1. Unfortunately, most Teams users won’t know what “mode” they are in. How do Zoom and Webex meetings get a Skype for Business Join SIP URI? In Zoom, it is an option that the person inviting you to the meeting has to enable. In Zoom details are here. In Webex, there is a special format SIP URI you can dial.
2. Best Rated Headsets for Zoom Meetings, Webex. Test, Reviews by the Experts at HeadsetPlus.com 877-999-3838.

1. Webex Zoom Teams Vergleich
2. Teams Webex Zoom Comparison

5 Ways to Connect Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex in 2021

For many reasons and in many businesses, we regularly see organizations with instances of both Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex.

Webex Teams Essentially similar to Zoom Rooms, Webex Teams aims to provide a conference room space in your software. Anyone can host a Webex Teams meeting, whenever the need arises, whether this is a company-wide internal or external meeting. Webex Teams seems to offer more in the way of features for the conference room, as compared to Zoom.

This post addresses how businesses got to this situation and highlights the best ways to connect the two platforms together.

Why Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex?

Common reasons for instances of both Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex include:

• Legacy or current Cisco hardware like telepresence, VoIP handsets, and Cisco Spark boards
• Microsoft 365 packages offering free Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams licenses
• Mergers and acquisitions where one company uses Cisco Webex and the other uses Microsoft Teams
• A new CIO or IT Manager started and implemented their preferred solution
• You interact with guests from other organizations that use different messaging platforms

Can Microsoft Teams replace Webex?

Microsoft Teams has tons of great features, like grid videos and custom backgrounds. You can integrate your conversations with Microsoft 365 and access direct routing.

But Microsoft Teams isn’t the right solution for everyone.

If you try to shift everyone to Microsoft Teams, you risk isolating some of your team members who use Webex.

People who don’t want to stop using their preferred app won’t switch easily. This puts your team at risk of shadow IT and other security issues.

It’s always better to give your team the freedom to use the tools they prefer.

If you do need to connect the two together, the next section outline five ways to connect the two platforms together.

1- Webex call features in Microsoft Teams

If all you want to do is connect your Microsoft Teams account holders with Cisco Webex calling features, here’s how:

In April 2020, Cisco announced a new Call Appfor Microsoft Teams. The app launches calls through Webex technology, even when you click the call button in Microsoft Teams.

To access this functionality, follow these steps:

• Verify users have accounts activated in the Webex Control Hub
• Ensure users are registered to the Cisco Webex Calling or Unified Communications Manager
• Make sure users have the Webex app
• Ensure you have Administratorprivileges for Microsoft Teams
• Update phone numbers for users in the Azure Active Directory

With us so far? Great.

Head over to the Microsoft Teams Admin Center and click Teams Apps followed by Manage apps. You can search for the Webex Call function and toggle the app status to allowed.

Remember to update your permission policies to allow third-party apps too.

In the Teams apps menu, click on Setup policies and add the Cisco Webex Call app to your Microsoft setup. Users will now be able to click Webex Call at the bottom of a window when chatting in Microsoft Teams.

Or employees can click on the Webex Call function on the left-hand menu bar and just tap in the number of the person they want to call through Webex.

Pros:

1. Simple way to connect Webex calling functionality with Microsoft Teams
2. Embedded buttons in Teams make the function easy to use

Cons:

1. Only works to connect two VoIP calling strategies. You can’t connect your chat messages or file sharing this way.
2. Calling opens a new window, which means there are more tabs for users to keep track of.
3. Only works to add Webex Calling to Microsoft Teams. You can’t add Microsoft calling to Webex instead.

2 – Cisco Webex and Microsoft 365 integration

Cisco recently announced integration between its Webex app and the Microsoft 365 suite.

How do I integrate Webex with Office 365?

Users can access files like apps like SharePoint and OneDrive from within the Webex app.

If your end goal is to use the Microsoft 365 suite within the Webex app, this integration will work just fine.

How do I integrate a Webex team with Outlook?

Go to your Cisco Webex admin Settings.

Click on Outlook then Outlook settings. You’ll have the option to Connect to Outlook. Choose Yes and hit the Save button.

Having more than one app integrated with Outlook sometimes causes problems with Webex. Before you integrate Webex and Outlook, you’ll have to unregister other tools. This includes removing Skype for Business connections.

Once your Outlook integration is ready, you can see the status of Webex contacts in Outlook.

Pros:

a. Users no longer have to leave their Webex app if they use Microsoft 365 for productivity tools like Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Word.

b. You can benefit from Microsoft Teams governance and data privacy from Microsoft 365 whilst never leaving your Webex app.

c. Share content created in Microsoft apps in Cisco Webex spaces.

Cons:

a. This integration is available for multiple Microsoft apps, but not Microsoft Teams.

b. If you’re a Webex for Web user, you can only view these types of files, but not make any changes to them.

The Cisco Webex and Microsoft 365 integration is great for users that are happy to live in Webex – but it doesn’t take into account users that prefer Microsoft Teams for collaboration.

3 – Bot integration for Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex

If This Then That (IFTTT) helps apps and devices work together.

There are examples of IFTTT working in homes and businesses alike.

When rules are set for one app or device to do something based on the behavior of another app of device, these are called recipes.

From common scenarios like turning up the heating in your home when the temperature drops below a certain threshold to syncing your Instagram and Dropbox account, recipes come in all shapes and sizes.

When setting recipes for both Microsoft and Cisco, this typically includes what happens on Microsoft Teams when a message is posted in Webex.

For this scenario, a Webex users sends a message and the bot in Microsoft Teams gets a notification.

Pros:

a. Bot integrations come with many pre-built recipes to choose from across a range of apps and devices.

b. Familiar look and feel to consumer IFTTT apps.

c. Options to add your own customized recipes.

Cons:

a. Administration time can be lengthy as scenarios have to be set up one-by-one.

b. When new users are added, administrators must build new recipes.

c. Functionality across platforms is limited.

d. Cross platform experience is not seamless. Notifications are received in a bot rather than native to a chat, space or direct message etc.

4 – Host Webex meetings in Microsoft Teams

For users that prefer Microsoft Teams for messaging and collaboration, but must use Cisco Webex for meetings, there is the Cisco Webex Meeting app.

This is perfect for running Cisco Webex meetings direct from Microsoft Teams.

The meeting app is also available for Slack, Workplace from Facebook, and Google Calendar.

Pros:

a. Schedule and join Cisco Webex meetings without leaving Microsoft Teams.

b. Microsoft Teams users just need to add the Webex Meetings app to their Microsoft Teams app.

c. Simple administration in the Cisco Webex Control Hub.

Cons:

a. The Cisco Webex Meetings app for Microsoft Teams doesn’t support accounts on webex.meetings.com, on meetingsln.webex.com, or on Cisco Webex Meetings Server sites.

b. Limited to Cisco Webex Meeting functionality.

c. Messages, chats, files etc cannot be exchanged via the Webex Meeting app for Microsoft Teams. A meeting must be launched to communicate across platform.

d. Jonathan Dame wrote on SearchUnifedCommunications that customers of both Cisco and Microsoft using the integration have labelled it clumsy, forcing them to consider back to working in silos.

5 – External federation for connecting with guests on different platforms

Do you communicate with people outside your organization?

Do they use apps other than Microsoft Teams?

If the answer is yes to both of these questions, according to research, Cisco Webex is one of the most favored.

When this is the case, it becomes extremely unproductive moving out of Teams, into your external contact’s choice of app, and starting the conversation again.

Or even worse, end up resorting to email like it’s the 90s. (Okay, email has a purpose but you get the point).

That’s why Mio has created universal channels for Microsoft Teams with Webex…

You can stay in Teams and send messages to your contractors, suppliers, or clients who use Webex.

They stay in their platform too and Mio translates the messages across platform.

And it’s not just messages that are supported! GIFs, emojis, channels, DMs, and message edits/deletes are all supported.

If this sounds like something you need, install Mio into either Microsoft Teams or Webex.

You choose which platform you use and your external contacts choose theirs.

If you’d like to learn more about enabling cross-platform messaging, you can watch our on-demand webinar with Mio CEO, Tom Hadfield, here.

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With advanced video conference technology, it has become easier than ever for companies to hold high-quality virtual meetings and presentations. Location no longer matters, because with today’s powerful, efficient and reliable tools, you can meet instantly anywhere.

Zoom and Webex are two of the top video conferencing tools you can leverage to boost your global business connections, but which of the two is the best platform for hosting online meetings? We’ll take you through a detailed comparison between Zoom and Webex that’ll make it easier for you to pick the best option.

What is Video Conferencing?

Video conferencing is a technology-based innovation that receives and transmits both high-quality audio and full-motion video image signals in real-time. It makes communication between people in different geographical locations simple, easy and efficient.

What is Zoom?

Zoom is a popular video conferencing tool that offers some of the best features you can find on the market. It provides consistent and powerful services such as video webinar, Zoom Rooms, online meetings and group messaging. It’s an ideal tool for any business as it provides a great communication experience at an incredibly affordable cost — there’s even a free version! This platform is uniquely designed and optimized to offer seamless services and maximum reliability, and it comes with a user-friendly interface.

What is Webex?

Webex by CISCO is another great way to hold meetings and conduct conferences online. With this high-tech software, you can organize events, webinars and video conferences. Webex Meeting Center offers numerous services that make it easier for businesses to communicate. It’s been in business since 1995, so you can rest assured that this online web conferencing tool will provide dependable and cost-effective service.

Zoom vs. Webex Comparison

Now, let’s compare these two leading web conferencing tools.

1. Pricing

Pricing is a fundamental aspect when it comes to choosing a dependable video conferencing platform for your business. Companies tend to go for cost-effective and flexible tools that allow them to scale whenever the need arises. If features are relatively similar, the cost is a great tiebreaker.

When compared to Webex, Zoom historically offered much more affordable pricing. But in response to Zoom, Webex recently enhanced their free plan. While Webex’s top business plan comes in at $26.95 per month, Zoom only charges hosts no more than $19.99 per month per user for a business account and offers a free plan for up to 100 participants. Even at that low price, Zoom offers unique features and high-quality video and sound. What’s more, (unlike Webex) Zoom offers a free trial period for new users through partners like DGI.

2. Video Quality

Independent tests show that Zoom has superior video quality in HD. Your colleagues and clients don’t want their software to be the reason they see a grainy, choppy video. While Webex also has high-quality video, Zoom has the edge here again.

3. Capacity

When it comes to video conferencing solutions, nothing takes center stage quite like the capacity to accommodate users. While Webex can accommodate up to 200 people, Zoom can accommodate up to 1000 users per one web or video conferencing session with an Enterprise plan.

4. Conference Features

Both platforms have similar qualities when it comes to conference features. For instance, Webex is synonymous with its ability to support co-browsing, remove attendees and allow file transfers —tasks you can also perform in Zoom Video Conferencing. Additionally, Zoom offers a unique feature called Break-Out Sessions. When shopping around for a software that can take your video conferencing experience to the next level, choose a conference solution packed with features that suit your individual business needs.

5. Security Features

Security is important — especially for business meetings and video conferencing sessions. Both Webex and Zoom offer solutions that are highly secure and reliable.

Features such as encryption and user authentication optimize the security of both video conferencing platforms. What’s more, both offer security control when it comes to desktop sharing. Both encrypt meetings, transmission and storage. For Zoom’s Telehealth solution, they can also include HIPPA compliant security for patient to doctor communications.

6. Meeting Follow-Up

For any business, meeting follow-ups are extremely important. This allows participants to view the previous meeting’s recording and listen to them again whenever they need. Zoom is outfitted with a unique Participant Reporting feature that checks all the members who reported at the meeting. In Webex, this feature isn’t available.

7. User-Friendly Design

When it comes to business software, user-friendliness and ease-of-use are two important factors you should seriously consider. Complex software wastes time. Based on consumer feedback, Zoom is more user-friendly as compared to Webex. Zoom allows users to instantly join an online video conference or meeting, with common features across all devices. So, no matter what device you’re using, you’ll always be able to enjoy all its great features. Webex requires a more lengthy registration and checkin process compared to Zoom. With Zoom you’re into your meeting faster.

The Bottom-Line

Webex Zoom Teams Vergleich

Considering all the powerful features and positive reviews given by experts and users alike, Zoom is the superior video conferencing software. Webex is packed with lots of quality features, and has upgraded their platform and free plan. Some companies that are used to Webex may stay due to its security and familiarity, but if you’re looking for a new or better solution, Zoom can be the ideal choice. Particularly if you’re looking for a robust free plan, Cisco Webex’s recent removal of the meeting cap may give it an edge for your situation.

With Zoom, you get all the benefits and features you need to host a smooth video conference or web presentation for your business, plus mobile and desktop platform support, at a relatively low cost. With a single touch, this platform enables you to connect with people in different locations around the world and hold a meeting, saving your business energy, time and money.

Still unsure what video conferencing platform makes sense? Talk to us at DGI. We help design unified communications solutions that make communication and collaboration easy and efficient.

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