Cisco Unified Communications Manager™.
Voice over IP (VoIP) is technology that digitises sound, divides that sound into packets of information, and transmits those packets over an IP network. VoIP evolved into IP telephony, essentially delivering voice to the desktop through IP phones.
Cisco uses a systems approach, combining the strengths in networking and security to form the basis of a telephony platform into which business applications can be added.
There are two IP Telephony offerings in the Cisco portfolio, Cisco 'Unified Communications Manager™ and Cisco 'Unified Communications Manager Express™.
Cisco 'Unified Communications Manager™ includes the following features:
- Highly scalable, supporting up to 30,000 lines per server cluster
- Ability to support a full breadth of communications features and applications, including SIP-based applications
- Highly available for business continuity, supporting multiple levels of server redundancy and survivability
- Choice of operating system environments: Windows server-based implementation or Linux-based appliance model implementation
Cisco 'Unified Communications Manager Express™ provides the following benefits:
- Cost-effective, converged data and voice solution inside Cisco Integrated Services Routers
- Key system/small PBX features plus innovative convergence applications for up to 240 users
- Increased user productivity with Cisco ‘Unified CallConnector™; a presence-based Windows desktop application that gives users call control, location, and status of other users
- Intuitive graphical user interface for easy installation, adds, moves, and changes; internetworking with Cisco Unified CallManager
- Unmatched investment protection for future growth
Intergration with Microsoft desktop via CUCIMOCS™ is a significant step towards complete interoperability.