Cisco WebEx

The main articles are:

• Types and capabilities of modern VKS systems
• SaaS - History. Philosophy. Development drivers

Cisco WebEx is a system for web conferences with high image transfer speed, conference support via VoIP and public telephone networks, providing integration with office applications and instant messengers. According to Gartner, Cisco WebEx accounts for more than 53% of the global web conferencing industry.

The platform combines four types of services created to solve specific business problems.

• WebEx Meeting Center is designed for collaboration, meetings and meetings. The functionality makes it possible not only to communicate through high-quality video and audio communication, but also to provide users with shared access to documents and applications.
• WebEx Event Center allows you to hold webinars, it is adapted to manage events with a large number of participants, has an attention indicator that helps speakers and organizers in holding conferences, built-in invitation mailing and a tool for collecting statistics.
• WebEx Training Center is a service for organizing distance learning sessions. With its help, within the framework of the session, you can organize work in groups, conduct full-fledged testing, perform tasks on remote computers and laboratory classes.
• WebEx Support Center is a technical support service solution that provides tools for accessing user desktops, diagnosing their IT services and providing real-time consultations. The service also provides tools for queuing incoming calls for later distribution to specialists.

The service is provided under the SaaS model through Cisco's global cloud infrastructure, consisting of sixteen data centers with their own communication channels. Enterprise users gain access to their organization's microsite, which hosts the necessary WebEx services. The flexible licensing model provides for payment for the number of accounts (virtual rooms) required to organize conferences. For voice communication, the customer receives unlimited audio traffic.

Cisco WebEx is easy to deploy and scale: the solution does not require hardware installation and software implementation, the number of services is easy to adjust depending on business needs. Conference participants also do not need to install any applications: the necessary modules are loaded automatically when connected. Each user opens a WebEx window, where he will see material, a list of participants in the event, a chat window, and web cameras. Users can participate in the conference from a landline or mobile phone and other mobile devices.

2024: Hole in Cisco VKS system allows hackers to get hold of secret German government data

In early May 2024, the German edition of Zeit Online published the results of an investigation indicating that hackers had obtained access to records of government meetings Germany and confidential information discussed on them due to system security violations. video conferencings Cisco

Zeit Online believes that hackers could have exploited vulnerabilities in Cisco Webex video conferencing software and obtained links to records of internal meetings and negotiations of senior officials. It is known that the German government uses the local version of Webex to store data on local servers that ensure that this data does not leave the country's borders.

Hackers gain access to records of German government meetings

However, the researchers found that hackers could simply change the number in the IDOR link leading to session recordings and obtain data from thousands of internal government meetings, including those discussing German military activities. In addition, it turned out that personal chats for meetings of high-ranking officials were not protected by passwords, and this allows attackers to easily gain access to classified information.

It is known that in early March 2024, an audio recording of a German military meeting held on the Webex platform was released on Russian platforms, but it is not yet clear whether these incidents are related to each other. After learning of the study's findings, the German government blocked access to open meeting rooms and disabled its access to the Webex system. In turn, in early June 2024, Cisco published recommendations on cybersecurity, where it stated that it had fixed the identified problems and continued to track unauthorized activities within the video conferencing system.Ошибка цитирования Неверный вызов: нет входных данных

2021

Announcement of the platform for displaying holograms of employees during video conferencing

On October 26, 2021, Cisco introduced Webex Hologram, a service that will bring augmented reality to its collaboration platform. Used with AR headsets such as Magic Leap and Microsoft's HoloLens, Webex Hologram promises to create real-time photorealistic holograms of real people. Read more here.

Integrated asynchronous video message

On October 27, 2021, Cisco introduced a number of updates for the Webex complex. Meeting and messaging opportunities ensure that participants are equally present wherever they are. Collaboration devices ranging from personal home and office workspaces to complex deliberative spaces, and the Webex Events portfolio provide support for hybrid events. In addition, Webex's compatibility with solutions from all other key vendors for remote work will allow users to collaborate using the platforms and devices they prefer for seamless interaction.

According to the company, the current announcement is dedicated to solutions for hybrid employees, workplaces, events and IT teams and includes:

• An adaptive audio function based on artificial intelligence with the elimination of distractions. The volume of sound during meetings is affected by placement, and this is especially keenly felt by remote participants and those who are farther from the microphone. This problem is solved using the optimize all voices function optimize for all voices, which aligns the sound level regardless of location. Speaker selection selectivity now distinguishes between targeted speech and background noise, removing distracting sounds.
• Burn-out control and engagement stimulation. Collaboration Insights features help combat employee fatigue and expand your personal comfort zone. The connections function allows you to view personal information, including the 10 most frequently contacted employees per week, other positions and the location of colleagues, etc. The well-being and cohesion features in People Insights give teams the opportunity to see anonymous work time characteristics, emotional ratings, and continuous time targets. For example, a manager, having seen low ratings and an increase in the number of employees working in the evenings, can take measures in advance to correct the situation.
• Relieving stress and preventing meeting fatigue. The Thrive Reset functionality is now available to Webex Suite users. Its action is based on the results of studies showing that it is possible to move away from stress in 60-90 seconds. Webex users can use both the multimedia resources offered in the functionality of various topics, and upload their own photos that will help to relax, calm their breath, think about something good, reformulate the problem or just get up and stretch.
• Asynchronous communication to minimize meetings. On average, only 48% of participants take the floor at meetings. When participants are in different time zones and when it is necessary to reduce the number of meetings, the asynchronous communication function Vidcast provides the opportunity to record, view and comment on the event at a convenient time. For October 2021, the Vidcast function is available for beta testing on the vidcast.io website, integration with the Webex application is planned in the spring of 2022.
• Advanced intelligent video functions. To optimize the perception of the meeting by remote participants, the updated functionality of People Focus, which will appear in December 2021, will provide clarity and optimization of the transmission of gestures and facial expressions of those present. In early 2022, it is planned to further update the intelligent functions of the Webex camera to optimize the display quality of those present in the meeting rooms. In particular, the meeting participants will be displayed in separate frames, regardless of which service is used for the meeting.
• Devices for personalizing the workplace. The Webex Desk Mini allows you to create a workplace anywhere, while offering hybrid workers all the capabilities of the Webex Desk - but in a miniature format.
• Virtual whiteboard and advanced collaborative creativity capabilities. Webex Whiteboarding allows you to use virtual boards - create them, select, edit, transfer results - to collaborate with anyone, including those who do not work in the organization. Participants in a joint project can safely share ideas using any device - a smartphone, tablet, laptop or touch Webex device, including the Webex Board Pro.
• Scalable hybrid events. After acquiring Socio Labs and Slido, Cisco introduced an expanded Webex Events portfolio that allows you to organize any hybrid events of any scale - from webinars to multi-session events and conferences. Hybrid event management functionality is available, including badge and ticket design, monetization and network connectivity. Using Webex Webinars, the user can accept up to 10 thousand participants in webinar mode and up to 100 thousand in webcast mode. Integrating Webex Events with Slido technology to conduct surveys, quizzes, and answer sessions optimizes participant activity and engagement.
• Simultaneous translation for global audiences. Webex Events allows organizers of multilingual meetings and events to schedule an unlimited number of language channels with translators. Participants choose a language when connecting to an event.
• Seamless communication with any device or platform. Webex devices are operationally compatible with solutions from all other key vendors for remote work, which provides open and inclusive interaction with customers who can use a wide variety of devices and applications for collaboration.
• Embedded applications for continuous workflows. To prevent users from switching between applications during Webex meetings and messaging, it is planned to integrate more than 60 partner solutions into Webex. For October 2021, Smartsheet, Hacker Rank, Thrive Reset, Miro and Mural are available directly at Webex. Other partner apps will be added in the coming months.
• Monitoring and diagnostics. IT services enable Webex collaboration processes with Cisco Meraki Insight and ThousandEyes. These tools allow you to quickly identify and diagnose problems in the home or corporate network, at the service provider, on the Internet or in the cloud. The Meraki Insight solution conducts analysis using artificial intelligence and allows you to determine where the source of the problem is. Monitoring digital communication processes with ThousandEyes Webex Agents gives IT services an overview to quickly identify, diagnose, and resolve performance issues.

Webex Calling and Webex Customer Experience features. Communications Platform as a Service

On October 26, 2021, Cisco announced two Webex Calling and Webex Customer Experience features, as well as a Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS). In addition, following the acquisition, company imimobile, Cisco introduced the integration of its technologies with Webex for intellectual and natural interaction through different communication channels.

According to the company, the updated functionality of Webex Calling includes:

• Webex Go. The need to switch between a worker and a personal mobile phone has disappeared. With the launch of Webex Go, the corporate functionality of Webex Calling is implemented as a dedicated business line on the user's personal mobile phone.
• Nomadic E911 - emergency location calls. When making an emergency call from Webex App, the emergency service will receive accurate location information. If Webex App determines that the caller has moved to another point, users will be notified to update the address information.
• Cloud Calling from personal desktop devices. Users were able to call colleagues by name or extension directly from Webex Desk Pro devices.
• Integration with Singlewire InformaCast. Users can send emergency alerts directly and in the form of audio files to Cisco phones and speakers, as well as text notifications to digital panels, desktop computers and mobile devices.
• Dedicated Virtual Node. If the user is not ready to transfer all calls to the cloud, it is possible to hybrid deploy and combine Multi-Tenant and Dedicated Instance modes.
• Expansion of tariff coverage in Europe. Cisco announced Cisco Calling Plans tariffs for 10 European Union countries . They now include: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Finland, France and Sweden.
• Updated shared line usage. The widget for Webex App optimizes multitasking for users and speeds up call responses.

Updated Webex Customer Experience features:

• Summarize customer information. Webex users will soon be able to combine all customer actions across all channels and interaction points on a single platform.
  • The store can connect a shopping cart to a chat, call or email, even if the interaction through these channels went through different channels or different suppliers.
  • Optimized forecasting of customer behavior and provides mechanisms for proactive and prompt response using AI orchestration. For example, when the service fails and the call center overflows with requests, Webex Customer Experience recognizes the need for a proactive response.

• Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS). Webex video technology will soon merge with imiconnect, Cisco's enterprise CPaaS solution, which has the ability to interact with customers in applications, telemedicine, formations communication and. augmented reality Application interfaces programming API and development kits will be SDK available in early 2022.
• Corporate Developer Sandbox. Developers will have access to the CPaaS sandbox, where they can create, test and debug prototypes on one platform. The sandbox can be used from October 27, 2021.

2020

Updated Cisco Webex will respond to corporate communications challenges 2020

The organization of interaction between teams and approaches to their management have significantly transformed. There is a boom in demand for digital tools for effective communications in the market. At WebexOne in December 2020, Cisco unveiled an updated solution for building productive collaboration. Read more here.

Updated information security functionality

On June 19, 2020, Cisco announced improvements to the Webex platform: updated information security and compliance functionality, intelligent and efficient analytics. And integration with Epic makes it possible for doctors to remotely provide assistance to patients by communicating via video link, and for patients to choose a particular medical institution.

According to the company, in April 2020, half a billion participants were recorded in the Webex platform, while the total duration of online meetings was 25 billion minutes, which is more than three times higher than the average.

The Webex platform has become a communication artery for hospitals and educational institutions, for government agencies, small and large businesses.

Global demand for solutions for has remote work made security and privacy issues more relevant than ever. Using security mechanisms built into the Webex platform, the company has expanded its loss prevention and retention policies data storages legally and meaningful documents at Webex Meetings. This provides the necessary level of security for all content remote meetings: records, transcriptions, planned activities and key solutions. The company also expanded end-to-end options, enciphering including AES enciphering 256 with GCM mode, which ensures the safety of deliberative data and protects against unauthorized interference.

CIO In a Perspectives 2020 survey of - IT directors, more than two-thirds of respondents said the biggest challenge was complexity. information technology Everyone is concerned about two issues: how to support remote staff as efficiently as possible and how to provide a safer deliberative environment in the office. Cisco Webex Control Hub with intelligent analytics will help IT services solve these issues, allowing you to manage all workloads from a single panel, regardless of where employees are at home or in the office. For the period pandemics , there are special options for using the Control Hub.

Updated features include:

• Deploy the Webex Assistant voice assistant to meeting room devices. With Control Hub, this task is feasible even for tens of thousands of devices. This minimizes the number of touches of screens and touch panels in public workspaces.
• In-depth analysis of the engagement of negotiators is used not only to adjust disinfection schedules, but also to plan the future of office space. Data on the most popular negotiators will be transferred to disinfectants and taken into account when planning the configuration of the negotiators.
• A detailed examination of the "real-time meetings" data to diagnose service and understand the changes in work style that occur during the process of returning to office activities.
• Analysis of usage trends to identify directions of further investments in devices and services.
• Simplify the diagnosis and maintenance of remote workplaces to ensure the productivity of the entire team.

Also added to the Control Hub is cloud-connected unified communications functionality that simplifies IT workflows for hybrid environments, and expanded analytics analytics to Webex Calling.

In addition, to provide the ability to work from anywhere, the company merged Webex Teams with Box, a cloud-based content management platform. The Webex Teams app already has the functionality of simple and secure file sharing built in, but now users can choose to use both Box and any other integrated platforms.

Telemedicine, which allows doctors to provide care to patients from a distance, is becoming widespread as of June 2020. Integration with the Epic medical software system allows Webex Teams users to conduct a video communication session with the patient, review the medical history and make the necessary entries in the medical documentation. Patients do not need to download any applications - to get help, just register using a browser in a secure session. The Epic system for June 2020 stores electronic data of more than 250 million patients. For June 2020, other Cisco partners are also developing and implementing telemedicine applications and solutions, helping clinicians provide care to patients worldwide.

Samsung and Cisco presented the Webex On Flip solution in Russia

The companies Samsung Electronics Cisco announced at the end of May 2020 the start of sales Russia in solutions for () video conferencings AEROSPACE FORCES and collaboration of On Webex Flip, integrated into interactive flipchart 2. Flip The development of two world leaders in the field of IT takes office videoconferencing to a qualitatively new mass level.

Revealed 1.3 thousand malware with the name of video conferencing services

In mid-April 2020, Kaspersky Lab announced the detection of about 1.3 thousand malicious programs that disguise themselves as popular video conferencing services, including Zoom, Webex and Slack. Read more here.

Cisco Webex Assistant for Webex Meetings based on AI with voice command recognition

On January 30, 2020, Cisco announced innovations that, according to the company, will make business meetings and negotiations more efficient. Thus, the updated functionality of Cisco Webex Assistant for Webex Meetings based on artificial intelligence (AI) understands voice commands and turns words into a storehouse of useful digital information. At the heart of this innovation is the technology of the recently acquired Cisco company Voicea.

According to Voicea users, they saved more than 6 hours per week per user, while their meetings were more efficient. We hope Webex users get similar results. narrated by Sri Srinivasan, Vice President and CEO of Cisco Collaboration Product Development

According to the company, Webex Assistant for Meetings is a digital meeting assistant for the corporate market. He understands voice commands to perform routine tasks such as transcribing, drawing up protocols and following-up, so that meeting participants can focus on the topic under discussion. The user will be able not only to see the credits and instant transcription of what was said, but also to indicate to the application which items should be highlighted. Now you can search the protocols - and not only the current meeting, but several meetings. And the "badges" assigned to the speakers indicate exactly who says what during the meeting. A number of additional final features make it easier to edit and distribute meeting materials.

Key customer benefits. More productive and productive meetings. Turning words into actions means that participants will be able to focus on the meeting, more effectively hold it and better implement the final events.

Real-time transcription and closed captioning allow you to focus on the main topic, this is especially true for hearing impaired participants.

Cisco also introduced three important add-ons. Back in 2017, Cisco supplemented the Webex Rooms meeting room solution with conversational AI functionality. Webex Assistant for Webex Rooms understands voice commands for joining a meeting, calling and controlling certain devices in a conversation room.

Users will soon be able to communicate with Webex Room devices in English or Spanish, with Webex Assistant responding in the language it was contacted in.

It can be as difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to make transformations as it is for large organizations. The updated entry-level video device Cisco Webex Room USB will allow small businesses to maximize their collaboration capabilities.

Cisco Webex Room USB offers quality and security in an affordable entry-level video device for meeting rooms and small office spaces. Webex Room USB is suitable for small organizations that are just beginning to enter the world of video conferencing.^[1]

TrueConf Server Compatibility

On January 22, 2020, TrueConf announced the achievement of compatibility of the domestic TrueConf Server VKS system with popular cloud web conferencing platforms - Zoom, Cisco WebEx, BlueJeans Meetings and LifeSize Cloud. Integration will allow TrueConf users to connect to web conferences on foreign services in two clicks directly from TrueConf client applications. Read more here

2019

Webex Edge for Calling Solutions. Options for Connecting the PBX to the Webex Calling Cloud

On November 7, 2019, Cisco Systems unveiled a number of updates to its collaborative solutions portfolio, including Webex's web conferencing platform.

Among the innovations proposed by the developers:

• Webex Edge for Calling solutions add modern functionality to the capabilities of existing Cisco PBXs and other vendors. Now the IT administrator will be able to combine disparate infrastructures and, using Webex cloud services, implement global numbering plans for the entire organization, routing at the lowest cost, as well as centralized services such as IVR, voice mail, etc. A geographically distributed business will become more profitable if you use understandable and logical telephone functions such as dialing extensions, cheaper intranet calls, as well as one Webex application for telephony, teleconferencing and messaging.
• Additional options for connecting the PBX directly to the Webex Calling cloud allow you to work with your operator without the need for a local gateway. We strive for simplicity and provide freedom of choice.
• The Cisco Unified Communication Manager Cloud platform works with the Webex cloud and supports all UCM functions. A dedicated private instance of CUCM deployed in the cloud along with Webex Calling for branch offices will help you globally scale your business and accelerate your enterprise's journey to the cloud. Companies have at their disposal a global cloud created to transfer content in real time, with all the necessary and familiar functions.

A vulnerability that allows you to eavesdrop on other people's conversations

On October 2, 2019, it became known that WebEx and Zoom are subject to the Prior-Eye enumeration (user enumeration) attack.

Malefactors Cequence communications Cisco API Security's CQ Prime team has discovered that APIs for ON WebEx conference communication , Zoom, and possibly other services are vulnerable to the Prying-Eye attack.

Prior-Eye is an enumeration attack or user enumeration. According to the researchers, WebEx and Zoom allow the bot to automatically navigate through all potentially valid session identifiers through API calls. Once a valid ID is detected, an attacker can access the session and eavesdrop on conversations (in case the user has not set a password).

The vulnerability is even more dangerous if, to simplify the session management process, the user has set a personal identifier. By picking up this identifier, an attacker will be able to eavesdrop on conversations for a long time

The researchers notified Cisco and Zoom of the vulnerability in July 2019. Both companies published appropriate warnings for their users, but did not recognize the problem as a real threat. Cisco clarified that sessions in WebEx are protected by password by default, but users can disable it for greater convenience. Upon learning of the vulnerability, the Zoom developers made some changes to their platform, in particular, made the password the default setting^[2].

Cisco Webex Control Hub Extended Security Pack Extension

On October 1, 2019, Cisco introduced the Cisco Webex Control Hub Extended Security Pack extension, which makes using the Cisco Webex platform even more convenient and even safer.

Cisco Webex Control Hub Extended Security Pack cloudy has a Cisco Cloudlock CASB secure access broker for the application Webex Teams connected to native Webex features to protect against harmful ON Cisco Talos ClamAV technology in the Webex Cloud.

• Easy to acquire and implement. Customers can purchase this toolkit with their Webex subscription.
• Cross-company collaboration was already considered when developing the package: Cloudlock CASB supports Data data breaches Loss Prevention (Data Loss Prevention), DLP protecting users even when they work outside their organization.
• Full-featured malware protection. The malware protection solution protects against Trojans, ransomware, etc., even when working on personal or unmanaged devices or when interacting with external users.

The Webex Extended Security Pack provides the necessary protection for confidential interaction both within the company and when working with our customers, partners and suppliers. The functionality of Cloudlock CASB unfolds very easily, it prevents data loss both inside and outside the company. This gave us the opportunity to provide high quality interaction on an open modern collaboration platform, not forgetting the protection of important files and content. We have high hopes for the emerging malware protection functionality, which as part of the package will protect us from Trojans, viruses and ransomware, even if files come from external users, commented Jens Uhle, system architect and international project manager for Wacker Chemie AG in unified communications

2018

Monthly 6 billion minutes of conference call

• In May 2018, making it easier for distributed groups to conduct meetings and solve their problems, the developers combined the Cisco Spark and Webex platforms. Customers now have a new Webex Meetings online conferencing app and Webex Teams (formerly Cisco Spark) seamless group collaboration app.
• A device was also presented that turns any room in which the TV is installed into a Webex conference room.

Webex Meetings Update

• The main feature of the Webex Meetings update is the increased emphasis on video. When using the application, it is highly recommended to turn on the video camera. This is based on the fact that one of the basic conditions for successful group work is the ability for participants to see each other. Gone are the days when users looked at the screen only then to see the presentations. Now you see clearly and clearly all the members of your team, regardless of whether you are looking at a laptop, Cisco video conferencing equipment or a mobile device.
• Due to the fact that Webex services are provided through the cloud, a hundred million Webex users around the world will not have to take any action. They'll just get an updated version in the coming months.

2017: Cisco WebEx fixes dangerous vulnerabilities

On July 17, Cisco released security fixes for Cisco WebEx, affecting the extension for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers. Plugins for other browsers are not vulnerable. ^[3]

In particular, the discovered vulnerability CVE-2017-6753 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on the user's system when visiting a malicious site. No additional user action is required to successfully exploit the vulnerability, Cisco said.

The manufacturer recommends that all Cisco WebEx plugin users install the latest version 10.0.12.

2016

Cisco and Salesforce announce global strategic alliance

Collaboration. Cisco and Salesforce integrate Cisco Spark and WebEx solutions with Sales Cloud and Service Cloud applications using the Salesforce Lightning Framework at the platform level. As a result, shared customers will be able to communicate with each other in real time through chat, video and voice services without exiting Salesforce applications and without the need to install special modules, i.e. without switching between applications.

Cisco Webex 31

The main improvements to the updated Cisco Webex affected the interface and video quality. In addition, the capabilities of the application for Android OS have been expanded, the function of calling back to the conference from the video conferencing terminal Video Call Back has appeared.

• Interface. First of all, the changes of Cisco Webex affected the interface - the color scheme became brighter, the graphics of icons were updated, it became friendly and intuitive, including those users who first use Webex or have minimal skills in using digital devices.
• "Customization" for client tasks. The new version of Webex introduced "customization" for client preferences and tasks, allowing the personal room page to create a sense of its own space, including downloading various images for the avatar and pictures for the wall.
• Redesigned CMR interface. The new version of Webex also received a redesigned CMR (Collaboration Meeting Room) interface, a service that allows video conferencing. Now from your personal account, the user can customize the interface for each specific conference. In addition, for participants using video terminals and CMR service, there is no longer a mandatory condition for connecting a city telephony package, an audio connection will be provided using VoIP. Removal of this restriction allows you to reduce the cost of using the service.
• Broadcast video on different platforms. The quality of video broadcasting has been significantly improved, including when launching the service on different platforms. The new version of Webex, when using broadband, practically eliminates the differences between video systems and video communication tools on personal devices.
• Application capabilities via OS Android. Significantly expanded the capabilities of users when working with the service through. OS Android Now they have access to the function of demonstrating the entire desktop, and not just individual applications, as was the case in previous versions of Webex (the option is available for devices with Android 5.0 and higher).
• The callback function is Video Call Back. Finally, the fundamental innovation of the new release of Webex WBS 31 was the appearance of the video call back function. The function allows you to keep the quality of video communication unchanged and simplify the connection. Participants can manage the list of their preferred video addresses, so there is no need to enter the address each time they enter the conference or when they reconnect after a break.

2015

Enhanced audio conferencing capabilities in WebEx services

Thanks to the launch of the hybrid audio feature, you can take part in the WebEx audio conference not only via the Internet, but also using traditional telephony tools. As part of the service, users will be able to connect to a voice conference using hybrid WebEx audio - in one session, participants can choose to connect via PSTN * or VoIP * *, that is, using a regular city telephone or using IP telephony.

Thanks to the possibility of hybrid audio, you can use numbers with code 8-800 and other regional codes (local city numbers), which will allow you to make incoming calls throughout Russia, as well as order an outgoing call to your personal number from the WebEx system. The use of telephony in WebEx conferences allows you to qualitatively increase the level of communication due to stable communication with good voice transmission.

WebEx services updated on WBS 30

On October 7, 2015, it became known about the planned update of WebEx services from version WBS 29 to version WBS 30.

WebEx Business Suite 30 updates affected four products:

• Cisco WebEx Meeting Center,
• Cisco WebEx CCA,
• Cisco WebEx CMR
• Cisco Spark.

The changes affected the meeting interface, Personal Room, Administration Tools, CMR Cloud 3.0, CCA and Cisco Spark. Improved video capabilities. Version 30 provides pop-ups - video previews that help the user decide whether or not to run a specific video. The version has the ability to launch and disable automatic video launch, scroll video images from left to right.

WBS 30 helps to automatically register the most frequently used webcams. Broadcasts of video images of two participants now have a single markup. Notification options and controls have become much more convenient: toolbar windows have received additional indications, and some icons have changed their location.

"Personal Room": The organizer can set the automatic locking of the room for 5. 10. 15. 20 minutes after the meeting starts, delaying participants in the "lobby" of the meeting room. If the organizer did not enter the meeting room, the participant can send a notification by mail from the "lobby" of the meeting. The new version of the service favorably differs in the increased level of CMR security: to log in, you will need to enter a password on the video terminal.

In WBS 30, it became possible to integrate the Proximity application with WebEx (Beta mode) and a callback from WebEx to the video terminal (Beta mode) became available. The Lync user can now start the session as an organizer and join the meeting before the organizer logs in.

"Together with our partner, CTI, we are able to provide exactly the model of joint work that is ideal for business and is able to reduce the costs of moving and business trips by up to 50%," said Anton Karpov, Cisco Business Development Manager in Russia and the CIS. "The new version of WebEx has better performance and user interface, which can significantly simplify and speed up work on projects even for inexperienced users."

2014

Fall 2014 Update

The updated interface of WebEx services has become clearer, brighter, more expressive and more flexible - fonts and icons in applications now have a more modern and simplified look. The window for inviting and reminding about the beginning of the meeting has improved, it has become possible to manage windows - stretch and narrow them so as not to complicate the control of other applications, the appearance of the microsite and e-mail notifications has been updated. Note-making tools have also changed, making them easier to use by optimizing the process of moving from one editing tool to another.

Additional features have appeared in the WebEx version that allow you to change the way meetings are held. The virtual meeting can now be closed with a key, even when not all participants have connected. The opportunity has become available to leave without ending the meeting, and return if necessary - the organizer has the opportunity to configure notifications about the entry/exit of the meeting participants.

There are also updates in the section for administering the service - in the rally center, each participant can now request the status of a host, before that, only the organizer had the opportunity to appoint. Detailed phased planning of the meeting has become more convenient - the calendar has become visually more understandable and is updated in real time.

The WebEx Meeting Center version of the service has the ability to integrate with TelePresence video conferencing systems, which allows you to expand the audience and simplify work for all participants, perform secure exchange of two-way image, audio traffic and messages between participants, including mobile users. During the conference, participants see a speaker from any terminal equipment, as well as on the WebEx screen or mobile client. Integration makes it possible to use the existing WebEx and TelePresence services with maximum efficiency.

In addition to subscribing to the WebEx Meeting Center service, the Collaboration Meeting Rooms function is available, which allows you to quickly access the planned and always active meeting room with audio, video and sharing. The service supports a wide range of terminals - up to 25 terminals and 500 participants with video enabled.

The updated version of the WebEx Meeting Center service has the ability to integrate with TelePresence video conferencing systems, which allows you to expand the audience and simplify work for all participants, perform secure exchange of two-way images, audio traffic and messages between participants, including mobile users. During the conference, participants see a speaker from any terminal equipment, as well as on the WebEx screen or mobile client. Integration makes it possible to use the existing WebEx and TelePresence services with maximum efficiency.

In addition to subscribing to the WebEx Meeting Center service, the Collaboration Meeting Rooms function is available, which allows you to quickly access the planned and always active meeting room with audio, video and sharing. The service supports a wide range of terminals - up to 25 terminals and 500 participants with video enabled.

2013

WebEx Meetings для Android

According to the analytical company IDC, by 2015 the number of mobile workers will reach 1.3 billion, i.e. 37.2% of the employed population. With Cisco AnyConnect, mobile users can establish a secure connection to the corporate network. Cisco Jabber provides instant messaging, voice, and video, and with Cisco WebEx Meetings, you can participate in meetings regardless of location.

One of the first places among applications for mobile devices is occupied by web conferences. WebEx is the leader in this area, with more than four million downloads to mobile devices. WebEx has the largest feature set and can work with a wide range of devices and operating systems: iPhone and iPad, Android smartphones and tablets, as well as the new BlackBerry 10 OS. Cisco WebEx allows users to schedule, organize, and participate in WebEx meetings. During such a meeting, you can quickly connect audio, talk with participants, view general content in both portrait and landscape formats. Cisco continues to invest in this area, expanding the functionality of WebEx Meetings on mobile platforms, and the number of users of this application is constantly growing: for Android alone, annual growth was 248%.

In the spring of 2013, Cisco announced Cisco WebEx Meetings for Android v3.0, available on the Google Play store. This product1 offers new functionality coupled with a completely modified user interface for smartphones. Currently, video accounts for more than 50% of mobile traffic, and therefore users need more opportunities to watch video on their devices. WebEx Meetings version 3.0 for Android expands video offerings for Android by introducing duplex multi-point video communication for Android OS smartphones version 4.0 and higher. Now Android smartphone users will be able to participate in meetings at a qualitatively new level, providing for the transmission and receipt of video. Functionality is optimized for portrait and landscape formats.

During the meeting, the user interface is dynamically updated: from video acquaintance at the beginning of the meeting to subsequent exchange of content and discussion. Additionally, sound and video controls are provided that allow you to easily transmit video, as well as turn off or turn on your microphone.

With WebEx for Android, users looking to bring their mobile devices but a new level of performance can now participate in WebEx training center trainings. In addition to supporting all the modern capabilities of mobile meetings, including video functions, the WebEx training center offers participants and instructors such training a resource of questions and answers. Participants may ask specific questions to instructors, and instructors may choose which questions they wish to answer, as well as decide whether to answer publicly or privately. Now users can participate in trainings when it suits them: while waiting for a flight, getting to work or sunbathing on the beach.

2012

Cisco WebEx Connect 6.5

Cisco WebEx Connect 6.5 IM provides users with access to contact lists and allows instant messaging using an IM client that acts as a browser. This solution can run on any computer running any operating system without downloading additional client software.

The Windows client for Cisco WebEx Connect IM has been translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese, making it easier for multinationals to use this product.

Instant messaging logging on the server allows you to keep records of all messages of this type to effectively meet legislative and regulatory requirements. Customers who already have e-mail archiving systems can continue to use their existing infrastructure.

Once Cisco has acquired Jabber, users who want web applications with chat and availability features can easily implement these features with the Cisco AJAX XMPP library, which allows you to quickly create XMPP web applications and integrate portals. To do this, the library contains source codes, detailed documentation and case studies. All of this can be used to embed availability monitoring and chats into the Cisco Quad environment.

Cisco announced in January 2012 a beta version of the updated WebEx service, a platform for multimedia communication and collaboration. The beta version of the WebEx platform includes file sharing, HD video conferencing, instant messaging, as well as functions for displaying subscriber availability status, managing contact information, recording meetings and other common social communication functions.

Among the important innovations of Cisco WebEx is support for managing the full meeting cycle. Now all types of communications are gathered around participants in virtual meetings, which allows them to concentrate on the subject of discussion and related documents, and not on technologies.

The Cisco WebEx platform provides a separate social web portal for each meeting series, which is used to store records of conversations, documents, images, videos, discussion logs, including in forums and through other forms of communication. Cisco WebEx can also be integrated with enterprise security systems.

The Cisco WebEx software application received the Green IT Summit 2012 prize in May 2012 as the best solution for remote work and conferences. WebEx videoconferences promote environmental safety by reducing the number of business trips for those employees who are required to attend meetings in person. With this solution, employees easily interact with colleagues and customers elsewhere in the world. At the same time, WebEx helps save time and reduce costs. Green IT has awarded six awards for sustainable IT solutions in the following categories: Distributed Network Computing, Data Center Innovation, Desktop Virtualization, Power Management Solutions, Energy Efficient Computing, Remote and Conference Solutions. Remote work is one of the names of remote presence when an employee performs his duties at home using a home PC. This is one of the most important concepts in the field of eco-friendly IT systems.

According to the Telework Research Network, in the United States, 45% of specialists hold positions that allow them to work remotely at least part of the day. It is estimated that 2.9 million remote workers in the United States save 1,476 million liters of gasoline each year and prevent the release of 3.6 tons of greenhouse gases. In the period from 2005 to 2009, the number of such employees increased by 61%. So the award for the best remote and conference solution is a very important achievement. " Cisco constantly strives to help people work, live, entertain and learn in a way that doesn't harm the environment. The company reduces carbon dioxide emissions, invites its customers, partners and employees to participate in programs to manage the impact on nature, develops IT solutions to help cope with climate change.

Cisco WebEx Meetings Server

WebEx Meeting Center is a specialized service for meeting partners, customers and colleagues online, collaborating on documents, applications in real time and creating presentations, including audio and HD video playback. The service allows you to hold any meetings and presentations via the Internet from anywhere in the world. Moreover, it is possible to transfer the management of the presentation to the one whose active participation is currently needed. WebEx Meeting Center supports access from any mobile device and much more.

The Moscow office of Cisco Systems announced in the fall of 2012 the creation of a server modification of the Cisco WebEx conference organization system, until now the system has been available to subscribers by subscription in the form of a cloud service. The Cisco WebEx Meetings server, designed for use within the corporate IT infrastructure, is scheduled to be released by the end of the year.

Among the functions provided in Cisco WebEx Meetings, highlighting the image of a speaker at the conference, switching to full-screen mode, and simultaneously showing videos and presentations.

Cisco WebEx Meetings is a virtualized software package running in a VMware environment that provides audio, video, and web conferences. Cisco UCS servers and VMware 5.0 software are used to install it.

The server, as Cisco emphasizes, has the same user interface as the cloud version of WeBex, is fully integrated with other company solutions designed for corporate unified communications (including telephone exchanges, control systems, telepresence complexes), as well as with popular mobile devices.

Voice conferences will be held first using IP-ATC Cisco Unified Communications Manager, but later support should be provided for PBXs from other manufacturers, including those already installed in enterprise telephony systems. As Teplov noted, it is possible to jointly participate in conferences of subscribers using VoIP terminals and ordinary devices of the corporate telephone network.

The maximum supported resolution is 360p; subsequently, it is planned to double it. Functions such as highlighting the image of the speaker of the conference, switching to full-screen mode, simultaneous demonstration of videos and presentations, support for the Russian language on mobile devices are provided.

Four Cisco WebEx Meetings server configuration options are available for 50, 250, 800, and 2000 conference participants.

In the summer of 2012, the WebEx Social platform appeared to use the capabilities of social networks in the process of joint work of employees of enterprises. WebEx Social was named after the Cisco Quad software released two years ago, supplemented by integration with Microsoft Office applications and email clients, including Microsoft Outlook. Employees of enterprises have the opportunity to collaborate with Word, PowerPoint, Excel documents, they can also create news messages and send them from Outlook and other email clients to their pages on the corporate social network. Among the new features of WebEx Social mobile applications for iPhone and iPad are instant messaging support and the ability to organize web conferences. A developer package has been released to integrate WebEx Social with third-party applications.

WebEx Social, like other enterprise applications with social networking functionality offered by IBM, Jive Software, Tibco Software and a number of other companies, provides enterprise employees with the usual capabilities of Facebook and Twitter, adapted to corporate applications, which, as intended, should help improve labor productivity.

Interest in Enterprise Social Networking applications is constantly growing. Forrester Research believes that by 2016 their global sales will reach $6.4 billion (in 2010 this figure was $600 million).

Cisco WebEx Meeting Center provides:

• network communication to present ideas, share information, and collaborate.
• Product demos, commercial presentations, and general workgroup meetings.
• Working on Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, UNIX and mobile devices.
• Support up to 500 members with the possibility of further expansion.

Cisco WebEx Training Center enables you to:

• teach in real time using interactive multimedia teaching tools.
• Assess qualifications and loyalty using built-in questionnaire, survey and examination tools.
• Reduce training costs, reach a wider audience, and improve learning efficiency.
• Train up to 1,000 students.

Cisco WebEx Support Center:

• provides unlimited real-time technical support for all users.
• Provides fast, remote solutions to technical problems and eliminates the need for expensive customer visits.
• Accelerates the process of answering questions from help desk users and improves customer experience.
• It makes it possible to connect up to 10 participants to each remote support session.

Cisco WebEx Event Center:

• Helps reach audiences with high-quality video and multimedia content.
• Used for public and corporate presentations for a large number of participants.
• Provides convenient management of all processes before and after activities.
• Enables events to be broadcast over the Internet while supporting up to 3,000 participants.

Cisco WebEx Event Center is a specialized solution for conducting large online marketing activities. At one point in time, you can gather up to 3,000 participants. WebEx Event Center allows you to monitor the performance of an event from beginning to end, expand the participant base using automated web invitations and promotional materials, rank and analyze the effectiveness of contacts through participation reports and much more.

Cisco WebEx Social

This platform allows you to share knowledge, find the right specialists and information, form virtual workgroups for more efficient interaction thanks to a wide range of functions:

• Integrating WebEx Social and Microsoft Office will help enterprise customers use Word, PowerPoint, and Excel office applications to co-edit and publish updated documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.
• Email will no longer be an isolated standalone application. Advanced email integration will allow employees to create and publish updated content without leaving the e-mail client application (for example, Microsoft Outlook) using WebEx Social.
• Mobility. The Cisco WebEx Social platform has been upgraded for iPhone and iPad devices. Now installed on these devices, WebEx Social client systems will allow employees to freely move from social networks to real-time instant messaging and to web conferencing and voice communication directly from a mobile application.
• WebEx Social provides video communication through a browser-type interface, allowing you to participate in high-definition (HD) video conferencing without using other applications. This feature is compatible with a wide range of video endpoints, including Cisco TelePresence®, IP video telephones, mobile, and software clients.
• Flexible implementation options. WebEx Social provides several implementation options: this platform can be installed in the customer's premises (on the WebEx Social server), at a partner (Logicalis, ACS and Alphawest) or in the Cisco cloud.

The Cisco WebEx Social platform extends Cisco WebEx cloud services not only to the platform formerly known as Quad, but also to Cisco Callway (Cisco TelePresence services provided by Cisco to to hosting). Cisco has merged its Quad and Callway brands with the WebEx brand, and these technologies now form a single, market-leading portfolio of web conferencing and instant messaging solutions. By bringing a complete set of solutions of this type to the cloud, Cisco provides end users and IT professionals with easy access to social media resources from any device. WebEx's enhanced suite of social networking collaboration services will be delivered on a global data center and a highly functional WebEx cloud. As a result, customers will receive reliable, real-time cloud services that meet the needs of the most demanding organizations. It is worth recalling that the WebEx cloud ranks second in the list of the largest network clouds designed for corporate collaboration.

To help institutions of higher education achieve decisive success in the educational and teaching field, Cisco announced Cisco WebEx Social for higher education in the fall of 2012. Developed with leading universities such as Duke University, North Carolina State University, Case Western Reserve, and University of Chicago, this integrated cloud solution extends beyond email, portals, and educational process management systems. It brings people together and helps build vast amounts of knowledge and experience in the learning ecosystem, making these resources convenient and accessible to students and educators wherever they are.

WebEx Social for Higher Education helps colleges and universities transform processes, increase productivity and innovation, and significantly reduce the cost and complexity of IT infrastructure. Now users can quickly find experts in the right area of ​ ​ knowledge, collect responses, jointly develop documents, get instant access to mentors, communities around the subject being studied, class schedules, lists of recommended literature and links to educational video materials.

Cisco developed this solution in close cooperation with higher education leaders, which helped ensure its practicality and effectiveness for educational institutions. Currently, the four aforementioned universities are working with a new solution in test mode. At the same time, Duke University intends to extend it to the entire team of its students, teachers, administrative workers and support staff in the coming weeks.

WebEx Social for Higher Education includes integrated WebEx Social, WebEx Meetings, and WebEx Messenger products that support presence and instant messaging through the Cisco WebEx Cloud (a cloud platform with high availability, unmatched performance, flexible integration, and enterprise-level information security). The global distribution of this platform is very beneficial for universities with remote branches and providing distance learning services in different countries.

WebEx Meetings and WebEx Messenger Integration solutions allow you to easily move from social networks to real-time communications with a button that instantly starts the messaging service, as well as with the web conferencing feature directly built into WebEx Social. This solution supports up to eight participants in WebEx conferences with voice over IP (more than eight participants are charged extra for support).

The needs of universities, which need to dynamically manage the access of tens of thousands of teachers, students, support and administrative workers, are met using the most common technologies, such as Active Directory synchronization tools and the Shibboleth authentication system. These technologies are used by most institutions of higher education.

WebEx Social facilitates the personalization of services received by end users. The user can change the layout and presentation of web pages using portlets, OpenSocial gadgets, RSS feeds, etc. In addition, he can view the consolidated stream of constantly updated information coming from the network, from communities and from people with whom this user is associated, as well as monitor the Watch List to keep abreast of all changes in his content of interest, including materials transmitted manually and automatically, as well as comments on these materials. Users can continuously "stay connected" as the WebEx Social solution initially supports a variety of operating systems and devices, including the Apple iPhone and iPad.

Social media in workplaces

As already mentioned, WebEx Social provides the ability to work on mobile devices, use e-mail and office applications for collaboration. In addition, the new WebEx Social software developer kit (SDK) allows you to expand the basic capabilities of WebEx Social (Activity Streams, Watch List and Open Search functions), extending them to applications that are critical for business.

Integrate real-time communications and video

WebEx Social combines collaboration features specific to social networks and real-time solutions (voice, communication video, instant messaging, attendance and web conference) into a single user environment. This allows you to not only provide users with instant access to the necessary tools, but also helps to quickly and better distribute new collaboration formats. WebEx Social supports new attractive video functions and integrates perfectly with WebEx conferencing systems.

HD Video Calling. By accessing the WebEx Social solution through a web browser, the user can initiate high resolution (HD) voice and video communication sessions without using any other applications. Built-in WebEx calendar. WebEx Social includes an updated unified calendar and integrated WebEx features. The WebEx Social personal calendar provides the ability to view, connect, and connect directly from the calendar.

New web and mobile interfaces

The Cisco WebEx Social web interface and mobile client support new, intuitive techniques that do not require preparation. The web interface allows an employee to easily personalize their screen by adding authorized applications there and changing the layout of display windows. Organizations can also customize WebEx Social web interfaces and mobile interfaces so that they reflect the corporate brand. Simple and easy-to-understand interfaces can help you distribute this solution to end users faster.

Easy and effective access to expert opinions

WebEx Social not only helps employees find the right specialists and get the necessary information, but also allows you to solve problems faster by finding ready-made answers to questions. The new Expert Q&A system will redirect questions to the best specialists.

Cisco WebEx Telepresence

Cisco WebEx Telepresence (formerly Cisco Callway), installed in the cloud, is provided through a network of authorized partners. Customers can purchase or rent multipurpose and personal endpoints and connect them to the Cisco WebEx Telepresence service provided by. to hosting This service reduces the cost and complexity of "telepresence," which is especially attractive for small businesses. Here are some new features of this service:

• Hosting video calls (up to nine participants) on the WebEx Telepresence network. Support for high-quality audio and video (up to 1080 progressive lines) allows employees to meet with their peers, suppliers, partners and customers in a realistic virtual environment.
• Company-appointed administrators can centrally manage subscriptions to these services at any time through an online portal.
• Services are delivered through Cisco TelePresence MX300 and Cisco TelePresence SX20.
• Ordering and paying for services for Cisco partners and customers is simplified by optimizing the subscription procedure and the ability to make a prepayment for an annual subscriber.

Cisco WebEx - Wheeled Office

Having become accustomed to using mobile devices and special applications for them every day, we live with confidence that we spend our time as efficiently as possible, staying in touch with colleagues and partners around the clock. It seems exceptional to us only that the situation when we are forced to stand in traffic jams: here even the presence of a mobile phone and a tablet computer does not save you from feeling that time is running out like sand through your fingers. Meanwhile, this problem can be easily solved by organizing an office on wheels.

All that is needed for this is a mobile phone, a tablet computer (in my case, an iPad), a hands free headset and a cellular connection. An important detail is the holder for the iPad, which also makes the tablet hands free.

To do this, I developed my own way of attaching an iPad to a car panel. Together with the child, we made the frame of the necessary shape, using wire shoulders, on which they return clothes from dry cleaning. Then they tightly wrapped the wire with a rope, giving the frame the look of a fashion accessory. Agree, this is not difficult at all, so you can take my know-how to note. Such convenient applications as Cisco WebEx and Cisco Jabber installed on the iPad help to feel like a full participant in business processes and business communications while in the car.

On-the-Go Meeting

Cloudy Cisco WebEx enables users to participate in multimedia web conferences and meetings. During web conferences, I use tools such as sharing discussed online documents and presentations, an interactive whiteboard, and text chat.

Mobile 3G Internet is enough to fully use all the capabilities of Cisco WebEx. The hands free headset makes communication more comfortable.

Note that the Cisco WebEx version, designed specifically for Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), has a Single sign-on function that allows the corporate security system to control the authorization of connections to WebEx conferences.

Thanks to the above solutions, my car has become a full-fledged mobile office, and now I am ready for almost any unexpected turns related to the organization of business communication. One of the indicative cases occurred when I agreed that I would present a presentation to clients in St. Petersburg via video conferencing from Moscow. On the way to our Moscow office, I realized that due to traffic jams I could not keep up with the time for which the presentation was scheduled. Then I just found a parking space, turned on the iPad and hands free and walked it straight out of the car. If I had not organized a mobile office, the presentation would have failed with all the ensuing consequences.

Chat for business people

The second application, almost irreplaceable in the mobile office, is Cisco Jabber. It is designed for collaboration within a secure corporate network anywhere and provides capabilities such as voice, presence control, voice mail, instant messaging, video calls. The application allows you to initiate a chat or video call with my colleagues directly from the iPad.

In fact, Cisco Jabber is a multimedia application for corporate unified communications: at any time you can communicate with any of your colleagues whose contact information is easy to find in the corporate directory. The chat function available in this app is especially effective in a mobile office on wheels. Thanks to the chat, you can almost instantly answer a colleague's question or ask your question, which significantly increases the speed of solving problems and does not require additional payment, such as sending SMS messages.

When I'm driving, Cisco Jabber is constantly in active mode. If someone writes to me, it is immediately displayed on the screen, and I answer at the first opportunity, say, when I get into another traffic jam or there is an opportunity to park. This format solves really important issues. For example, once, standing in a traffic jam, I agreed on the budget for a Cisco business event.

Traffic jams are not a hindrance to business

For more than six months now, I have been using the office on wheels, which significantly affected the efficiency of work: previously, about 10% of my working time was eaten by traffic jams. Now any trips are beneficial for the case, I can see the faces of my colleagues and communicate with them even in the car. On the one hand, the solution I invented allows you to be aware of all important work issues and respond quickly to them, and on the other hand − does not distract from the driving process.

Notes