Cisco integrations with MSFT Teams (CVI and others...)

azoupas · ‎10-05-2020

Dear all,

there are various integrations between Cisco and MSFT Teams. Find below a quick overview:

a) Webex Meetings integration with MSFT Teams

Allows MSFT Teams users to schedule, start, or join Cisco Webex meetings and invite people to join Webex meetings or Webex Personal Room meetings directly from their Microsoft Teams clients.

Cisco-Webex-Meetings-for-Microsoft-Teams article from help.webex.com

For cases where conferencing service is delivered by Webex Meetings.

You keep your users using MSFT Teams for messaging and you get Webex experience for meetings.

Easy to try this

b) Cisco Calling integrations with MSFT Teams

Allows MSFT Teams users to place voice/video calls from MSFT Teams utilizing Cisco Calling service (Jabber or Webex Teams softphone or even control their Cisco IPPhone for click-to-call)

https://help.webex.com/en-us/aetgvg/Cisco-Jabber-for-Microsoft-Teams

https://help.webex.com/en-us/ngmx08cb/Cisco-Webex-Teams-Calling-for-Microsoft-Teams

For cases where calling service is delivered by Cisco Calling (CUCM or Webex Calling))

Again you keep your users using MSFT Teams for messaging and you get Cisco Calling experience for voice/video calls

No need to maintain phone system on MSFT Teams side

c) Microsoft Phone System Direct routing via CUBE

Allows MSFT Phone System to use CUBE as SIP gateway towards Voip Provider.

PIW - Webex Interop - CUBE for Microsoft direct Routing - Technical Update - Video

PIW - Webex Interop - CUBE for Microsoft direct Routing - Technical Update - PDF

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/direct-routing-border-controllers

For cases where MSFT is providing calling/PBX service and CUBE is used as SIP gateway.

d) Cloud Video Interop (CVI) for MSFT Teams

Allows a MSFT Tenant to enable SIP dialing for their scheduled MSFT Teams meetings (Cisco or 3rd-party SIP devices could dial in). For cases where conferencing is offered by MSFT Teams and you want to allow SIP video endpoints (Cisco or 3rd-party) to join.

Note that CVI is enabled by the MSFT tenant that HOSTS the meetings and enables SIP dialling on THEIR scheduled MSFT TEAMS meetings.

This is what invite would like like after CVI enablement :

When enabled Cisco or 3rd-party SIP endpoints (either belonging to this tenant or other companies) could manually dial into scheduled MSFT Teams meetings.

You could have direct dial or dial into an IVR and then provide ''VTC Conference id''.

Additionally, apart from direct dial or dial via an IVR, you could examine:

OBTP for cloud registered endpoints:

you could also go for OBTP (One button to push) to have ''Join'' green button on Touchpanel of Video endpoint for ease of joining but note that this requires extra configuration as related document mention (hybrid calendar, calendar configs, etc).

OBTP on-premises registered endpoints:

WORK IN PROGRESS // These endpoints will require to be cloud-aware (Webex Edge for Devices) plus other dependencies so stay tuned for more details.

Also note that CVI requires a license from Cisco (licensing mode is : ''Active endpoints per month'')- check below for details.

Relevant docs:

https://help.webex.com/en-us/nffx8kj/Deploy-the-Cisco-Webex-Video-Integration-for-Microsoft-Teams - deployment guide from help.webex.com

Cisco Webex Video Integration for Microsoft Teams - TDM Deck - very useful technical preso (partner-access)

PIW - Webex Interop - CVI Capabilities - Microsoft Interop Technical Update - Video - very good partner webinar on CVI

PIW - Webex Interop - CVI Capabilities - Microsoft Interop Technical Update - PDF

Ordering guide - Cisco Video interop (CVI) for MSFT Teams -skus and how to quote on CCW

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/doing_business/legal/OfferDescriptions/cisco-webex-video-integration-for-mt.pdf explains licensing model ''Active Endpoints per month''

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/cloud-video-interop

MSFT page listing Cisco as certified CVI provider for MSFT Teams.

e) WebRTC solution to allow selected Cisco Video endpoints to join MSFT Teams scheduled meetings that are not SIP/CVI enabled

If a MSFT Tenant has not enabled CVI, then there is an alternative way that has less features but still allows selected Cisco Video endpoints (that support WebRTC engine) to join MSFT Teams scheduled meetings as WebRTC participants.

This option does NOT depend on the MSFT Tenant side (the host side) but can be enabled on the endpoint side (guest/participant side). So a company that has Video endpoints could enable this on their video endpoints in order to be able to join other company's MSFT Teams meetings via WebRTC.

Offcourse, this makes sense if other company has not enabled CVI. If company, that hosts MSFT Teams meeting, has enabled CVI then you will see SIP address in the invite and could use this - no need to bother on WebRTC path.

Extra note on ''less features'':

a) since this way video endpoint joins in a way as a ''webrtc participant'', you will get only single MSFT Teams screenlayout from MSFT Teams meeting.

b) Today Video endpoints can not share content inside MSFT Teams meeting - they can only receive MSFT Teams content share.

Important notes/Requirements:

a) this is supported only on Room kits, Rooms series, Boards and Desk Pro Video endpoints - these are the ones that support webrtc engine.

b) This does not require license for the ''webrtc'' part but OBTP/Hybrid Calendar is mandatory requirement.

c) Due to various calendar/processing rules, the best option is to have Cloud registered endpoints running in personal mode.

Cloud registered endpoints in shared mode & Cloud- aware CUCM registered endpoints (with Webex Edge for Devices) have very limited working scenarios at the moment. Please contact your local Collab team to discuss.

Relevant docs:

Cisco Webex Video Integration for Microsoft Teams - TDM Deck - very useful technical preso (partner-access)

PIW - Webex Interop - CVI Capabilities - Microsoft Interop Technical Update - Video - very good partner webinar on CVI

PIW - Webex Interop - CVI Capabilities - Microsoft Interop Technical Update - PDF

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EXTRA NOTE ON LAST TWO OPTIONS - CHASE WHAT IS RELEVANT AND SAVE TIME

If you are a MSFT Teams tenant --> CVI is the path to examine in order to SIP enable your MSFT Teams meetings to allow your endpoints AND other video endpoints to join.

if you are invited to other companies MSFT Teams meetings that don't provide a SIP address as option --> WebRTC is a path to examine.

Note these options cover different use cases so some customers might need both options in parallel (CVI for their own msft teams meetings and WebRTC to join other companies MSFT Teams meetings that are not CVI-SIP enabled).

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hope this helps

please rate if you find helpful

Index of all my collab community posts --> Looking for info on Cisco Collab solutions ?

rgds

Alkiviadis

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DISCLAIMER: this post was created in order to provide useful info to Cisco partners and customers in my area (Greece/Cyprus and Malta). For official and updated information, please consult cisco documentation, datasheets and ordering guides.

Anand Kochhar · ‎10-07-2020

Thank you providing the crisp details.

for CVI option do you have test plan, so that after deployment we should share with customer that all required featured promised are delivered..

azoupas · ‎10-08-2020

Hi Anand,

unfortunately I am not aware of such document/test plan.

When CVI is enabled then msft tenant will see SIP Video address on their msft teams invite.

Then tests from video endpoints should be done via direct dial or via IVR to see that all work as expected (two-way content sharing, layout control, roster list (for cisco endpoint case only), etc. etc.).

Some things like OBTP have various dependencies so might be or not be in the deliverable.

rgds

Alkiviadis

isuhrstedt · ‎10-16-2020

Thank you for providing this rundown all in one place!

azoupas · ‎10-19-2020

u r welcome @isuhrstedt happy that this seem helpful

TrickTrick · ‎11-26-2020

Thank you @azoupas for the shares

I have one (stupid maybe) question, does the integration work only if I want to make calls to our Mst teams tenant (domain) ? I mean, can I call other domains of other organizations for example that have Microsoft teams as well? it's maybe possible through the connector (microsoft Azure cloud) maintained by cisco?

Thank you again

DariuszNowak8349 · ‎11-26-2020

Hello TrickTrick,
As per my experience:
You can call to every MS Teams meeting, under condition the meeting invite includes 'VTC dialing details'.
The only difference is:
- If you have Hybrid Calendar service (WebEx) configured with your o365 tenant - Video endpoint is treated as trusted.
- If no Hybrid Calendar is configured - 'admitting' is required.... Teams tenant recognizes that 'stranger person/device' is trying to join meeting.
BR
Dariusz

azoupas · ‎11-27-2020

Hi @TrickTrick

you don't define which integration you are talking about so let me elaborate on both options:

If question is about CVI:

Cisco CVI service is enabled and purchased for SPECIFIC MSFT Tenant and ''SIP enables'' the scheduled msft teams meetings of this msft tenant only. So customer buys CVI service to enable it for his/her own MSFT Teams tenant.

Cisco CVI service of company A is useless for msft teams meetings of other MSFT tenants.

@DariuszNowak8349

''You can call to every MS Teams meeting, under condition the meeting invite includes 'VTC dialing details'.''

if a MSFT Teams tenant has CVI enabled for his/her own scheduled meetings then offcourse participants could use this.
BUT this does not mean at all that one CVI service allows you to join other tenant's MSFT team meetings.

if question is on Webrtc:

Webrtc path is there for MSFT Teams meetings in general as far as I know. This allows browsers to join.

Now to enable a Cisco endpoint to dial via webrtc in msft teams meeting then there is some work to be done on the cisco side.

If a company does this for company's Cisco endpoints (ones that support webrtc option offcourse) then

these endpoints could dial any MSFT Teams meetings (provided that webrtc is option from msft side is not blocked,etc).

So Webrtc is more a ''1 to any'' approach.

There are some updates on webrtc that I will try to add in my document shortly.

Also recent partner webinar on CVI/webrtc might have useful info.

hope this helps

rgds

Alkiviadis

AmleshSengar02 · ‎02-10-2021

Hello All,

We have few SX80 and WebEx room devices registered on CUCM. Now we want to achieve CVI and OBTP on these devices.

Is there a document available that provide configuration steps to achieve the desired output?

Thanks

DariuszNowak8349 · ‎02-11-2021

Hello Amlesh,

I would suggest you to start with:

- Deploy the Cisco Webex Video Integration for Microsoft Teams article :: Administration - Deploy the Cisco Webex Video Integration for Microsoft Teams
- Webex Edge for Devices article :: Administration - Webex Edge for Devices and

- On Edge with Dustin YouTube channel :: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCobLk-UDQn2fEGh-BDhk51w

Take care

AmleshSengar02 · ‎02-12-2021

Thanks Darius.

One Query: Once WebEx edge for devices gets all video endpoints moved to Control hub, will there still be a requirement of Expressway-C connector based Hybrid calendar services for OBTP to appear for MS Teams meeting or only integration between Control hub with O365 will suffice and OBTP can be see on video endpoints.

Thanks

DariuszNowak8349 · ‎02-12-2021

Hi Amlesh
Please check Cisco Webex Edge for Devices White Paper starting from page 7:
To be precise "WebEx Edge for Devices" is not a replacement for call control registration: we can't say "video endpoints moved to Control hub":
Video Devices:
- remain REGISTERED to current 'call control' system: CUCM or VCS/ExpressWay (over SIP or H323) and in the same time,
- are LINKED to WebEx Control Hub (over HTTPS), which delivers Hybrid Calendar service (+OBTP joining experience).
Cheers!
DN

Roger Kallberg · ‎02-14-2021

@AmleshSengar02

What type of calendar connector you use does not have a correlation with Webex Edge for devices. It’s for the most governed by the type of Exchange you have, on-prem or cloud. With cloud the preferred type of hybrid calendar would be the cloud variant, without any need for any Expressway connector.

tknapp · ‎04-14-2021

Thank you very much for the document. You really created a excellent guide for further research.

At least I now will know what is being referred to in documentation.

Thank you!

azoupas · ‎05-10-2021

txs @tknapp !! I am glad this is useful

TrickTrick · ‎05-10-2021

Hello @azoupas, thank you for clarifying this point

So if I understood it well,Cisco CVI doesn't allow an endpoint such as Webex room kit or whatever to call ANY msft teams address, but only rooms of the actual tenant (client) for which we buy licenses

through WebRtc though, we can call any MSFT tenant but we need to use a compatible devices such as the new webex room kits which are WebRtc compatible (specific configuration should be done in cisco side)

Is that correct ?