CISCO MEETINGPLACE HOSTED SERVICE

Transcription

1 DATA SHEET CISCO MEETINGPLACE HOSTED SERVICE The Cisco MeetingPlace rich-media conferencing solution can be deployed in a variety of ways. As an alternative to a customer owned, customer managed solution, the Cisco MeetingPlace Hosted Service combines all the benefits of a dedicated on-network conferencing solution with the convenience of an outsourced conferencing service. KEY BENEFITS Increase productivity and reduce costs through rich media conferencing Focus internal IT on other strategic initiatives by outsourcing conferencing Access expertise that might not be available internally Gain access to new technology faster and eliminate technology obsolescence Reduce total cost of ownership Avoid significant one-time capital investment Enjoy a highly customized, responsive and professional service, with a single point of contact IS THE CISCO MEETINGPLACE HOSTED SERVICE RIGHT FOR ME? This service is designed for companies that: Use in excess of 1,000,000 minutes per month of conferencing Are concerned about security Prefer a customizable conferencing solution integrated with their IT infrastructure, such as calendaring applications and directory services Would prefer an externally hosted conferencing solution Would like to pay for conferencing on a pay-as-you-go basis Have an IT outsourcing strategy All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Page 1 of 9

2 OVERVIEW The Cisco MeetingPlace Hosted Service provides a fully outsourced hosted solution using Cisco owned equipment paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis. Uniquely, the servers are still on your network and behind your firewall, achieving all the benefits of an on premises solution. This service is one of the Cisco MeetingPlace Managed Solutions (see Table 1): Table 1. Comparison of Cisco MeetingPlace Ownership and Deployment Methods Managed Service Customer Owned Customer Managed Customer CPE Bundled CPE Hosted Service Customer owns hardware X X On premises X X X On-network, dedicated hardware X X X X Pay as you go X X Customer manages system X Customer staffs user help desk X Customer plans for capacity growth X X Cisco MeetingPlace offers enterprise class rich media conferencing, incorporating voice, Web and videoconferencing. The real-time collaborative functionality we offer, just like voice mail and a few years ago, is fast becoming an essential feature of the corporate communications landscape. In fact, we recently made possible more than 1.7 billion minutes of meetings around the world in a single year. Cisco Managed Solutions complement the Cisco MeetingPlace rich media conferencing solution with services to give you the best of both worlds a dedicated conferencing solution that leverages your infrastructure, is secure, customized and integrated, yet is outsourced to relieve you of day to day operational concerns. Residing on your network behind your corporate firewall on internal voice and data networks in Cisco hosting facilities Cisco MeetingPlace offers unmatched security, working with, and not around, your corporate network security policies. With carrier-grade hardware, an on-network architecture and advanced system software, it also delivers the application integrations, scalability, and reliability IT organizations require. Most importantly, Cisco MeetingPlace leverages existing corporate voice and data networks to greatly reduce or eliminate transport tolls and recurring conferencing charges, offering significant cost savings over traditional conferencing services. The Cisco MeetingPlace architecture scales easily and flexibly from single systems to global deployments with distributed and connected servers and DMZ deployment for external access. In addition, high reliability and component redundancies ensure high availability. Because Cisco MeetingPlace servers and software are dedicated to your organization, they can be tuned and customized to fit your exact needs. In addition, integrations with Cisco CallManager, Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, Directory Services, and other systems allow Cisco MeetingPlace to fit seamlessly into your corporate infrastructure. Cisco Managed Solutions allow you to combine all the benefits of a dedicated on-network MeetingPlace solution with the convenience of an outsourced conferencing service. Additional services are available to help you get the most out of Cisco MeetingPlace, such as Professional Services for customization and integration, Application Consulting to identify how conferencing can lead to business process improvements and cost savings, and Training services to ensure end-user productivity. All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Page 2 of 9

3 BUSINESS BENEFITS Cost effective Use existing data, voice, and IP networks to significantly lower transport costs Greater control customize security policies, user interface, access to specific functionality, notifications, and more to meet specific needs Seamless integration with enterprise applications integrate with behind-the-firewall calendar, messaging, and directory services applications for increased security, simplified maintenance (conferencing becomes part of the network), and easier administration (directory integration automatically manages user profiles, removes access rights of former employees, etc.) Ease of use company employees enjoy a single sign-on and the ability to easily set up, attend, and manage rich-media meetings from within a familiar Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes interface Superior security isolate meetings and content behind your firewall; open meetings to internal users only, Internet-based users only, or a combination; configure security policies system-wide or per meeting Convergence leverage existing internal IP networks to integrate voice, Web, video, IP telephony, IM, and other media types in a single, secure, high-quality meeting solution Reduced costs leverage the economies of scale and focus of the Cisco MeetingPlace Solutions team Increased focus offload selected activities to focus on strategic IT initiatives that enhance the competitiveness of your business Improved agility align technology more quickly with business goals by leveraging the expertise and resources of the service provider Improved service levels and reduced risk improve service levels for your end users by leveraging the efficiencies, specialization, and 24 x 7 resources of the Cisco Managed Solutions team Better use of capital release capital for investment elsewhere in the business Conferencing can account for 50 percent or more of a company s overall voice traffic. By keeping this traffic on-network and running it over an internal IP telephony network, a company can realize significant cost saving relative to routing all conferencing traffic over the public telephone network and paying much higher transport fees to service providers. Voice, Web, and videoconferencing have a history of being outsourced to service providers and paid for on a pay-per-use basis. However, particularly as companies embrace IP telephony and convergence, it is hard for service providers using off-site shared servers to offer the convenience, security, integration capabilities, and cost savings offered by a dedicated, on-network, solution. Nonetheless, outsourcing of conferencing presents many attractions. The Cisco Managed Solutions team acts as an integrated extension of your own IT organization, providing the functions you require at lower cost and with greater convenience and quality than if sourced internally. All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Page 3 of 9

4 CISCO MEETINGPLACE HOSTED SERVICE The Cisco MeetingPlace Hosted Service is fully outsourced, with equipment hosted by Cisco. It is paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis which covers the cost of bridging, system administration and help desk, costs associated with co-locating the hardware and telephony. A unique feature of the Cisco hosted conferencing service is that the servers are dedicated to your organization and are on your network and behind your firewall (see Figure 1) even though they are physically located in a Cisco data center. Therefore all the benefits of an on-network implementation, such as security, are retained (see Table 2). Table 2. Comparison of Cisco MeetingPlace Hosted Service and Traditional Conferencing Service Bureau Feature Cisco MeetingPlace Hosted Service Traditional Conferencing Service Bureau Deployment On-network Internet/PSTN Integration with corporate infrastructure Available Not available Security Behind firewall https Servers Dedicated Shared User interface customizability Extensive Limited Help desk service Extension of your help desk Generic Figure 1 Hosting Architecture Optional value-added services are available. Professional Services are available to customize Cisco MeetingPlace and integrate it into your technical infrastructure. Application Consulting and Training services are available to help you integrate rich media conferencing into your business processes, maximizing productivity and cost savings (for example, through reduced travel expenses). All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Page 4 of 9

5 FEATURES Implementation Planning This involves establishing your technical deployment requirements and developing the architecture and plan to support them. Deployment can range from a single audio server to a global conferencing deployment. Network analysis, server sizing, database design, security, disaster recovery, telephony, end-user client requirements, customizations, and integrations are also analyzed and planned at this stage. Project planning and day to day project management Architecture, telephony and network design, such as hardware locations, security, capacity planning, bandwidth analysis, Frame/VPN connectivity use, disaster recovery planning, end-user client requirements Application requirements, such as internationalization, customizations, groupware integration, billing Database design, including directory integration, profile import, ongoing profile maintenance plan, migration planning Implementation Execution This part of the service is where the implementation actually takes place. It involves provisioning hardware, installing configuring and testing hardware and software, importing user details or integrating with directory services, conducting a pilot, developing a customer specific procedures manual, and training help desk agents. Provisioning trunks, Cisco MeetingPlace and Windows servers, racks, cabling, et cetera Installing, configuring, and testing Cisco MeetingPlace servers including racks, software, gateways, connecting telephony, LAN and power, modem, entering hardware configuration, and scheduling parameters Creating user groups and profiles, importing existing meetings Pilot rollout and resulting fine tuning of the system Developing a customer specific procedures manual and training help desk agents Groupware integration, such as Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes System Administration System administration provides proactive system monitoring, backups, capacity planning, hardware and software upgrades, system configuration and tuning, user profile management, issue management and escalation, and ongoing communication aimed at ensuring your satisfaction and continuous improvement of the service. Proactive system monitoring, capacity planning, hardware and software upgrades, system configuration, and tuning for optimal performance Profile and meetings database management, including additions, modifications and deletes, and backup for disaster recovery Issue management and escalation Ongoing communication and project management All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Page 5 of 9

6 24 x 7 End-User Help Desk The end-user help desk provides 24 x 7 x 365 live end-user support. The service is tailored to support your users as if it were an extension of your internal support organization and follows the detailed procedures established with you, such as validating the users employee number before helping them. The help desk is responsible for answering profile questions, answering scheduling questions, helping users attend meetings and use Cisco MeetingPlace meeting features. Responding to zero-out calls from Cisco MeetingPlace and ed questions Answering profile questions (lost/expired passwords, et cetera) Answering scheduling questions (Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, and Web-based scheduling) Helping users attend meetings and use Cisco MeetingPlace features (lost meeting ID, using outdial, recording, mute, roll call, et cetera) Escalating issues to system managers Reporting and Billing An online billing system is provided where you can view and download usage data (for example, for end user bill back). The billing system capabilities are: Interact with your bill, via a standard Web browser View, filter, sort, and export billing data View charges from multiple services on the same bill Get answers to routine billing questions and drill down to get more information See information pertaining to your own service usage, or usage of users for which you are responsible View transaction charges soon after the service is delivered you always know the exact status of the account Download billing information as a.csv file that can be opened in Microsoft Excel and other enterprise applications for processing, for example, accounts payable systems Receive invoices in Adobe Acrobat PDF format In addition, our standard quarterly report includes: Executive overview and summary Usage highlights and summary System capacity analysis Profile database summary Usage details Scheduling statistics Help desk call statistics Event and case summaries All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Page 6 of 9

7 Equipment Hosting Equipment hosting allows Cisco to offer a completely outsourced conferencing service, where Cisco manages the technical infrastructure in its own data centers. Despite this, the Cisco MeetingPlace solution is still on your network and dedicated to you, offering high security and the possibility to integrate it with your internal applications. Cisco can even use your long-distance carrier, allowing you to maximize transport discounts. Included in this service: Provisioning Cisco MeetingPlace hardware, trunks, Windows servers, et cetera System backup, Microsoft Windows patches, virus checking, network operation center management, et cetera Use of Class A data centers offering features such as percent availability, N+1 redundancy, UPS, fire suppression systems, intrusion detection, physical security et cetera Training An important component of successful Cisco MeetingPlace deployments are training programs directed at the end users and internal trainers. Training services provide standard online materials such as Cisco MeetingPlace tips and etiquette, distance training on scheduling and attending online meetings and, optionally, customized training and train the trainer programs. Standard online materials such as Quick Reference Cards, e-tutorials, Cisco MeetingPlace tips and etiquette, Planning future training (for example, including Cisco MeetingPlace training in new employee orientation training) Virtual training on scheduling and attending online meetings Customization and Integration (Optional Service) This service is designed to weave Cisco MeetingPlace into your corporate infrastructure for the maximum convenience of users and IT alike. The Professional Services team provides customers with a wide range of services such as customization of the look and feel of the solution, consulting on security needs, integration with enterprise back-end systems, implementation of single sign on, audio prompts customization, and addition of new features. With these services, you can maximize the value gained from the Cisco MeetingPlace conferencing solution. Consultation services (Cisco MeetingPlace configuration optimization, feature implementation, single number access implementation, ) Business integration services (billing systems integration, vertical market configuration, Cisco MeetingPlace directory services, reporting integration, ) Applications customization (Web interface customization, single sign on, audio streaming implementation, Microsoft Outlook customization, audio prompts customization, ) All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Page 7 of 9

8 Application Consulting (Optional Service) In most organizations, there are potential applications of rich media conferencing that can lead to significant business advantages (for example, faster time to market) and to cost savings (for example, reduced travel). Moreover, there are usually conferencing cost savings as a result of lower per minute charges with Cisco MeetingPlace vis-à-vis the incumbent conferencing service provider. Therefore, the faster the solution can be rolled out, the faster the benefits on the bottom line can realized. The Application Consulting service addresses these opportunities by identifying users and applications, assisting in the rollout of the service and conducting user surveys for identification of service improvements to achieve rollout objectives. Power user and applications identification Rollout campaign planning and execution using suitable internal marketing vehicles (for example, s, intranet, newsletters, ) User surveys for identification of service improvements to achieve rollout objectives Online conferencing knowledgebase customization, including customized Quick Reference Cards, e-tutorials, application stories et cetera Co-ordination with Cisco MeetingPlace Training services CONTACTS Contact your Cisco representative to find out how the Cisco MeetingPlace Hosted Service can reduce your conferencing costs and improve your meeting productivity and security. All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Page 8 of 9

9 Corporate Headquarters 170 West Tasman Drive San Jose, CA USA Tel: NETS (6387) Fax: European Headquarters Cisco Systems International BV Haarlerbergpark Haarlerbergweg CH Amsterdam The Netherlands www-europe.cisco.com Tel: Fax: Americas Headquarters 170 West Tasman Drive San Jose, CA USA Tel: Fax: Asia Pacific Headquarters 168 Robinson Road #28-01 Capital Tower Singapore Tel: Fax: Cisco Systems has more than 200 offices in the following countries and regions. Addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers are listed on the Cisco Website at Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China PRC Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dubai, UAE Finland France Germany Greece Hong Kong SAR Hungary India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Japan Korea Luxembourg Malaysia Mexico The Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Scotland Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United States Venezuela Vietnam Zimbabwe Copyright 2004 All rights reserved. Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document or Website are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (0406R) LF/LW /04 All contents are Copyright All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement. Printed in the USA Page 9 of 9