hi team,
in this community post, we will provide basic info on Webex Calling solution licensing.
Webex Calling solution has:
- User licenses (two types here: Professional and Standard) and
- Workspace license (for common area devices or, in other words, for devices not associated with users).
Let's have a closer look:
a) Webex Calling Professional license for users
This license is intended for user's that need professional calling capabilities.
It allows user to have IP Phones AND softclients on desktop/mobile/tablet (max 5 devices, all softclients counting 1 device).
Plus it provides advanced user-related features (voicemail, virtual lines, shared lines, allows user to be added as Customer Experience Basic agent, Microsoft teams calling integration, etc.).
List of features for Webex Calling Professional user can be found here:
https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n1qbbp7/Features-available-by-license-type-for-Webex-Calling
b) Webex Calling Standard license for users
This license is intended for users' that need standard calling capabilities and single device. So here user could have EITHER one hardware device (IP Phone/etc.) OR softclients (user could use all softclients: mobile/desktop/tablet - if desired).
Webex Calling Standard licenses offers many calling features (voicemail, hotdesking profile, etc) but lacks support for certain features (no virtual lines, user can not be configured as Customer Experience Basic agent/supervisor, etc.)
List of features for Webex Calling Standard user can be found here:
https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n1qbbp7/Features-available-by-license-type-for-Webex-Calling
Note1: Webex Calling Standard license was initially available in US/Canada but now, since beg of Oct24, it is available WW.
Note2: Will soon expand a bit more on the Webex Calling Standard user features - stay tuned.
c) Webex Calling Workspace license
This license is intended for devices that are NOT associated with users (devices in common areas or devices for shared use).
In Webex Control hub, these devices are associated with Workspaces (not with users). These workspace devices can be used for hotdesking or hoteling so users could login and use them. Workspace devices offer various calling features, but, of course, do not offer features that require user association (no voicemail, no user portal, etc.) and have also other feature limitations (no shared lines, no virtual lines, no call recording, etc.).
List of features for Webex Calling Workspace license can be found here:
https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n1qbbp7/Features-available-by-license-type-for-Webex-Calling
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Although above are the three main Webex Calling license types, please have in mind below extra license types:
d) Webex Calling Professional license for Workspaces
This license type was introduced some time ago to cover the following special need: assume you have a device that is not associated with a user, but, on that device, you need a feature that is not supported by Workspace devices.
For example: virtual line or ability to record via recording solution (native Webex Calling recording or recording partner).
So, this license allows you to get some additional licenses on a Workspace device without requirement for user association.
List of features for Webex Calling Professional license for Workspaces can be found here:
https://help.webex.com/en-us/article/n1qbbp7/Features-available-by-license-type-for-Webex-Calling
Note1 : This option does not appear in CCW as orderable selection. If you need this for x devices, you order x more Webex Calling Professional users licenses in CCW. Then, in Control Hub level, you can select a workspace (that consumes for the moment a Workspace license) and change its license to ''Webex Calling Professional (workspace)''to get more capabilities.
e) New cost-free ‘’hot desk only’’ workspace (** expected in Nov2024 -see related note)
This new workspace type will allow only hotdesking and emergency calling services. It is designed specifically for areas where users use hotdesking. Without a user signed in, it will not offer any services (only emergency calls will be allowed).
Again this is not something that you need to quote or select in CCW during quotation. This is a configuration you can do in Webex Control Hub.
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In case you prefer a visual summary:
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Ok, so how do I map my needs to Webex Calling licenses?
1) First of all, define how many users you have in total.
2) From these, identify which users are ok with ''IPPhone only OR softclients only'' approach and, at the same time, are ok with the features/limitations of Webex Calling Standard license. These will be your Webex Calling Standard users.
3) All the rest, that need IPPhone+softclient(s) and/or need some calling features that can only be covered by Webex Calling Professional, will be your Webex Calling Professional users.
Now, if you don't know yet the exact requirements of your user base, you could either start safely by ordering Webex Calling Professional for all users, or, if desired, you could order Webex Calling Standard for some of them and upgrade them later to Professional if needed (one advantage of the flex subscription is that you could modify it mid-term).
4) Define how many phones you will have in shared spaces or common area that will not be associated with users. These will be your Webex Calling Workspace licenses.
5) Although in many customer cases, this step might not be needed, if you see that: for some workspace devices, you need some special calling feature (recording, virtual line, etc.) that is not in Workspace license and is in Professional for Workspace license, then for these devices, you should calculate some Webex Calling Professional licenses in your quote (instead of Webex Calling Workspace licenses). Later, in Control hub, you will select these devices and assign them a Webex Calling Professional license for Workspaces.
Sidenote: ''recording support'' here means that you will able to configure that device for recording, but, note that in order to do so you would need to have one of the recording solutions available (either use recording options that come at no cost : native Webex Recording or Dubber GO or purchased recording solution from certified recording partners).
6) This step is again optional and will be possible with new expected cost-free ''hotdesk only'' workspace type we mentioned above. So if you think that in some areas, you could have such devices, then you don't have to calculate Webex Calling Workspace licenses for those. Webex Control Hub would allow you to add them without license consumption. Again remember that this type of workspace device allows users to sign in via hotdesking but if user is not signed in, then device does not have any calling services (except emergency calls).
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How do I map my CUCM license usage to Webex Calling?
On this topic, please check Calculate Webex Calling licenses from CUCM license usage community post
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I have concluded what Webex Calling licenses I need - what are the commercial offers to get these?
Now that you know your needs (in terms of Webex Calling licenses), what happens next is to see which is the best flex offer that covers your needs. Cisco account team and your Cisco partner will be the ones that will guide you on this topic but I will share here some basic information.
Webex Calling could be purchased via:
1) Flex 3 Webex Suite or Webex Suite Essentials (NU or EA) - this fits in case you want to get a bundle of webex services (calling, meetings, webinars, polling/slido, vidcast, etc.). Webex Suite offers provide great benefits and is worth examining as first option.
2) Flex 3 Webex Calling (NU or EA) - this fits in case you need only Webex Calling service.
In general, NU is used for small cases (<250 users) and EA fits best for >250 user cases.
As there are many more aspects to share on this topic(commercial offers), I will expand on separate community post (Webex Calling - how to order) soon.
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thanks!
Alkiviadis