Cisco tweaks midmarket VoIP systems

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 03 November 2011 10:22

Business IT - Technology

Cisco is aiming to bring its VoIP and unified communications systems to a wider market through cost reductions and simplifications.

Cisco aims to provide midsized organisations with the ability to replace old PABXes with enterprise grade IP collaboration at an affordable price.

The revamped Cisco Business Edition 3000 and 6000 (formerly Unified Communications Manager Business Edition 3000 and 6000) provide IP telephony for as little as $US100 per user (based on Business Edition 3000 with 100 users).

New features in Business Edition 3000 include support for SIP trunking services, integration with WebEx web conferencing, integration with Cisco Jabber (instant messaging and presence), video calling (with Cisco 8941 and 8945 handsets), preset dial plans for additional countries (including Australia), and improved support for attendant consoles. Business Edition 3000 is intended for 75 to 200 users.

Business Edition 6000 also gains integration with WebEx and Cisco Jabber, includes virtualisation software (thus avoiding separate licensing and maintenance costs), and has a new lower limit of 50 users (although it is aimed at 150 to 750 user installations).

"Cisco is striving to help midmarket organisations succeed by giving them greater opportunities for cross-company collaboration and the benefits of video-enhanced interactions," said Steve Slattery, vice president and general manager of Cisco's IP communications business unit. "Innovations like the ones announced today show Cisco's commitment to innovating to meet to distinct needs of the midmarket at price points that are attractive to such companies."

The new functionality will be available this month.