Cisco Unified Communications Manager Reviews

Pros

From day one, this has been the best solution we've used. The voice quality is outstanding even for remote offices connected through VPN so I can fully recommend it. It has been a very worthwhile investment because it helps us consolidate our telecommunications infrastructure. The video calling features have also been very useful. We can set up a camera phone in the boardroom and directors can call into that room for meetings as if they were physically present which helps cut down on travel costs. It's a very complete platform as well since we use its Unity Connection for voicemail and Cisco IM and Presence alongside it. Another big advantage is that we can install the phones on a PC using a Windows client without losing call quality and we can even make video calls directly from the computer.

Cons

Only downside is that the licensing and phone costs are a bit expensive and at times that can limit how much you can fully take advantage of all its capabilities.

Pros

Its biggest strengths is its solid redundancy design, supporting up to 9 nodes in a single cluster. It also connects very well with IM and Presence, Unity, Contact Center and Expressway servers and all of them work together in a well coordinated way. The nodes continuously share and replicate the database so any change made on one node is automatically reflected across the others. Because of that, administration can be handled conveniently from one server's GUI.

Cons

The biggest con is the cost. Licensing and support are quite expensive and the IP phones themselves are priced higher than many other options on the market.

Pros

Staying in touch with team members is what I value most about this and it helps me resolve issues quickly whenever something comes up.

Cons

At times, calls get routed incorrectly so when one employee tries to call another, the call ends up coming to me instead.

Pros

This is a very stable and powerful system. It supports both on site and multi site redundancy and managing the entire phone environment from a single screen is really convenient. The backup and restore process is quick and the management tools and documentation are very solid. Their website also has plenty of useful information whenever you need help.

Cons

Upgrades take a long time to complete and the available administrative privileges feel somewhat limited. The price is also quite high.

Pros

Cisco's phone system can handle just about anything you need it to do. It really feels like the best option out there.

Cons

If you're not already familiar with the CUCM, Unity or UCCX interface, the early learning curve can feel a bit steeper than expected.

Pros

The web interface is easy to use when it works properly and the configuration process is simple. It also gives useful limits and role separation for different user types, such as administrators and helpdesk staff.

Cons

There are quite a few bugs so you need to address and fix them on a regular basis which is a bit annoying.

Pros

Back when I worked in an inside sales organization, I used this for calling clients over VoIP and it handled exactly what I needed it to do.

Cons

I really didn't run into any issues with it. It did its job well and felt very easy to use.

Pros

This is a very powerful phone system that can handle heavy call traffic and offers a wide range of functionality. It supports features like hunt groups and call center operations which makes it a solid option for larger communication needs.

Cons

Setting it up is very difficult unless you're a Cisco engineer. The different sections where things need to be configured are confusing and it's not always clear why certain settings are located where they are. It's also important to buy support because we get charged every time I submit a ticket to the support team.

Pros

One thing that works in its favor is the hardware specific design since it can be customized to run on an appliance or in a virtual environment. A big advantage is the converged setup, where voice and data operate on a single Cisco network. The product portfolio also helps with quicker decisions, whether the call manager should be deployed on a router, a server or a VM. SIP integration can be a little tricky at times but it remains stable. The platform really shows its value when Presence and MP are integrated because that is when the unified communications capabilities fully come together and feel worth the investment.

Cons

The system should do a better job of guiding users from one section to the next during feature implementation and programming. If that kind of step by step flow were built in, deployment would be faster and it would be better positioned to compete with other brands.

Pros

When I needed to work from home, this was set up by our IT team as part of the emergency backup plan and it did exactly what I needed. Since I couldn't make it to the office, they activated the contingency setup and I was able to open all my work programs from home and keep working without any issues or interruptions.

Cons

Honestly, I didn't come across anything I disliked.

Pros

Something that really worked well was the call quality. Conversations came through very clearly and there was barely any lag or delay during calls.

Cons

Their phone support wasn't a good fit for my business. The handsets are bulky and programming them is difficult. The screen also isn't backlit which makes it hard to read in dim lighting. On top of that the phone cord had to be replaced three times within just a few months of use.