acano and Cisco

Some hot news, a few weeks ago, Cisco announced it has acquired Acano Limited, a privately held company based in London that provides collaboration infrastructure and conferencing software.

You may ask, “dont Cisco already have this” ?. Well the answer is yes, but acano fills a missing piece of the Collaboration jigsaw. Cisco have a big commitment to Microsoft Interop especially Skype for Business. Because the S4B client uses some proprietary elements, we have to have some type of “gateway” function . This is one thing the acano solution gives us. The basic architecture is as follows:

The software can run on an acano applicance or as a VM on any Cisco UCS platform.

The unique proposition from acano is maintaining the user experience for each individual participant. So if you are a Lync or S4B client and you join a meeting  via the acano server, you will maintain the user experience you are always familiar with.

Additional information can be found here:-  http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/corporate-strategy-office/acquisitions/acano.html

 

Cisco and Spectralink

This is really great news and a bit long overdue IMHO.

Cisco has Partnered with Spectralink to resell and support their DECT Solution. It can be ordered on Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW) and is supported via TAC. The Spectralink DECT solutions are now part of the Cisco SolutionsPlus program. This program scope includes DECT Servers, handsets, accessories and support, all available directly from the Cisco Global Price List. This solution is compatible with Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager, Hosted Collaboration Solutions and Cisco Business Edition. Support for this program is available directly from the partner.

The DECT phones are very tightly integrated into CUCM via “cop” file (Cisco Options Package) which needs installing on all the CUCM nodes. When adding a DECT phone, the CUCM ” Device > Phone ” menu now includes Spectralink Phones as an option just like any other Cisco endpoint. The consequence of this is that the Spectralink DECT phones can leverage enhanced call features of CUCM.

A portal http://spectralinkplus.com/ is availble containing a whole host of information.

Cisco Jabber 11.5 in a Citrix /VMWare environment

Further to my post here, https://stmetcal.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=34 action=edit
Cisco have expanded the reach of the Virtual Experience Media Engine to Jabber 11.5 and additional Thin Client OS platforms.

Currently we now support the following Operating Systems for Thin Client devices:-

• Windows Embedded 7/8 (WES)
• SuseLinux
• eLux Unicon 4.8

All the release notes for these environments can be found here:-

Windows

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/vxc/english/vxme-windows/11-5/rns/vxme_b_rns-cisco-vxme-windows-115.html

SUSE Linux

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/vxc/english/vxme/11-5/rns/vxme_b_rns-cisco-vxme-sletc-11-5.html

eLUX Unicon

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/vxc/english/vxme_unicon_elux/11-5/rns/vxme_b_rns-cisco-vxme-elux-11-5.html

Any questions, feel free to mail me

 

 

Cisco Jabber 10.6 running in a Citrix/VMWare environment

April 2015

Cisco recently launched the latest version of the VXME (Virtual eXperience Media Engine) client which supports Cisco Jabber 10.6 operating in either a Citrix or VMware HVD environment. The VXME software works with Windows Embedded 7/8 thin clients from any Vendor and “offloads” Voice and Video real time media traffic to the Thin Client. This prevents media “hair-pinning” the Data Centre HVD rendering both audio and video communication un-useable.

VXME resolves this issue by creating a “peer to peer” media stream between the two endpoints involved in a call, thus bypassing the HVD.

Testing has already taken place using thin clients from iGEL https://www.igel.com/uk/ specifically the UD5 (Dual Core) and UD6 (Quad Core) devices. Testing of the UD6 thin client produced video resolution of 1280x720p and hi-fidelity audio using G722. Additional information can be found here:- https://www.igel.com/uk/company/press-media/press-releases/single-view/article/igel-adds-cisco-vxme-to-its-unified-communications-portfolio.html

Additional information on Cisco VXME technology can be found here:-http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collaboration-endpoints/virtualization-experience-media-engine/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve re-imagined Collaboration. Now its your turn

Earlier this year, we launched some ground-breaking and great looking new solutions, taking desktop and in-room collaboration to a new level.

On Monday 24 November, we’ll be revealing the next step of our journey.

Join us and you can be one of the first to discover how we’re transforming mobile productivity with our latest collaboration applications and end-points.

The session will be presented by Snorre Kjesbu, Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Endpoint Technology Group, and it promises to be an eye-opening and thought-provoking 25 minutes. We’ll be streaming the event via the Collaborate Now website, and you’ll need to register in advance if you’d like to attend. When you register you’ll also be entered into our free prize draw to win a fantastic Cisco DX80. So, why not register now while it’s fresh in your mind? It won’t take a moment. http://collaboratenow.cisco.com/register/?utm_source=novemberevent&utm_medium=engageemail&utm_campaign=collaboratenow

Cisco Collaboration enables Next Generation Cancer Care

Awesome day yesterday. Using Cisco Collaboration technology, I ran a live MDT Cancer session from Leeds T H to Jordan with Princess Ghida Talal https://www.facebook.com/PrincessGhidaTalal?fref=ts of Jordan spectating.

Nerve racking “demonstration”, but brilliant to see these extremely clever people using technology to improve the care and outcome of Cancer patients. Truely inspirational.

Cisco Collaborate Now event – 5th June, Manchester

Today people are working in new ways and want the right tools to get the job done. Cisco Collaboration is delivering “no compromise” experiences to employees and making Collaboration simple to increase adoption and decrease operational cost.

We’re demonstrating this as we run a unique virtual launch experience across EMEAR based on Cisco TelePresence. Broadcast live from London, Collaborate Now! will connect sites across EMEAR in one huge event underlining the power of Collaboration.

Join Rowan Trollope, SVP, Cisco Collaboration Technology Group via Cisco’s latest technologies as we demonstrate how new collaboration products and services from Cisco extend your ability to collaborate from every room, every desk, every pocket, and every application.

Why Attend?
· Learn how Cisco is putting Collaboration on every desktop
· See how we have enhanced the user experience with our eye-opening new Cisco TelePresence line-up
· Understand how Cisco delivers personal meeting room from the cloud

Join us to find out how Cisco Collaboration delivers an unmatched experience from the browser to the boardroom.

Register Here; http://emear.collaboratenow.net/index.php/manchester

WHAT is Cisco “Proximity” ?

Intelligent Proximity for Content Sharing allows you to automatically pair and synch your mobile device (smartphone or tablet) with Cisco room-based video collaboration endpoints when they come within proximity. Using Ultrasound technology, your mobile device will automatically connect to the endpoint when in “proximity”.  Once connected, your iPAD/iPhone allows some basic control of the endpoint, but also displays any content being shared. It allows the user to have a Personal copy of the slides and also the ability to go back in the slideset to review previous slides.

 

It requires TC 6.3 (experimental) or TC 7 software in the endpoint. Endpoints supported are C, SX, MX EX (TC 7) and TX (TX 7)  and a simpler version for the DX-650. The app can be downloaded from the AppStore by searching for “Cisco Proximity”.

A video is also available here:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycpcEtxl7Yk

 

Extend and Connect Licensing

Extend and Connect is a brilliant new CUCM feature allowing a Jabber client to “Control” ANY type of phone be it a landline or a third party IP Phone. A transformative feature changing the User Experience when using Legacy telephones integrated with Cisco Jabber.

The user experience is such that the Jabber client is CTI controlling a phone that is actually NOT a Cisco device.

To license this feature, a UCL Enhanced (or above) is required. If however, the user also uses the Jabber client as a Voice and Video endpoint in Softphone mode, this counts as two devices. As such, the minimum license requirement is a UCL Enhanced Plus license.