Looking for a shopping list of components

[RobertGreenlee]

We have a diverse environment today containing the following:

Corporate office with around 300 users on a old Nortel switch

Less than 10 remote offices running Cisco CME ranging from 5-125 users each

Old version of Cisco Unity supporting all of the above

2000 more users in the company that are not and won't be supported by any central phone system or vm

We are looknig to deploy Microsoft Lync to the enterprise to support the following objectives.  We already own the Lync licenses so it makes financial sense.

1. IM/Chat federated with the public Window Live network and possibly other public IM networks

2. Point to Point audio and video converencing - desktop quality is fine

3. Multi-user audio and video conferencing - Again desktop quality is ok

4. Remote desktop and application sharing

5. Webex style conferencing that is internally hosted but available internally and externally - Must eliminiate current webex costs

6. Seemless client experience whether they are on the network or external

7. Solution must be highy available

We are evaluating Lync verses Cisco for the voice replacement for corporate and looking at CuciLync as a possible integration point for Lync if we go with the Cisco voice solution.  Our concerns are what we lose from Lync if we got down the Cucilync route since it disables the A/V pieces of Lync.

Can somebody at a high level lay out all the pieces that would be required to meet all of the above objectives.

Thanks

Robert

[skilambi]

I have covered some points here, CUCI Lync makes the A/V flow through Cisco CUCM/Unity. The reason being is you want "one call control" , one brain in your design. By having Lync and CUCM manage your phone system means two places to add/delete extensions, CAC concerns etc. By the way Cisco doesn't force you to disable anything on Lync but if you don't now you will see two call options and users might find it confusing. Keep in mind Cisco Jabber(previously called CUPC/Connect for PC depending on on prem vs hosted or Cisco Jabber for Mac) does have close feature parity with Lync in some cases. I realize you have paid for it but you might find some pricing scenarios where investing in Cisco clients may make sense. One can come up with a matrix between the two till you go blue in the face.

https://communities.cisco.com/message/58117#58117

With CUCI no need of SIP trunks between Lync and CUCM, no mediation server and you get voice/video support. SSO access is also possible. There are a lot more points here to discuss but I would encourage working with your local Cisco team to a demo of both Cisco Jabber and CUCI Lync and see what fits your business case.

Srini

[RobertGreenlee]

We have been through countless demos on both sides of the equation and are testing both solutions.  I'm just trying to educate myself more on all the different components required for each solution.

I'll be honest that if we were not so heavily invested in Cisco voice in other areas of the company it would almost be a no brainer just to use our Lync licenses with enterprise voice and move forward but we have a vested interest in Cisco and it may make sense to use our experience with Cisco even if it creates a bit more complicated environment. I'm just trying to understand all the pieces since I'm not as familiar with Cisco's solutions.

Thanks

[skilambi]

Robert

In that case you would be looking at CUCM, Unity Connection. You can have a tie trunk to Nortel for a phased migration. CUCI Lync can integrate with CUCM/Uconn for the desktop. You also have WebEx for MOC/Lync. In addition CME can be converted to SRST using 3x3 licenses or you can keep them CCME and tie them as H323 GW but multiple places to manage your system.You would probably need to sit with someone white board this and come up with a BOM based on the requirements for the main site (PRI, POTS, analog devices, call center requirements etc)

The CUCI Lync administration guide will walk you through the steps...

Srini

[RobertGreenlee]

Are there any reoccuring usage costs for WebEx for MOC/Lync when running conferences with external users?

Rob

[skilambi]

It depends. WebEx pricing has many models and being a cloud solution will have costs associated with it depending on how you price it. Not tying to be curt here but honestly you will need to sit down and size it based on your needs. There are too many models to choose from depending on your usage levels.

Srini

[RobertGreenlee]

I don't want to be curt either but why is it such a complex answer.  If I use Lync I can setup a full functional webex type solution that has no additional costs for external users to participate in once I build out the infrastructure.  I think its a pretty simple question if Cisco's solution can do the same thing and not cost us any more money.

[skilambi]

It isn't, I would suggest working with your local Cisco partner or Cisco account team to work on the pricing

Srini