Both companies are committed to making collaboration a transparent and effective experience for customers and partners. To help achieve this goal, Cisco and Microsoft actively participate together in open-standards working groups, such as the IETF. Developers from both companies also meet regularly to discuss current integration efforts and to define future areas of integration.
Unified Communications
Cisco® Unified Communications Solutions unify voice, video, and web applications on fixed and mobile networks, delivering an easy-to-use, media-rich collaboration experience across business, government agency, and institutional workspaces. These applications use the network as the platform for enhancing competitive advantage by accelerating decision time and reducing transaction time. The security, resilience, and scalability of the communications network enable users in any workspace to connect - everywhere, every time, so everyone's included.
The main components of Cisco Unified Communications Solutions include call processing, presence, voicemail and unified messaging, video, conferencing and collaboration, mobility, security, unified clients, and contact center services and applications. Table 1 lists unified communications products both companies offer.
Table 1. Cisco and Microsoft Unified Communications Products
| Unified Communications Components | Cisco | Microsoft |
| Call processing | • Cisco Unified Communications Manager • Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition • Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express • Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series for Small Business | • Microsoft Office Communications Server |
| IP phones | • Cisco Unified IP Phones 6900, 7900, 8900, and 9900 Series low- to high-end wired and wireless phones | • Third-party original equipment manufacturer (OEM) |
| Presence and unified client* | • Cisco Unified Presence • Cisco Unified Personal Communicator
(PC and Mac) • Cisco UC IntegrationTM for Microsoft Office Communicator • Cisco WebEx™ Connect IM • Cisco UC Integration for WebEx Connect IM | • Microsoft Office Communications Server
Microsoft Office Live Communications Server • Microsoft Office Communicator |
| Conferencing and collaboration | • Cisco WebEx web conferencing solutions • Cisco Unified MeetingPlace® conferencing | • Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Office Communications Server |
| Video | • Cisco Unified Video Advantage • Cisco Unified MeetingPlace and MeetingPlace Express conferencing • Cisco Unified Videoconferencing • Cisco WebEx meeting applications • Cisco TelePresence™ collaboration systems | • Microsoft Office Communications Server • Microsoft Office Live Meeting |
| Voicemail and unified messaging | • Cisco Unity® unified messaging • Cisco Unity Connection • Cisco Unity Express • Cisco Unified Messaging Gateway | • Microsoft Exchange Server for Unified Messaging |
| Contact center | • Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise • Cisco Unified Contact Center Express • Cisco Unified Expert Advisor | • None |
| Mobility | • Cisco Unified Mobility (included with Cisco Unified Communications Manager) • Cisco Unified CallConnector Mobility | • Microsoft Windows Mobile |
| Mobile client | • Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator | • Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile |
| Groupware | • Cisco WebEx WebOffice • Cisco WebEx Connect | • Microsoft Office SharePoint • Microsoft Office Live |
| Email and directory services | • Cisco WebEx Mail | • Microsoft Outlook • Microsoft Exchange • Microsoft Active Directory |
| Secure network foundation | • Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances • Cisco Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) VPN solutions • Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) • Cisco Security Agent • Cisco Network Admission Control (NAC) • Cisco Integrated Services Routers with quality of service (QoS) • Cisco Catalyst® switches with Power over Ethernet (PoE) | • None |
| Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) media gateways | • Cisco IOS® TDM Gateways (SIP-to-TDM) • Cisco Unified Border Element (SIP-to-SIP and SIP-to-H323 | • None |
| Dial-plan aggregation and load-balancing | • Cisco Unified SIP Proxy • Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition | • None |
*Cisco offers a variety of desktop integrations with Microsoft, IBM, and other technology partners.
Cisco Unified Communications Interoperability with Microsoft
Cisco offers several categories of unified communications interoperability with Microsoft:
• Cisco IP Telephony with Microsoft: For customers with existing Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) investments, Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator directly extends a broad set of Cisco Unified Communications services - Cisco IP softphone with mid-call control features, messaging, conferencing, desk-phone control, and phone presence - directly to Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. Cisco also offers click-to-call capabilities from Microsoft Office Communicator, Microsoft desktop productivity applications, and Windows Mobile handsets. With native simultaneous ringing capabilities of Cisco Unified Communications Manager, you can answer incoming calls on either Microsoft Office Communicator or your Cisco Unified IP Phone. In addition, you can enable Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition to interoperate with Microsoft Exchange 2007 as a companion unified messaging solution.
• Cisco Presence with Microsoft: Cisco offers interoperability through Cisco Unified Presence and Cisco Unified Communications Manager so you can view the presence status of Cisco Unified IP Phone users directly in the Microsoft Office Communicator client. Business-to-business federation between Cisco Unified Presence and Microsoft Live Communications or Office Communications Server facilitates ongoing collaboration between businesses. With Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, you can add Microsoft Office Communicator users in other businesses to your buddy list, view their presence status, and securely exchange instant messages for ongoing collaboration.
In addition to the federation capability, Cisco Unified Personal Communicator also provides Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Internet Explorer integrations, allowing Cisco Unified Personal Communicator users to easily launch real-time communications such as point-to-point and group chats, audio and video calls or conferences, and web conferences from within the Microsoft application user interfaces. The Cisco Unified Presence server integrates with Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2007 Calendar and automatically updates Cisco Unified Personal Communicator presence state based on a user's calendar availability. This server-to-server integration provides always-on Microsoft Exchange Calendar availability information of the originating user even when the user is not logged into the client.
• Cisco Messaging with Microsoft: For unified or integrated messaging with Microsoft Exchange, Cisco offers three proven enterprise-class solutions. Cisco Unity unified messaging with Microsoft Exchange allows you to manage all email, voice, and fax messages in a single inbox. Cisco Unity Connection is an integrated messaging solution that requires less time and effort to deploy and offers enhanced speech access to Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2007 Email and Calendar. Both Cisco Unity and Cisco Unity Connection solutions provide secure and easy access to voice messages with Cisco Unity and Cisco Unity Connection ViewMail applications for Microsoft Outlook. Cisco Unity Express provides integrated messaging with Microsoft Outlook for up to 275 users - ideal for small enterprises or branch offices.
• Cisco Conferencing and Collaboration with Microsoft: For conferencing and collaboration with Microsoft, Cisco offers the ability to schedule Cisco Unified MeetingPlace, Cisco WebEx, and Cisco TelePresence meetings directly from Microsoft Outlook. For real-time collaboration, you can initiate impromptu Cisco Unified MeetingPlace and Cisco WebEx meetings directly from Microsoft Office Communicator and use its presence and instant messaging capabilities. Cisco Unified Videoconferencing enables multiparticipant video conferencing between Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and other standards-based video endpoints supported by Cisco Unified Videoconferencing such as Cisco TelePresence, Cisco Unified Video Advantage endpoints, and Cisco Unified IP video phones. In addition, Cisco WebEx Connect also facilitates asynchronous collaboration by exposing Microsoft Outlook information through the Cisco WebEx Connect interface.
• Cisco Contact Center with Microsoft: The Cisco Unified CallConnector for Microsoft Dynamics CRM integrates Cisco Unified Communications with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM application at the desktop, without the need for additional hardware. It provides greater employee productivity and organizational efficiencies; immediate information about inbound and outbound calls; fast and easy click-to-dial functions from customer-relationship-management (CRM) database records; and call-duration tracking, information capture, and record creation. With Cisco Unified Expert Advisor, Cisco also offers the ability to increase first-call resolution and caller satisfaction by allowing presence-enabled knowledge experts using Microsoft Office Communicator or Cisco Unified Personal Communicator anywhere in the business to assist and collaborate with callers, with or without a formal contact center.
• Cisco Network with Microsoft: Cisco Integrated Services Routers and Cisco Catalyst switches provide the ideal foundation with network services (such as Call Admission Control [CAC], QoS, SIP trunking, Survivable Remote Site Telephony [SRST], and secure access from public networks) for delivering unified communications applications for secure business-class, real-time communications and collaboration. Cisco Integrated Services Routers are Microsoft-certified gateways for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 deployments. Specific Cisco network components are Cisco IOS TDM Gateways, Cisco Unfied Border Element, and Cisco Unified SIP Proxy.
Cisco IP Telephony with Microsoft
Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator
Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator is an easy-to-deploy desktop integration that provides instant access to enhanced Cisco Unified Communications directly from Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 (Figure 1). This tight integration enables a seamless collaboration experience with Cisco Unified Communications services - Cisco IP softphone with mid-call control features, messaging, conferencing, desk-phone control, and phone presence - from Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 on your PC.
Figure 1. Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator
This tight integration for Microsoft Office Communicator takes advantage of a common unified client services framework to increase productivity, streamline communications, and enhance collaboration with the following capabilities:
• Integrated Cisco IP softphone: Click to call directly from your desktop to have a business-class communication experience with an embedded Cisco IP softphone using wideband audio and high-definition video.
• Cisco IP phone quality and rich mid-call control: Have a business-class desktop communications experience with the quality and reliability that you experience with your Cisco IP desk phone in the office.
• Desk-phone control: Simply click to make or answer business calls through your desk phone using its calling features and resources to have a rich communications experience.
• Phone presence: This capability adds telephony presence to your contact list - providing additional information about when the contact might be available.
• One-click voice messages and communications history access: With a mouse click, visually access your corporate voice messages and communications history and rapidly respond to voice messages or missed calls.
• Impromptu multiparty conferencing: If you need to initiate an impromptu collaboration session with multiple contacts on your contact list, you can also initiate multiparty voice, video, and web conferences from your desktop and quickly add additional participants.
• Click to call from desktop applications: Instantly place calls directly from Microsoft Office applications, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox web browsers.
This easy-to-deploy desktop integration also provides additional benefits of investment protection and reduced complexity delivered by a single call-control architecture. Because Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft directly extends proven attributes of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (such as CAC, QoS, and standards-based codec support) directly to your desktop, it reduces the management complexity associated with dual call-control alternatives while protecting your investments in existing desktop applications.
Table 2 lists solution components.
Table 2. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.1.3 or later (including Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition) • Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator 7.1 or later • Cisco Unified IP Phones (optional) | • Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and 2007 R2 • Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and 2007 R2 |
Remote Call-Control Solution
Cisco also offers remote call-control interoperability between Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 (and 2007 R2), Cisco Unified Communications Manager, and Cisco Unified Presence to offer Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 users in your organization the following capabilities:
• Initiate a phone call from one Cisco Unified IP Phone to another directly from Microsoft Office Communicator.
• Through a tab interface, choose from multiple Cisco IP Phones to control with Cisco Unified Presence 7.0.3 (or later).
• Escalate Instant Messaging (IM) sessions to voice conversations by clicking the phone icon and then clicking "Call". This action rings both Cisco Unified IP Phones. You can initiate this feature from an IM chat session in progress or directly from the contact list.
• Redirect calls to mobile phones.
• Use Microsoft Office Communicator to accept incoming calls on a Cisco Unified IP Phone.
• View incoming call notifications on your computer, with options to click to answer or click to divert when calls are placed to Cisco Unified IP Phones.
• Access phone feature controls from Microsoft Office Communicator, including hang up, hold, and transfer.
• Benefit from the core capabilities of Cisco Unified Communications Manager or Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition, including digit translation and routing, billing and recording, call screening and privacy, CAC and QoS capabilities, signaling and media security capabilities, and numerous enhanced call-control services.
Figure 2 shows how to initiate a call using Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Figure 2. Click-to-Call Dialing and Third-Party Call Control of Cisco Unified IP Phones Using Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Figure 3 shows how you can manage incoming calls to Cisco Unified IP Phones from Microsoft Office Communicator 2007.
Figure 3. Incoming Call Management for Calls Directed to Cisco Unified IP Phones from Microsoft Office Communicator 2007
The process follows:
1. A call is placed to a Cisco Unified IP Phone. Immediately, an incoming call notification message appears within Microsoft Office Communicator.
2. You can accept the call by clicking the message or divert the message to another number by selecting "Redirect" and choosing the number to receive the call.
Figure 4 shows how Microsoft Office Communicator manages calls to Cisco Unified IP Phones. During an active call, you can simply click to hang up, hold, or transfer calls on your Cisco Unified IP Phone.
Figure 4. Incoming Call Management for Calls Directed to Cisco Unified IP Phones from Microsoft Office Communicator 2007
Table 3 lists the solution components.
Table 3. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 5.1(2) or later (including Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition) • Cisco Unified Presence 6.0(4) or later • Cisco Unified IP Phones • Cisco IP Communicator and Cisco Unified Video Advantage (optional) | • Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and 2007 R2 • Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and 2007 R2* • Microsoft Server 2003, Microsoft Server 2003 Active Directory, Microsoft Server 2003 Domain Name Service (DNS), and Microsoft SQL Server 2000, if using Microsoft Office Communications Server 2005 Enterprise Edition |
*Cisco Unified Presence 7.0.5 or later is required for support with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2. Microsoft Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005 support is also available with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 5.0(4)+ and Cisco Unified Presence 1.0(2) or later.
Direct SIP
A standards-based direct SIP trunk connection is also supported between Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Microsoft Office Communications mediation server. Although such a deployment increases system management overhead associated with managing multiple dial plans and requires transcoding for intersystem voice calls, it offers your business the option to support basic intracompany telephony capabilities (such as call transfer and call forwarding) between Cisco Unified IP Phone and Microsoft Office Communicator users within the same business.
In addition, as a subset of direct SIP capabilities, native simultaneous ringing capabilities of Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.0 allows Microsoft Office Communicator users to answer incoming Cisco Unified Communications Manager calls on either Microsoft Office Communicator or Cisco Unified IP Phones. In addition to any other alternate destination number associated with a Cisco Unified IP Phone user, an inbound call to your Cisco Unified IP Phone simultaneously rings your Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 client - allowing you to answer business calls from your PC when you are away from your primary workspace. Business calls extended and answered on Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 continue to remain anchored in Cisco Unified Communications Manager, taking advantage of its rich centralized call-processing capabilities for the duration of the call.
Table 4 lists solution components.
Table 4. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.0 or later (including Business Edition) with Cisco Unified Mobility* | • Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and 2007 R2** • Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and 2007 R2** |
*Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.1 also supports direct SIP connectivity with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.
**Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.1.3 is supported with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2.
Cisco Unified Personal Communicator Presence and Click to Call, Instant Message, and Conference Integrations with Microsoft Applications
For organizations using Cisco Unified Personal Communicator as their desktop unified communications client, Cisco provides numerous integrations with Microsoft desktop applications that allow you to enjoy the benefits of Cisco Presence, Instant Messaging, and IP Telephony within your Microsoft user interface.
The always-on user presence information that Cisco Unified Presence gathers facilitates efficient business communications by allowing Cisco Unified Personal Communicator users to easily determine how available other users are and the best communication methods for them at a given time. This information is available from a variety of sources, including Cisco Unified Communications Manager, which shows other users' on/off hook phone status, and Cisco Unified Personal Communicator client, which can determine if other users' computers are idle or if they have set a presence state manually such as Do Not Disturb.
Cisco Unified Personal Communicator also enables you to automatically display your availability information based on your Microsoft Outlook Calendar. For example, an appointment or meeting in the calendar automatically changes your presence status to "Busy - In A Meeting", eliminating the need to manually update availability information when you join a meeting. Automatically maintaining availability and status information helps keep your presence information up-to-date at all times, making collaboration more efficient.
You now can see the availability and presence state for your Cisco Unified Personal Communicator contacts in your Outlook and SharePoint 2007 applications, eliminating the need to switch between applications to view this information. Figure 5 shows examples of how the Cisco Unified Personal Communicator presence information is displayed in Microsoft Outlook 2007.
Figure 5. Cisco Unified Personal Communicator Presence Integration with Microsoft Office
In addition to presence integration, with Cisco Unified Personal Communicator you can launch real-time communications from within your Microsoft Office 2007 applications (including Outlook, Word, and Excel), SharePoint 2007, and Internet Explorer. You can access the click-to-call and click-to-instant message capabilities from the right-click menus or the Outlook Office ribbon, and you can use these capabilities for individual or groups of contacts to start a group chat or impromtu audio or video conference call with everyone on your email distribution list. These integrations greatly improve the efficiency of business communications by eliminating the intermediate steps that formerly were necessary to accomplish these tasks without the Cisco Unified Personal Communicator integrations into these commonly used Microsoft applications. You no longer need to go to a corporate directory, look up one or more phone numbers, set up conference resources, invite the participants, and then dial into the conference yourself; you can do all this with a simple mouse click - and Cisco Unified Communications solutions do the rest. Figures 6, 7, and 8 show examples of click to call from Outlook, click to instant message from Outlook, and placing calls from Internet Explorer, respectively.
Figure 6. Cisco Unified Personal Communicator Click-to-Call from Microsoft Outlook 2007
Figure 7. Cisco Unified Personal Communicator Click-to-Instant Message from Microsoft Outlook 2007
Figure 8. Cisco Unified Personal Communicator Click-to-Call from Internet Explorer
Table 5 lists solution components.
Table 5. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Personal Communicator 8.0 or later • Cisco Unified Presence 8.0 or later • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.1(4) or later, or Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition | • Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 • Microsoft Outlook 2007 |
Click to Call from Microsoft Desktop Applications with Cisco Unified Communications Widgets: Click-to-Call Application
With the introduction of Click to Call (a free-to-download Cisco Unified Communications widget for PCs), you can instantly place Cisco Unified Communications Manager calls directly from your Microsoft desktop applications and web browsers - without having to use the dial pad key on your Cisco Unified IP Phone. You do not need Microsoft Office Communications Server to take advantage of this capability (Figure 9).
Click to Call uses Cisco Unified Communications Manager Web Dialer service to provide the following capabilities through your Cisco Unified IP Phone:
• There are three application integration types, Right Click menu, Persona Menu, and the Ribbon icon.
• Simply highlight phone numbers and click to call from Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint, and Internet Explorer.
• Click to call from the Persona Menu (a commonly used rapid contact information lookup capability available with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft SharePoint) to call one of the phone numbers associated with your contact list.
• Click to call from application ribbons in Outlook Office 2007 or 2010.
• Edit phone numbers before placing international calls, dial a co-worker's extension, or place a call outside the enterprise to contact business partners and customers.
• View the history of the last 10 calls made from your Click to Call application from the System Tray menu and click to call previously dialed numbers.
Figure 9. Cisco Unified Communications Widgets: Click to Call
Table 6 lists solution components.
Table 6. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.1 and later (including Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition) • Click to Call application - a Cisco Unified Communications widget for PCs • Cisco Unified IP Phones that support Cisco Unified Communications Manager Web Dialer service • Click to Call 8.0 supports Citrix Terminal services deployments | • Microsoft Windows XP (SP2 and SP3), Vista, and Windows 7 • Internet Explorer 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0 • Mozilla Firefox 3.0 • Microsoft Outlook 2003, 2007, and 2010 • Microsoft SharePoint 2003, 2007, and 2010 • Microsoft Office: Excel, PowerPoint, and Word 2003, 2007, and 2010 |
Dial via Office from Windows Mobile Smart Phones with Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator
With Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator 7.0 for Windows Mobile, your business can extend rich Cisco Unified Communications experiences to your mobile workers using Windows Mobile handsets (Figure 10). With Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator 7.0 for Windows Mobile handsets, your employees can:
• Access current company and personal directory information from everywhere in real time
• View busy or available status of colleagues
• Securely exchange text messages with colleagues
• View a list of messages on the "visual voicemail" display and select one to play back
• Receive and play back Cisco Unity voice messages on their mobile handset
• Proactively receive Cisco Unified MeetingPlace meeting notifications
• Access recent call histories for any of their phones on mobile handsets
In addition, Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator 7.0 for Windows Mobile handsets also allows your business to extend rich calling capabilities of Cisco Unified Communications Manager to an increasing mobile workforce. With Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator 7.0, you can simply click to place calls through Cisco Unified Communications Manager to customers, partners, and co-workers directly from your Windows Mobile handset (Figure 10).
Figure 10. Dial Via Office with Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator 7.0 for Windows Mobile Handsets
Table 7. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator 7.0 (or later) for Windows Mobile • Cisco Unified Mobility Advantage 7.0 (or later) | • Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 (on a supported handset) |
Finally, the SIP standards implemented in Cisco IP Telephony solutions enable interoperability with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Cisco Unified Communications Manager or Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition. Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition currently offer standards-based SIP interoperability with Microsoft Exchange 2007. This interoperability simplifies installation and reduces the overall solution cost by eliminating the need for third-party gateways and software. To interoperate with non-SIP, older, or nonintegrated telephony systems or with IP private branch exchanges (IP PBXs), Microsoft Exchange 2007 requires a third-party gateway that can receive and correctly forward incoming calls to the unified messaging server. For message-waiting indicator capability (capability to light the message lamp on the phone) and Short Message Service (SMS) notification, third-party software from Geomantic is required when using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
Table 8 lists solution components.
Table 8. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 5.1 or later, or Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition | • Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 |
Cisco Presence with Microsoft
Share Cisco Unified IP Phone Presence with Microsoft Office Communicator Contacts
The interoperability between Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition, Cisco Unified Presence, and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 allows you to view Cisco Unified IP Phone presence information (such as "In a call" or "Idle") in Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. You can see whether or not the person you are trying to reach is on a Cisco Unified IP Phone, helping you determine the most appropriate form of contact.
Figures 11 and 12 show the Cisco Unified IP Phone presence display and the change-of-presence information when a call is made.
Figure 11. Display of Cisco Unified IP Phone Presence Information on Microsoft Office Communicator 2007
Figure 12. Cisco Unified IP Phone Presence Changes from "Available" to "In a call" in Microsoft Office Communicator 2007
Figures 13 and 14 show presence-aware speed dialing, call logs, and directory on Cisco Unified IP Phones.
Figure 13. Presence-Aware Speed Dialing
Figure 14. Presence-Aware Call Logs and Directory
Table 9 lists solution components.
Table 9. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 5.1 or later (including Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition) • Cisco Unified Presence 6.0.2 or later • Cisco Unified IP Phones or Cisco IP Communicator | • Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and 2007 R2 • Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and 2007 R2** • Microsoft Server 2003, Microsoft Server 2003 Active Directory, Microsoft Server 2003 DNS, and Microsoft SQL Server 2000, if using Microsoft Office Communications Server 2005 Enterprise Edition |
**Cisco Unified Presence 7.0.5 or later is required for support with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2. Microsoft Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005 support is also available with Cisco Unified Communications Manager 5.0(4)+ and Cisco Unified Presence 1.0(2)+.
Business-to-Business Exchange of Cisco and Microsoft Presence and IM
Cisco Unified Presence supports business-to-business federation that enables policy-based interconnection between different enterprises to enable them to securely exchange instant messages and presence information. With the introduction of Cisco Unified Presence 7.0, Cisco supports business-to-business federation with Microsoft Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005 and Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007. In addition, Microsoft launched its Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) gateway in 2009, enabling federation between Microsoft OCS 2007 and Cisco Unified Presence 8.0 and Cisco WebEx Connect IM C6.0. This capability allows Cisco Unified Personal Communicator or Cisco WebEx Connect IM users in one business to add a Microsoft Office Communicator user in another business to their buddy list, view their presence status, and exchange instant messages for ongoing collaboration.
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Table 10 lists solution components.
Table 10. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Presence 7.0 or later • Cisco Unified Personal Communicator 7.0 or later • Cisco WebEx Connect IM C6.0 or later | • Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005 • Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and 2007 R2* |
*Cisco Unified Presence 7.0.5 or later is required for support with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2.
Microsoft Exchange Calendar Availability Integration to Cisco Unified Presence States
Cisco Unified Presence integrates Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2007 Calendar availability information to automatically update a Cisco Unified Personal Communicator and Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator user's presence state to indicate that the user is unavailable. This server-to-server integration provides always-on Microsoft Exchange availability information independent of whether or not the originating user is logged in on the client.
Table 11 lists solution components.
Table 11. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Presence 6.0 or later • Cisco Unified Personal Communicator 6.0 or later | • Microsoft Exchange 2003 • Microsoft Exchange 2007 |
Microsoft Outlook Presence, Calendar, and Email Integration with Cisco WebEx Connect IM
Cisco WebEx Connect IM integrates with Microsoft Outlook 2003 and 2007 to extend presence, calendar, and email capabilities.
You can quickly access your Microsoft Outlook Calendar information such as meeting subject, location, times, conference details, and attendees directly from the Cisco WebEx Connect IM client. Cisco WebEx meetings that are scheduled from Cisco WebEx Connect IM are also registered on your Microsoft Outlook Calendar.
You can rapidly access Microsoft Outlook Email information directly from the Cisco WebEx Connect IM application (Figure 15). Rather than having to sort through Microsoft Outlook mailboxes, you can directly access the last 10 email exchanges with one of your team members directly from the Cisco WebEx Connect IM interface and have this information readily accessible during a collaboration session.
Cisco WebEx Connect IM taps into the Microsoft Outlook calendar to automatically update your presence state to indicate your availability. In addition, with Cisco WebEx Connect IM you can view contact or team member presence information (such as online, in Cisco WebEx meeting, busy in their Microsoft Outlook Calendar, or available on their mobile device) from the Microsoft Outlook interface.
Figure 15. Accessing Microsoft Outlook Email and Calendar Information from Cisco WebEx Connect IM
Table 12 lists solution components.
Table 12. Solution Components
| Cisco WebEx Meeting Application | Microsoft |
| • Cisco WebEx Connect C6.0 or later | • Microsoft Outlook 2003 or later |
Cisco Messaging with Microsoft
The Cisco Unity solution portfolio provides voice, integrated, and unified messaging options that transparently integrate with Microsoft Exchange. Cisco Unity, Cisco Unity Connection, and Cisco Unity Express applications support Microsoft Exchange.
Support for mixed deployments of voice, integrated, and unified messaging and for different versions of Microsoft Exchange Server provides a cost-effective migration path to unified messaging.
Cisco Unity unified messaging users benefit from the simplicity of having email, voice, and fax messages in their Microsoft Outlook inbox and from the advanced options of the Cisco Unity solution, which scales to meet the needs of large organizations, including the following:
• Alternative device recognition: The Cisco Unity solution automatically recognizes alternative devices (such as mobile phones) when accessing the system, streamlining access.
• Secure messaging: You can retrieve encrypted voice messages only through authorized clients connected to the network; authorized clients also can configure the message expiration date.
• Message monitoring: You can listen to and pick up your calls while a message is being recorded.
• Cisco Unity ViewMail for Microsoft Outlook: You can play, compose, and respond to voice messages from within Microsoft Outlook. You also can play back messages on your Cisco Unified IP Phone or mobile phone (Figure 16).
With Cisco Unity Connection - a feature-rich messaging platform for enterprises providing voicemail, integrated messaging, speech recognition, and streamlined installation and management - and Microsoft Outlook, you can access and manage your voice messages in an Outlook folder through Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) integration with Microsoft Exchange. Similar to Cisco Unity messaging, Cisco Unity Connection also offers the ViewMail for Microsoft Outlook player, secure messaging, and numerous enterprise-class features.
Cisco Unity Connection also provides speech access to your Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2007 email messages, calendar, and Cisco Unified MeetingPlace conference-call information. Cisco Unity Connection offers:
• Text-to-speech email access
• Calendar and conference browsing
– Browse Microsoft Outlook Calendar and Cisco Unified MeetingPlace meetings in one listing
– Review start time, duration, subject, organizer, and invitees
– Listen to events for today, or any day in the future
• Calendar and conference actions
– Join a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace meeting
– Schedule and join a reservation-less Cisco Unified MeetingPlace meeting
– Accept, decline, or cancel a Microsoft Outlook appointment
– Send a voicemail to the organizer or all participants of an event
In addition, Cisco Unity Express - which provides cost-effective voicemail, integrated messaging, interactive voice response (IVR), and Automated-Attendant services for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprise branch offices - also enables you to view and manage your voice messages from a folder in Microsoft Outlook.
Figure 16. Microsoft Outlook and Cisco Unity and Cisco Unity Connection ViewMail for Microsoft Outlook Player
Table 13 lists solution components.
Table 13. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unity 5.0, 7.0, and 8.0** (for unified messaging) • Cisco Unity Connection 2.1 and 7.0 or later** (for integrated messaging) • Cisco Unity Express 3.2 and 7.0 (for integrated messaging) | • Microsoft Exchange Server 2000, 2003, or 2007 (for unified or integrated messaging with Cisco Unity unified messaging) • Microsoft Outlook 2000, 2002 (XP), 2003, or 2007 (for integrated messaging with Cisco Unity Connection) • Microsoft Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003, or 2007 and Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 (for integrated messaging with Cisco Unity Express) |
**Cisco Unity 4.2 and Cisco Unity Connection 1.2 support Microsoft Exchange 2000 and 2003.
Cisco Conferencing and Collaboration with Microsoft
Cisco WebEx Meeting Applications
Scheduling a Cisco WebEx meeting is just like scheduling any other meeting using Microsoft Outlook. With a simple click, meeting hosts can schedule, invite users, and start meetings directly from their Microsoft Outlook Calendar. This integration eliminates the need to book meetings on the web or maintain separate schedules. When it is time to join a meeting, attendees simply click the calendar or the email link (Figure 17).
Figure 17. Schedule Cisco WebEx Meetings in Microsoft Outlook
Table 14 lists solution components.
Table 14. Solution Components
| Cisco WebEx Meeting Application | Microsoft |
| • Meeting Center, Training Center, and Event Center • Available today with Cisco WebEx Business Suite 23 or later • Integrated Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 7.0 (or later) audio conferencing with Cisco WebEx Meeting Center 26 or later (optional) | • Microsoft Outlook 2000 or later |
Microsoft Office Communicator and Windows Messenger users also can benefit from Cisco WebEx interoperability. Meeting hosts can start, invite people, and join meetings directly from the Microsoft Office Communicator or Windows Messenger applications (Figure 18).
Figure 18. Schedule Cisco WebEx Meetings Using Microsoft Office Communicator
With one click, hosts can invite contacts into a Cisco WebEx meeting. The attendee simply clicks a URL in the chat message to join the meeting, eliminating the cumbersome process of going to a website to start and invite attendees into Cisco WebEx meetings (Figure 19).
Figure 19. Escalate Instant Messaging Sessions into Cisco WebEx Meetings
Table 15 lists solution components.
Table 15. Solution Components
| Cisco WebEx Meeting Application | Microsoft |
| • Meeting Center, Support Center, and Training Center • Available with Cisco WebEx Business Suite 26 or later • Integrated Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 7.0 (or later) audio conferencing with Cisco WebEx Meeting Center 26 or later (optional) | • Microsoft Office Communicator 2005 or later |
Additionally, you can easily start Cisco WebEx meetings from any Microsoft Office application (Figure 20). There is no need to leave the application in which you are working to start a meeting. Hosts can invite attendees using the Cisco WebEx One-Click "Invite to Meeting" function.
Figure 20. Start Cisco WebEx Meetings from Any Microsoft Office Application
Cisco WebEx One-Click desktop integration enables you to start and join Cisco WebEx meetings instantly, right from your desktop task bar (Figure 21). Benefits to this convenient integration include the ability to start a meeting instantly from your desktop (eliminating the need to log onto the Cisco WebEx site) and join any meeting from the Cisco WebEx site from your desktop.
Figure 21. Start Cisco WebEx Meetings from Your Windows Desktop
Table 16 lists solution components.
Table 16. Solution Components
| Cisco WebEx Meeting Application | Microsoft |
| • Meeting Center, Training Center, and Support Center, all available in Cisco WebEx Business Suite 20 or later • Integrated Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 7.0 (or later) audio conferencing with Cisco WebEx Meeting Center 26 or later (optional) | • Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP • Microsoft Outlook 2000 or later |
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Conferencing
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace conferencing has multiple solution options that can help your organization simplify the user experience and system management by integrating with a Microsoft environment. Cisco Unified MeetingPlace for Microsoft Outlook makes it simple to set up and attend integrated voice, video, and web conferences directly from your Outlook Calendar (Figure 22).
To set up a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace rich-media conference, a meeting organizer simply checks the "Make this a MeetingPlace meeting" box on the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace tab of the Microsoft Outlook meeting request form. When the invitation is sent, meeting attendance information is sent to invitees. When organizers need to change the meeting time, they can simply make the change in Outlook; Outlook automatically reschedules the associated conference.
Figure 22. Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Scheduling in Microsoft Outlook
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace for Microsoft Outlook makes it easy to join a meeting by providing simple point-and-click attendance options. This degree of simplicity helps minimize attendance delays so virtual meetings are more productive.
Additionally, you can use the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace and Cisco WebEx applications with Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator to quickly initiate multiparty audio, video, and web conferences (Figure 23). You can initiate meetings from the contacts lists or from an active IM, audio, or video conversation. You can use either the Cisco WebEx or the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace application for meetings. The Cisco Unified MeetingPlace application supports standards-based, high-definition (HD) video conferencing to take full advantage of the HD video capabilities in Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator and to enable Microsoft Office Communicator users to communicate with other standards-based video endpoints (for example, Tandberg).
Figure 23. Initiating a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Meeting Using Microsoft Office Communicator
Table 17 lists the solution components.
Table 17. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 7.0 or later and Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator 8.0 or later (Initiate multiparty audio, web, and video conferences from Microsoft Office Communicator.) • Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Microsoft Integration Package 5.4 or later (Set up and attend Cisco Unified MeetingPlace meetings from Microsoft Outlook.) | • Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 • Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 • Microsoft Outlook 2003 and 2007 and Microsoft Exchange 2000, 2003, and 2007 supported for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace conferencing |
Cisco Unified Videoconferencing
Cisco Unified Videoconferencing Desktop video enhances the collaboration capabilities of Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 by adding support for standards-based, multiparticipant video. Microsoft Office Communicator users can initiate impromptu video communications with other Microsoft Office Communicator users, as well as with users of any video solution that can connect to a Cisco Unified Videoconferencing Multipoint Control Unit (MCU), including Cisco TelePresence systems, Cisco Unified Video Advantage, and Cisco Unified IP video phones.
You can also use Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 7.0 to provide improptu multiparty video for Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Office Communicator users and other standards-based video endpoints.
Table 18 lists solution components.
Table 18. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Videoconferencing Manager 5.6 (or later) | • Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and 2007 R2* • Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and 2007 R2 |
*Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 5.7 or later is required for Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2.
Cisco TelePresence Technology
Cisco TelePresence technology creates the feeling of being "in person" with participants in remote locations. An integral part of this solution, Cisco TelePresence Manager makes it easy for you to set up and launch calls and eliminates complexity for administrators managing Cisco TelePresence deployments. The software is designed to make the in-room experience for users as natural and simple as possible, with "one-button-to-push" meeting launch and automatic display of meetings on the in-room IP phone.
The Cisco TelePresence Manager scheduling and management software facilitates call scheduling and setup from common enterprise groupware such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. This software gives administrators Cisco TelePresence call and system usage and operations reporting capabilities.
Cisco TelePresence Manager adds value for IT managers by providing the data to justify the Cisco TelePresence investment and helps reduce the cost of ownership by integrating with existing infrastructure.
Cisco TelePresence Manager is essential for delivering the full value of a Cisco TelePresence meeting solution. It collects information about Cisco TelePresence systems from Cisco Unified Communications Manager and associates those systems to their physical locations as defined in Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange. It also automatically collects information about multipoint capabilities and allocates those resources when needed, allowing you to schedule both point-to-point and multipoint Cisco TelePresence meetings from your Microsoft Outlook group calendar. That schedule is automatically sent to the Cisco TelePresence systems involved in the call. You can launch your Cisco TelePresence meeting with the push of a button by simply selecting your meeting from the list of meetings shown on the Cisco Unified IP Phone in the meeting room.
Table 19 lists solution components.
Table 19. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco TelePresence Manager 1.3 or later • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 5.1.2b or later | • Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and 2007* • Microsoft Outlook Client 2003 and 2007* • Microsoft Active Directory 2003 |
*Support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and Outlook Client 2010 will be available in the first half of calendar year 2010.
Cisco Contact Center with Microsoft
The Cisco Unified CallConnector for Microsoft Dynamics CRM integrates Cisco Unified Communications with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM application at the desktop, without the need for additional hardware. Cisco Unified CallConnector for Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides greater employee productivity and organizational efficiencies; immediate information about inbound and outbound calls; fast and easy "click-to-dial" functions from CRM database records; and call-duration tracking, information capture, and record creation.
With Cisco Unified Expert Advisor, Cisco offers the ability to increase first-call resolution and caller satisfaction by allowing presence-enabled knowledge experts using Microsoft Office Communicator or Cisco Unified Personal Communicator anywhere in the business to assist and collaborate with callers, with or without a formal contact center.
With Cisco Unified Expert Advisor, formal contact center agents can request expert assistance on a call with just the click of a button, or can request expert help through an automated self-service application. Either way, Expert Advisor combines experts' Microsoft Office Communications Server presence information with innovative skills-based routing technology to automatically select the right expert or experts for each call. Experts are offered calls (with associated caller information) through their Microsoft Office Communicator; multiple experts can be contacted simultaneously, improving the chances of speedy response. Experts accept offered calls simply by typing a response in their IM client, enabling Expert Advisor to route the call to their designated phone or mobile device. If a formal agent referred the call to an expert, the agent can remain on the call if desired.
Table 20 lists solution components.
Table 20. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.0 (or later) • Cisco Unified Presence 7.0 (or later) • Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise 7.2 (or later) (optional) • Cisco Unified Contact Center Express 7.0 (or later) (optional) • Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal 7.0(2+) (optional) • Cisco Unified Expert Advisor 7.6 (or later) | • Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 • Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 |
Cisco WebEx Mail Interoperability with Microsoft
Cisco WebEx Mail is a corporate-grade software-as-a-service (SaaS) email solution that solves the limitations of traditional email messaging while delivering the bridge to next-generation collaboration. It eliminates the costs and burden of on-premises email management with a cloud-based service that offers native Microsoft Outlook compatibility, high availability, capacity on demand, 5- to 35-GB mailbox size, full mobile support, advanced security features, and next-generation collaboration capabilities. Table 21 lists solution components.
Table 21. Solution Components
| Cisco | Microsoft |
| • Cisco WebEx Mail | • Microsoft Outlook (2003, 2007, or 2010) • Microsoft Exchange • Microsoft Active Directory |
Cisco WebEx Mail offers application protocol-level (Messaging Application Programming Interface [MAPI]) compatibility with Microsoft Outlook, eliminating the need for IT to deploy or support a Microsoft Outlook plug-in. Cisco WebEx Mail is completely transparent to Microsoft Outlook users, so no disruptions or retraining is required. Users get full Outlook features - including contacts, public folders, notes, and calendar free or busy.
Cisco WebEx Mail offers several features that facilitate migration to the cloud as well as enabling permanent co-existence with Microsoft Exchange environments. First, Cisco WebEx Mail uses Microsoft Active Directory for user authentication and access control and, therefore, can support an organization's existing Active Directory topology.
Over time, Cisco will enable Global Address List (GAL) synchronization and federated identity for single sign on. Cisco WebEx Mail will also feature calendar free/busy synchronization so that Exchange users and Cisco WebEx Mail users can collaborate transparently.
Cisco Network with Microsoft
Cisco Integrated Services Routers are ideal for SMBs and small enterprise branch offices. The routers enable businesses to reduce costs by deploying a single, resilient system for fast, highly secure delivery of multiple mission-critical business services, including data, security, and wireless. Cisco Integrated Services Routers provide IP-to-public switched telephone network (PSTN) gateway functions, allowing businesses and agencies using Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 to interconnect with service providers and the public network.
With Cisco IOS Gateways, businesses can control caller-ID presentation toward the PSTN and perform digit manipulation (such as mapping a 10-digit PSTN number to a 4-digit extension number). Cisco IOS Gateways also provide supplementary services such as call transfer, call forward, and hold or resume, as well as interoperability between Microsoft users and PSTN users.
Cisco Unified SIP Proxy with Microsoft
Cisco Unified SIP Proxy allows for central SIP routing and SIP session normalization. You can use Cisco Unified SIP Proxy to aggregate multiple Microsoft Mediation servers to allow for load balancing or toll bypass or to normalize SIP signaling to enable multivendor deployments.
Cisco Unified Border Element with Microsoft
Cisco Unified Border Element provides IP PSTN (SIP) connectivity, allowing businesses and agencies using Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 to interconnect with SIP service providers and the public network. Cisco Unified Border Element also allows for SIP normalization, media transcoding (G711-to-G729, because many service providers prefer G729 and Microsoft supports G711 or G723) and supports sending Real-Time Control Protocol (RTCP) traffic during single-direction media states to allow for better interoperability between Microsoft OCS and Cisco Unified Communications applications.
Summary
Cisco and Microsoft have a strong history of collaboration in the development of their respective products and technologies. Both companies are actively working on product integrations across several product areas to give organizations maximum flexibility in deploying unified communications. Cisco and Microsoft are building on open standards such as SIP to allow joint customers to use their existing resources and to deliver workspace-transforming collaboration experiences that increase individual and organizational productivity.
For More Information
For more information about Cisco Unified Communications, visit
http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedcommunications.
The Cisco products, services, or features identified in this document may not yet be available or may not be available in all areas and may be subject to change without notice. Consult your local Cisco business contact for information about the products or services available in your area. Additional information is available at
http://www.cisco.com. Actual performance and environmental costs of Cisco products will vary depending on individual customer configurations and conditions.
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