In a modern workplace we recognize that customers can have a mix of different vendors across conference rooms and calling infrastructure solutions. Over the year’s customers have asked us to simplify their deployment complexity in a mixed vendor environment. With today’s announcements we hope to simplify and accelerate conference room and IP voice gateway deployment options for our customers as they adopt Microsoft Teams within their organizations.
Today Microsoft and Cisco are announcing a partnership to work together to simplify the interoperability between Microsoft Teams Rooms and Phone System with Cisco Webex Room devices and IP voice gateways respectively. This partnership aligns with both Microsoft and Cisco’s dedication to openness, interoperability and customer choice. It includes three new initiatives to help our customers to get more out of their current investments:
Cloud Video Interop (CVI)
This partnership enables Cisco Webex video devices to connect to the Microsoft Teams meeting services. Cisco Webex will introduce an interop solution that will be certified as a Microsoft Cloud Video Interop (CVI) solution. This offer will allow Cisco Webex Room devices and SIP video conferencing devices to join Microsoft Teams meetings with a reliable interop experience. This will benefit customers who have asked for Cisco and Microsoft to provide a reliable interop solution to enable their existing Cisco video devices to join Microsoft Teams meetings in a seamless way. This solution is expected to GA in early CY20.
Direct guest join, for meeting room devices
Cisco and Microsoft are working together on a new approach that enables meeting room devices to connect to meeting services from other vendors via embedded web technologies. Microsoft and Cisco will be enabling a direct guest join capability from their respective video conferencing device to the web app for the video meeting service. This capability will be supported on latest generations of meeting room devices like Microsoft Teams Rooms and Cisco Webex Room devices, which can run embedded web technologies. This solution is expected to GA in early 2020.
Direct Routing for Phone System
Direct Routing, a feature of Microsoft Phone System, allows customers to choose and then directly connect their telecom provider to Teams. At the heart of this solution is an essential component known as the Session Border Controller (SBC). It provides a wide variety of services which improve the experiences and security for users making calls. Many customers also use Cisco Networking technology including SBCs and want both companies to provide joint solutions that do not require replacement of key infrastructure. Today we are excited to share that Cisco has joined our certification program for Session Border Controllers. Customers who already has a telecom provider and use Cisco SBCs will soon be able to deploy Direct Routing for dial tone in Teams without replacing infrastructure.