10 Take-Aways from #BSFTConnections
Cisco/Broadsoft hosted its annual Connections conference last week in Hollywood, Florida. This has always been a fantastic conference. It’s a very global event aimed at service providers which see the UC world differently than VARs and OEMs (they also know…
Broadsoft Connections 2018
Cisco-BroadSoft hosted its Annual Connections Conference right on schedule. This was the first official opportunity to hear how things are changing since the acquisition which was announced a year ago at Connections 2017. I am happy to say I got…
Video Interview Zeus Kerravala
In this video interview, Zeus (LinkedIn, Twitter) and I (LinkedIn, Twitter) discuss some of the recent announcements and changes at Cisco Collaboration.
Do E-Boards Foster or Hinder Collaboration?
“I believe whiteboards are an evil presence in meetings … Simply going to the board and picking up a pen changes the whole dynamic of meeting ownership, agenda, control and creates a power-dynamic that is pretty hostile to collaboration.” These…
The #CCTR Revolution is Upon Us
Four major Contact Center developments in three weeks. Cisco After the Cisco Collaboration Summit, Cisco hosted a separate add-on day focused on contact center (what they now call Customer Journey Solutions). It was a good time to catch up with…
The Rowan Era at Cisco Ends
Today, the Internet belched. The news first came from Cisco that Rowan Trollope “is taking the next step in his career and leaving Cisco to become CEO at another company effective May 3.” Soon after that came the press release…
Cisco Spark is Dead
Cisco just wrapped up its Collaboration Summit (Summit de Webex). Below is a short video with some of my key points. I will soon published a full report that captures all of the announcements and my thoughts on their strategy….
Next Stop Phoenix #CollabSummit
This Week is the Cisco Collaboration Summit in Phoenix, Arizonia. This is Cisco’s first event since closing on its acquisition of BroadSoft, so I am hopeful to get some answers to how the tech and vision of the two companies…
Consolidation Round-up
The business communications industry is evolving fast in terms of technology, but also in the number of vendors and providers competing in this market. There were several major shake-ups that impacted the unified communications (UC) space in 2017. Mitel purchased…
A Year in SMB
More options are always a good thing, and in that sense, 2017 was a good year for small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) seeking new business communications solutions. Market statistics vary, but all agree that the SMB opportunity is a massive…
UnAuthorized FAQ Regarding Cisco and BroadSoft
Last month, Cisco upstaged BroadSoft’s annual Connections conference with news that the two companies agreed to be one. Acquisitions and mergers are complicated matters that take months to resolve. Because sometimes these deals don’t actually close (such as Mitel-Polycom), this…
Cisco Spark Security
Today, Cisco made its first major announcements on Spark since its January launch of the Spark Board. The company says there are more major announcements still planned for this year. Cisco’s announcements fall into two broad categories: Security End-to-end message…
Microsoft versus Cisco: A Classic Three-card Monte Con
If you are spending time debating between Cisco and Microsoft communications solutions, you are likely falling victim to the classic three-card monte con. The Three-Card Monte Con The three-card monte con is simple. A dealer places three cards face down…
Chuck and Tim
Last week I attended Cisco Live – an excellent and informative event. This year the event overall was focused on Cisco’s next generation of networking or Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA). As DNA was announced the previous week, there were…
Cisco Simplifies Business Edition for SMBs
Cisco recently expanded its Business Edition family of all-in-one communications platforms with a new model optimized for small and mid-size businesses (SMBs), the Business Edition 4000. The new system joins the portfolio as a voice-centric telephony appliance for simple office…
Quick Thoughts on Cisco Acquiring MindMeld
Today, Cisco announced its intent to acquire MindMeld, an artificial intelligence company based in San Francisco, for $125 million in cash. The deal is expected to close before the end of the year. The acquisition will be used to fuel…
Despite the Cloud, Part III
The year 2017 started with a bang with respect to new premises-based telephony solutions hitting the market. Five vendors on our radar have introduced new on-site hardware in recent weeks – Accent (VoiceONE Onsite), Cisco (Business Edition 4000), Epygi (QX20…
Cisco Buys Into Named Data Networking
Named Data Networking (NDN) is the future of network routing and security. IPv6 is not the future of networking as I have blogged before. This was validated last week by Cisco with their acquisition of PARC. NDN has other names…
Cisco’s iPhone Moment
The iPhone changed the world, and every company wants its products to be the next iPhone. Unfortunately, products with the disruptive force of the iPhone are inherently rare in part because there are few products with such mass, global appeal….
The Fast Lane for iOS
Last August Cisco and Apple announced a partnership to improve the usability of Apple iOS devices in enterprises. A partnership to create a fast lane for iOS business users by optimizing Cisco networks for iOS devices and apps, integrating iPhone with…