Why Consider Cisco Collaboration Suite for Your Workplace

It’s safe to say the concept of a workplace for many businesses is significantly different from even a few years ago. For many years pre-pandemic, Cisco Collaboration Suite was already enabling companies to empower their employees to work remotely.  At the start of the pandemic, many companies first adopted free, consumer-oriented online meeting tools. They soon discovered those platforms lacked the availability, security and inter-operability that Cisco’s Collaboration Suite offered for many years. 

In 2020, the worldwide Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C) market grew 29.2% year over year, according to IDC. It is clear, modern businesses are seeking technology services partners to help them select, acquire, deploy and manage digital platforms for:

• Voice and video calling
• Instant messaging
• Online and hybrid meetings
• Webinars and online events
• Contact center 
• Screensharing, whiteboarding, live polling, and Q&A

When expertly architected and deployed, companies that adopt Cisco Collaboration Suite, can make their meetings, one-on-ones, virtual events and online collaborations more engaging, secure and impactful. 

What Sets Cisco Apart from Other UC&C Vendors? 

Cisco has ranked among the top three vendors in the UC&C market for many years. They have a diverse portfolio of offerings – including Webex, Unified Communications Manager, collaboration endpoints, Webex rooms, IP phones, telepresence rooms and Huddle spaces. 

Cisco Collaboration products and services enable business professionals to work as effectively with their colleagues, customers, partners, and suppliers when working remotely as they do within the physical and electronic boundaries of their company’s offices. In many cases, more so.

Cisco’s research report “Embracing the Hybrid Workforce” published survey results with some compelling statistics:

• 74% feel their business will emerge stronger after COVID-19 than before.
• 94% expressed they want tools that can improve their meeting experiences at home.
• 98% want many health and safety changes to their office work environment before they return. 
• Only 9% feel they will return to working from their corporate office on a full-time basis.

Cisco’s Collaboration Suite Helps Break Down Silos

Often, collaborative projects require contributions from professionals outside your office, across international borders and from joint venture partners or other third parties. Creating obstacles to collaboration inhibits growth and often frustrates employees. 

Many collaboration services in the market only enable interaction with those using their platform and devices. Cisco UC&C services, on the other hand, empower their users to connect with collaboration partners on platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. As do their devices. Cisco Collaboration tools drive high adoption rates by being easy to use and navigate to manage conversations, conferences and events on a wide variety of devices. 

Like many other technology sectors, the best solutions allow for integration with third-party tools and complementary applications. Cisco UC&C apps, including Webex, enable integration with other collaboration platforms and applications like CRM, appointment scheduling tools, email and file sharing. Improve productivity and efficiency by empowering users to work collaboratively with these applications without jumping between multiple screens.   

Why Partner with Cisco and Yorktel for Your Digital Collaboration Needs? 

Cisco has been a leader in the voice communications space for about twenty years, and Yorktel is proud to be a multi-certified Cisco partner. They have an incredibly comprehensive end-to-end set of devices and services of any vendor in the world. Their voice solutions complement collaboration solutions that don’t compromise on security, performance, or ease of administration. 

Cisco provides an end-to-end solution including various collaboration endpoints and their Unified Communications (UC) solutions. Most other UC and collaboration vendors offer online meeting, messaging, contact center, and calling functionality, but rely on partnerships with companies (including Cisco) for IP phones and other endpoint devices. 

For these reasons, Yorktel invests significant resources to become a certified Cisco certified partner in multiple specialty areas, including: 

• Unified Communications
• Webex
• Telepresence as a Service and Telepresence Customization
• Advanced Cloud, Managed Services, and Cisco’s Advanced Technology Program

Yorktel has partnered with many mid-large sized companies and enterprises along their collaboration journey. Our Cisco Consulting Services practice has deep expertise in Cisco’s on-premise cognitive collaboration solution and Webex cloud-based services. We extended Cisco’s performance reporting and analytics capabilities enabling non-technical users to access data visualizations about who is collaborating on the platform and how well the services are meeting your KPIs. 

Take a Confident Step Forward into the Future of Business Collaboration

Many businesses struggle with their employees having a myriad of online collaboration tools which don’t meet their company’s policies for security and privacy. Others adopt platforms that seemed practical when their employees worked in the office but are complex, frustrating, or lack critical features like screen sharing or switching between devices on the fly. 

The Cisco Collaboration Suite of services continues to set the standard for other collaboration platforms with their comprehensive portfolio of products and services. When coupled with Yorktel’s consulting and managed services offerings, your business can be confident that you are working with proven solutions, implemented and managed by experts who are as invested in your company’s success as you are. 

How does an integrated set of cognitive Cisco collaboration products in a single, subscription-based agreement sound? Check out our Cisco Collaboration Flex Plan. 

Interested in learning how Yorktel can help deploy and manage your Cisco Collaboration Suite. Contact us at learnmore@yorktel.com