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azoupas
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

                                                                                       latest update: Oct2023 - updated some items & added relevant links

Dear all,

find below some quick notes on FLEX3 On premises CUCM model. 

Commercial model for CUCM customers --> FLEX 3
FLEX 3 is the commercial model (subscription-based) to purchase CUCM onpremises licenses and support.

Benefits for CUCM customers:

  • Better cash flow through monthly and annual billing options (in addition to pre-pay option)
  • Additional functionality included – SRST (for all) and Webex advanced messaging (for Pro and Enh user lics)
  • Allows access to new valueable options/services (like Webex Cloud Connected UC, Webex app to replace Jabber, etc.) 
  • Special pricing
  • Offer Flexibility - you can select NU(Named user) or EA(Enterprise Agreement) offers. EA provides several benefits.
  • Combine with other workloads  - you can select ''onprem calling only'' or combine it with ''Meetings/Webinars'' or ''Webex Suite (+Events/Polling/Vidcast)''
  • Flexible migration to the cloud (if desired)

Important notes:
Webex offers today free messaging (basic messaging) and free meetings(basic meetings) capabilities for all users.

For messaging: apart from ''advanced messaging'' entitlements that come with every flex 3 onprem Pro or Enh user, webex offers ''basic messaging'' entitlements for all users. So all your users can leverage the unique enterprise messaging features of Webex - all of them managed via your Webex Control Hub
For meetings: you could combine flex 3 onprem calling offer with meetings if desired - this will give you paid Webex Meetings entitlements. But note that even if you get only flex 3 onprem calling licenses, you could still leverage the free Basic Webex Meetings offering for all your users. More details here.

CUCM customers could use it for below cases:

  • add new users
  • upgrade existing users (for example add softclient to existing user,etc)
  • support renewals

What about old traditional ordering path ?
Traditional perpetual part numbers (CUCM Essential,Basic, Enh, Enh Plus, CUWL) is not available for ordering since Jan2021.
Customers with existing SWSS could maintain them till 31 Jan 2024.
Related End of Sales can be found below :
End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Unified Workspace Licensing Standard Edition / Perpetual
End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Unified Communication Manager / User Connect Licensing- Perpetual 

Is there a change on CUCM product itself if I order flex 3 onprem?
There is no change on the product itself and, of course, there are no plans for end-of-sale of CUCM solution.
CUCM development continues - CUCM 15 is expected soon - stay tuned

FLEX 3 license types and mapping with CUCM licenses :

Capture.PNG

Screenshot 2023-10-02 at 4.55.22 PM.png

So:
if you need multiple devices (users with softphones,etc) and voicemail --> Flex 3 Professional
if you need 1 device (phone or Jabber softphone) only --> Flex 3 Enhanced
If you need 1 devices (phone of type 7821,7811, 3905 analog) -- > Flex 3 Access
All license types offer SRST and MRA. Enh and Prof provide also advanced Webex messaging.
And, of course, there are options to combine onprem calling&meetings services (Calling and Meetings EA) or onprem calling+meetings+additional services( Events/Polling/Vidcast) (Webex Suite EA).

Important note on subscription and expirations:
Note that FLEX3 is subscription model and provides services while subscription is active. This means that, if Flex3 subscription is not renewed and expires, then CUCM system will move to ''out of compliance mode'' state and would provide 90 days grace period to allow customer to renew subscription. All services run without problem during this 90-day grace period. If 90 days pass and subscription has not renewed, then CUCM will move to ''enforcement mode'' and will not allow admin to do (MACD) Move/Adds/Changes/Deletion tasks.
So it is important to maintain your subscriptions and plan properly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evolution path for CUCM customers
If interested, please have a look in below posts that describe evolution paths for CUCM customers and the great benefits that you could get with ''CCUC'' + ''Jabber to Webex app'' + ''Webex app calling integration with MSFT Teams''
Evolution paths for CUCM customers - a brief high level view  (new)
Webex Cloud Connected UC - connect your CUCM to Webex cloud 
Why migrate Jabber to Webex app? (ppt)  (new)
Webex app calling integration with Microsoft Teams - this integration applies both to WxC and CUCM
Leverage the power of Webex app - callerid screenpop use case   (new)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

Comments
Carlos Marin
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

In regards to this part:

 

You can have a mix of perpetual licenses with SWSS and Flex 3 licenses on same CUCM.

 

Two things got my attention:
1. Only CUCM is mentioned.
2. It implies SWSS must be active in the perpetual licenses.


Do other apps involved in Flex 3 such as Unity Connection also benefit from being able to mix licensing?

And I can foresee mixing clients who renew their Flex share of the subscription, but not the SWSS.  What happens if they don't?

azoupas
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hi @Carlos Marin 

 

1. focus of this short overview was CUCM so this is the reason only CUCM is mentioned.
If you are interested in another product (unityconnection,etc), please check associated documentation.

Policies there might vary depending on product. 

For example, my expectation is that Unityconnection would also allow mixing licenses on same Unityconnection server (perpetual and Flex) (since Unity connection is closely bundled with CUCM licenses). 

But note that this might not be the case for all products. CCX for example- not sure if CCX perpetual and A-FLEX-CC can coexist on same UCCX.  

 

2. Not such intention and not aware of such  rule. My understanding that if you have CUCM with perpetual lics and SWSS expired. then still you would be able to add new users with Flex3 or convert some users to Flex3. But at time of upgrade, your users under perpetual lic would not be entitled to major upgrade without SWSS so you would need to move them to FLEX3 also. But if you have such case would be ideal to crosscheck with Flex3 team. 

 

Regarding below topic: 

''And I can foresee mixing clients who renew their Flex share of the subscription, but not the SWSS.  What happens if they don't?''

As stated above, my understading is that if SWSS is not renewed then users under these SWSS will not be entitled to major upgrades and support. I don't know if BU(Business Unit) has in mind some other policy about this. 

 

rgds

Alkiviadis

Carlos Marin
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hi @azoupas 
I understand the points, but I want to run one more concern by you.

In Flex-3, let's suppose you want to add a Professional user to your permanent base.  The CUCM side of things permits this per the above, but consider that a professional user automatically includes a Unity Connection license.  This alone, at least in appearance, forces Unity Connection to also accept mixed licenses by implication, wouldn't it?  This is one of the reasons why I asked, we cannot limit the impact of this to just CUCM, because Flex implies other applications depending on your license choices.  Either you can mix them all, or you can't.  A middle ground where, for example, CUCM allows it, and Unity Connection doesn't, sounds like it may create a chaos.

azoupas
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hi @Carlos Marin 

as stated my guess is that Unityconnection would allow this. And I agree with the extra note above.

Now to get an official answer, you need to check Unityconnection docs and if not there, you can check with Unity connection Product team.

dwtcp
Level 1
Level 1

Hi @azoupas 

There is no reference anywhere about the supported max number of devices in Professional subscription of Flex3.

Can you provide the limitation details about that ?

BR,

T.

azoupas
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hi @dwtcp  

 

according to slide 8 of this partner presentation :

https://salesconnect.cisco.com/open.html?c=698d5981-66e1-4f7e-8c2a-ce7caa15fd71

10 devices for CUCM cases and 5 devices for Webex Calling cases. 

Capture.PNG

 

hope this helps

rgds

Alkiviaidis

dwayne rattan
Level 1
Level 1

Hi

I am trying to renew SWSS on CUCM before the license go end of sale, I am being told that because its going EOS I would have to migrate to Flex.

 

However SWSS is not EOS as far as I can see and as you started should be available until 2024 or until its end of support date. So end if CUCM license went end of sale in 2021 and SWSS expired afterwards there is no way to retain perpetual license model until we make the leap to Flex ?

 

Hope you could share some light on this for me as this announcement has come right when we are planning a migration.

azoupas
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hi @dwayne rattan 

 

don't know the details of your case (versions,etc) but I think you should rediscuss with your cisco account team on this.

 

rgds

Alkiviadis 

KY_
Level 4
Level 4

We are using CUCM 10.5.1 so in my case what about CUCM for this model ? how cucm is affected after 90 day later ? I think it should not affectect if PLM is become complience. Can you please explain that for me ?

azoupas
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

hi @KY_ 

 

if you are on  CUCM10.x with active SWSS, you could stay there till SWSS expires and that time you would need to move to Flex3 model. 

If you are on CUCM10.x and need flex3 for some reason:

- to add more users or upgrade user licenses to get softclients or

- you don't have active support contract and need to add this or 

- you want to utilize some of flex3 benefits (paid webex teams licenses included with some flex3 lics) or 

....

then you could utilze flex3.

Now note that flex3 quotation does not provide 10.x option during ordering.

So what happens is the following:

if you place a flex 3 order while you are on 10.x cucm system, then, from what I know, you could get a 6months ''grace period''

to work with 10.x and plan your upgrade to 12.x. During that period, you will be supported by the flex3 order and if scenario you run means you need more 10.x licenses that you have, you will get 6months temp 10.x licenses.

Not sure if this helps. 

You could coordinate with your Cisco account team for more details on the specfic scenario. 

 

rgds

Alkiviadis 

 

 

, flex 3 order could cover you 

 

KY_
Level 4
Level 4

Hi @azoupas 

 

Thanks for your explanation I have another some question.
 
 
 
 
 
 

1- ) 

 

I have a question my customer they have 3000=CUWL pro and 1000= enhanced license so they did bought Flex 3.0 instead of SWSS and cisco did gave them 750 enhanced plus and 500 cuwl pro license so if they want to upgrade their CUCM from 10.5.2 to 12.x what they need? As I know earlier They definately need SWSS but may I know that point can they convert all of existing CUWL (3000) pro and 1000 Ehnanced license license using with Flex 3.0 ?

 

2- )

 

My second question For the CUCM 10.x they have CUWL pro and some enhanced license as I mentioned above so this SHOUL NOT Expire because its parmanent license that is installed on PLM I mean i can not be incomplicense  definately I know that tey can not take support for those license but If they face any issue on CUCM they can open case using with Flex 3.0 contract am i right ?

 

Can you please explain that point Im realy confusing this part.

 

Thanks

azoupas
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

hi @KY_ ,

 

I think you should discuss these cases with Cisco Account team and collab expert that is covering your area.


What I can say, in case it helps is below:

To upgrade a cluster (major upgrade) you need to have all users covered (either via SWSS or via Flex3 sub).

If some users have expired SWSS, you could examine either to renew SWSS Contract (if this is possible) or order Flex3 for these users. 

 

for TAC support: 

Officially in order to have TAC support for your CUCM cluster, you need to have your licenses covered (via SWSS or via FLEX3).

Now, when you are still on 10.x CUCM version and go for a flex3 12.x order then, my understanding is that, AS AN EXCEPTION, for 6 months, Flex team allows you to use flex3 12.x order to open tac case for 10.x CUCM.
And also if needed, it could provide 6months temp 10.x licenses equivalent to your flex3 order. 

So this an exception to help 10.x customers to upgrade within 6 months and move to 12.x so their running CUCM will be in accordance with flex3 subscription (back to normality). 

If after 6months you are still on 10.x then I am not sure if you could use Flex3 to open cases for 10.x CUCM.

Your cisco team needs to check this with Flex team. Possibly yes but can not confirm unfortunately. 

 

Regarding CUCM 10.x licenses you mentioned (and if we leave TAC support aside):

- my understanding is that perpetual 10.x CUCM licenses do not expire 

- if you get 10.x licenses via flex3 order then you might get temp 6months license so these would expire

 

hope this helps

Alkiviadis

 

My customer has asked for Named user Enhanced CUCM Licence for version 12. I can't seem to see version 12 in the Premises and Hosted Software Choices.

Will v12.5 work in its place?

Thanks 

Doug Freda
Level 4
Level 4

I have a customer who wants to move to FLEX-3. He has 4 clusters and domain wise they are all child domains under the same TLD. When counting KW's for an EA, are these ALL considered the some domain as far as a FLEX EA Knowledge Worker count is concerned? Having some documentation that spells this out would be great. I've looked thru the Ordering Guide as well as KW links and nothing spells this out. Thanks much!

azoupas
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

hi Doug,

 

if you search salesconnect with ''EUIF'' keyword you will find relevant content. 

for example : '' Knowledge Worker and EUIF Primer ''

Knowledge workers of a company do not have to do with domain split or whatever technical/deployment aspect of this (4 clusters etc). 

So if this is one company then one flex EA could be examined in my view.

If for some reasons you want to split in multiple flex EAs, then you could discuss this with Cisco account team of customer in question to see if this is possible. 

 

in any case,synch with account team could clarify all these easily. 

 

rgds

Alkiviadis

 

 

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