Item: Webex Meetings
Rating: 10
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Webex Meetings is pretty much the only reason hybrid work actually "works" for us. Just about every interaction I have with any colleague now is via Webex Meetings, be it an impromptu 1:1 Adhoc chat, a small team brainstorming session, or a large-scale project meeting. The flexibility for participants to join through any device over any connection means that regardless of whether someone is in the office, in a flex-space, or working remotely, we can count on the same reliable meeting experience. The fact that Webex Meetings is fully integrated into the Webex app means that we can easily go from an instant messaging chat or team space discussion to a full video Meeting with content sharing, seamlessly with a single click of a button. We have also integrated it with our Broadworks-based IP telephony solution, making it truly a single interface for any form of communications we need in our work.

Pros and Cons

Seamless integration with IM, team spaces, and telephony via Webex app.
Common experience across desktop, mobile, and web browser clients.
End-to-end encryption for Meetings using Webex Audio (VOIP).
Native integration with Webex video room systems and collaboration devices.

Continuing to evolve support for 3rd party ecosystems such as Microsoft Teams.
Continue enhancing video effects for video backgrounds while optimizing CPU impact.
Deeper integration with 3rd party room systems (Poly, Logitech).

Return on Investment

A key enabler of our shift to a hybrid work model due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Compliance with privacy and data security requirements inherent to our business.
Increased collaboration with external partners and customers.

Alternatives Considered

Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet

For basic video meetings, just about every platform out there delivers on the mandatory requirements: ease of joining a meeting, acceptable audio and video quality, basic user controls for muting, turning on/off video, and reactions. Where Webex Meetings excels, is in the wide portfolio of compatible devices, the device-agnostic performance across Windows/Mac/IOS/Android/WebRTC, and the intelligent AI capabilities of the Webex Assistant. Where Webex Meetings takes things to another level completely, is when you need to host a webinar or event, as Webex Webinars and Webex Events are additional product levels that bring whole new suites of capabilities to the table while still looking and feeling like Webex Meetings to the host user. Finally, when you factor in the specialized extensions available from Webex partners for niche requirements across legal, government, health, and other sectors, you end up with Webex Meetings being the most professional platform for online collaboration (as opposed to MS Teams being the easiest to adopt since MS bundles it with pretty much everything they sell, and Zoom having the greatest mindshare in the general public due to its "free" version being the most accessible at the start of the pandemic).

Key Insights

Do you think Webex Meetings delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Webex Meetings's feature set?

Yes

Did Webex Meetings live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Webex Meetings go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Webex Meetings again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)

Reliability and Availability

It has never been unavailable to me when I needed it. Cisco continues to expand the number of nodes in their Webex Cloud, improving reliability and redundancy. For example, they have recently introduced Canadian data centres into the Webex Cloud, and have announced plans to add even more nodes in Canada to support Canadian customers who care about data sovereignty and have a need to keep their own customers' data in Canada.

Scalability

It really doesn't matter whether you are a small company that primarily needs an online meeting tool to support reaching out to customers globally, or if you are a large multi-national company needing to bridge employees across vast distances and many time zones. Webex Meetings delivers the same reliable meeting solution whether the meeting is simply 1:1, or 1:100 (or greater).

Performance

We simply do not see users complaining about speed when it comes to Webex Meetings. It's a business-grade solution that simply works.

Likelihood to Recommend

The available auto-transcription capabilities, as well as integration with various virtual whiteboard applications, makes Webex Meetings absolutely the better option for fast-paced ideation and brainstorming sessions. Rather than having to pause to take notes, the Webex Assistant can capture it all and provide a transcript of the meeting after it is over. The polling and visualization tools from the integrated Slido capabilities make it easy to have impromptu votes and group input. The ability to have Adhoc breakout rooms for sub-teams to gather without exiting the original meeting keeps the pace of work fast and energized. The only meetings where I would suggest Webex Meetings is not well suited, are ones where the purpose of the meeting is to be fully immersed in a physical environment. As good as VR and AR devices are, it's still not a full-sensory replacement for actually being somewhere to appreciate a place or object in person.

Webex Meetings is the Professional Solution for Online Collaboration

Overall Satisfaction with Webex Meetings