are set to match your specific needs.

Prepare for security: Enable the Waiting Room feature to control who joins the meeting. Use the password feature to add an extra layer of security. Understand how to lock a meeting once all participants have arrived to prevent unauthorized access.

Manage Participants Effectively: Familiarize yourself with the controls for muting and unmuting participants, turning off videos, and allowing or disallowing participants to share their screens. This can prevent disruptions during the meeting.

Leverage Recording Features: If it's important to refer back to the meeting, remember to hit record. Understand where recordings are stored and how to access them later.

Understand Screen Sharing: Know how to share your entire screen versus a specific application or browser tab. Remember to close any unnecessary or private tabs or applications before sharing your screen.

Use Breakout Rooms: If you hold larger meetings or training sessions, learn how to create breakout rooms for smaller group discussions.

Test your Setup: Before starting or joining a meeting, use the "Test speaker and microphone" feature to ensure your audio is working correctly.

Utilize the Webex Help Center: Cisco has extensive online resources to help you understand all the features and settings of Webex Meetings.

right now not applicable for our organization.

I haven't purchased any premium support because I have an in-house team who takes care day to day issues. and beyond that Webex Support team is enough capable to resolve the issue in manner time and without any additional cost.

Recently, I had an issue regarding the automatic recording of my Webex meetings. I raised the complaint through one of my engineers, and it was resolved on time. Even TAC provided me with additional things which were relevant to understand.

No, as such.

prefer not to say anything.

When you have set your targets, you need enough time to negotiate to match that expectations.