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.

Sudhish Kasaba Ramesh, a former Cisco engineer, was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine for shutting down more than 16,000 WebEx Teams accounts and over 450 virtual machines in 2018. The Webex Teams apps rely on the certificates installed in the underlying OS Trust store to bypass the Webex Teams certificate pinning process. If the enterprise CA certificate exists in the OS Trust store, the Webex Teams app will trust certificates signed by the enterprise CA, when presented to it by the proxy server. End-to-end content encryption is enabled by Webex Teams clients interacting with the Key Management Service (KMS). The KMS is responsible for creating and managing the cryptographic keys that clients (Webex teams) use to dynamically encrypt and decrypt messages and files. Cisco WebEx Teams are using Qt and MSHTML(on windows) module for rendering all messages in the chat window. To reproduce steps i created this simple logic (this is just my simplefied version of logic and all names are fake, but in real software everything is more complictaed and alittle bit different).

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.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Collaboration, efficiency, and transparency are essential to the modern workplace experience. And since working from home has become the new normal in today’s business landscape, technology is bridging the gap to ensure employees stay more connected and engaged than ever.

Thankfully, there are plenty of collaboration platforms to choose from, whether you’re focused on communication or project management. However, the ones that have stood the test of time come from two of the world’s top tech heavyweights—Cisco and Microsoft.

From large feature sets to tiered pricing plans, each tool has something to bring to the table. In this article, we will explore how both platforms compare based on key features, what the future of these tools holds in store, and how to select the right one for your business.

Get ready for the ultimate showdown of Microsoft Teams vs. Cisco Webex.

Microsoft Teams vs. Cisco Webex Teams Features and Capabilities

When searching for a new digital workspace solution, you want it to be robust and feature-rich. The more benefits you can derive from a single application, the better. Let’s take a look at some of the basic features that Cisco Webex and Microsoft Teams offer.

Microsoft Teams

Group Conversation: In Microsoft Teams, users can organize chats according to groups of people or topics. These conversations live in the application and are not automatically deleted once you log out. You can access your history from the previous day, week, or month, plus images, files, links, emojis, and GIFs will be retained as well.

Meetings: The consensus regarding Microsoft’s meetings is that they’re simple and intuitive. You can either instantly launch meetings or schedule them out for a later time. Microsoft Teams also lets you customize your backgroundand add live captions during meetings.

File-Sharing: Microsoft Teams allows you to share, save, and organize files your way. Users can even work collaboratively on Word documents or PowerPoint presentations right from inside the application. What’s more, you can share files in several locations like Chat, Teams, and Meetings.

Integrations: By supporting more than 250 third-party integrations like ServiceNow, Trello, Polly, and Jira, Microsoft Teams can help boost your staff’s productivity and simplify workflows.

Video Conferencing: Microsoft offers video conferencing for both mobile and desktop users, supporting up to 250 participants. However, integrating Microsoft Teams with non-Teams room systems does require installing additional software from partners such as BlueJeans, Pexip, or Poly.

Audio Conferencing: With Microsoft Teams’ audio conferencing services, attendees can join meetings using their smartphones instead of the Teams app on desktop or mobile. These meetings also include a dial-in number, making it easier for mobile users and those with spotty internet connections.

Cisco Webex

Group Conversation: Similar to Microsoft Teams, you can have ongoing conversations categorized under various topics or agendas in Cisco Webex. These conversations are saved in the application and can be referred to later.

Meetings: With Webex Meetings, you can either communicate one-on-one or in groups, with users inside or outside your company network. Though, the relationship between WebEx Teams and WebEx Meetings isn’t 100% consistent. After all, using two different tools for meetings and team collaboration can disrupt overall meeting cohesion. But, what sets Webex Meetings apart is the ability to host online events like webinars.

File-Sharing: WebEx allows you to share files with others, all while ensuring your information is secure and encrypted. You can even share documents in a chat with your team, and refer back to them whenever you want.

Integrations: Like Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex allows seamless collaboration byintegrating with popular productivity, project management, and social applications—over 2,000+ to be exact.

Video Conferencing: Cisco is a market leader in online meetings and video conferencing solutions. Currently, Webex Meetings supports up to 200 video users and offers a host of AI capabilities spanning real-time transcriptions, automated closed captioning, voice commands, note-taking, and recorded transcripts.

Audio Conferencing: Cisco is known for its in-depth audio conferencing features. Using Webex’s cloud-based PSTN audio option, audio can operate on a wide range of devices, such as smartphones and IP phones.

Security and Compliance

Microsoft Teams

Since Microsoft has already been developing large-scale solutions for decades, it’s no wonder that security has become second nature. Overall, you can expect the same level of protection that you receive with the rest of the Office365 platform. According to Microsoft, Teams “meets ISO 27001 and 28018 Standards, is both SAAE 16 SOC 1 and 2 Compliant, HIPPA Compliant, and meets EU Model Clauses compliance regulations.”

In addition to the standard two-factor authentication and encryption tools, Microsoft also offers what is called eDiscovery. It is defined as “the electronic aspect of identifying, collecting, and producing electronically stored information in response to a request for production in a lawsuit or investigation.”

Protection Tools:

• eDiscovery
• Compliance content search
• Review
• Export
• Hold

Cisco Webex

Cisco boasts general features like TFA and SSO. Plus, it includes eDiscovery and other security features that promise to deliver a secure web conferencing experience like flexible password management capabilities, advanced encryption options, individual and unique device PINs set by users, and adjustable retention of content. Unlike Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex aimsto put the users in the driver’s seat, giving them ultimate control over what content is stored, how it is stored, and when.

In addition to physical security, role-based access has proven to be effective in reducing cyber threats. With Cisco giving hosts and administrators more permissions, they can choose to grant or revoke access to content and control what specific users do.

Protection Tools:

• eDiscovery
• Encryption technologies
• Firewall compatibility
• Transport layer security
• Single sign-on

Pricing Structure

The adage goes that “nothing in life is free.” This doesn’t ring true here. Like many other team collaboration solutions on the market, Microsoft and Cisco offer varying pricing plans for their respective platforms, as well as a free option.

Microsoft Teams

Because Microsoft Teams is part of the Office365 Business platform, there’s no need to worry about accessibility.

For no cost at all, you can invite up to 300 users. Members of your team can be grouped into channels that include audio and video calling, as well as 10 GB of cloud storage.

If you’re looking for a plan that offers more storage, improved security, and integrations with other Microsoft Office applications, expect to pay $5 per user per month.

Beyond that, access to desktop versions of Outlook and Word, along with higher data caps, will cost $12.50 per user per month.

For $20 per user per month, you can install Office mobile apps on up to five Macs or PCs, five tablets, and five mobile phones per user.

These prices can go up if you opt for a monthly subscription instead of renewing annually.

Pricing Plans:

• Microsoft Teams Plan: Free (no-commitment)
• Office365 Business Essentials Plan: $5.00/user/month (annually)
• Office365 Business Premium Plan: $12.50/user/month (annually)
• Office365 E3 Plan: $20.00/user/month (annually)

Cisco Webex

When compared side-by-side to Microsoft Teams, Cisco’s pricing set-up is a bit easier to break down.

The Starter is the baseline plan for smaller teams and individual users, offering up to nine host licenses and1 GB of file sharing storage for $13.50 per host per month.

Webex Teams Decrypting Content Software

Next is the Plus Plan, which is ideal for mid-sized teams, providing up to 50 host licenses, 5 GB of file sharing storage, and unlimited integrations all for $17.95 per host per month.

For optimal storage and premium support for larger teams, you can’t go wrong with the Business Plan. One hundred host licenses, 10 GB of file sharing storage, and interactive whiteboarding are just a few features that come with this option, costing you $26.95 per host per month.

Finally, Enterprise offers flexible subscription plans best for larger meetings, events, training, and support. Users can enjoy unlimited messaging and file sharing, end-to-end encryption, and administrative controls like single sign-on and organization analytics.

Pricing Plans:

Webex Teams Security

• Starter Plan: $13.50 per host/month (annually)
• Plus: $17.95 per host/month (annually)
• Business: $26.95 per host/month (annually)
• Enterprise: Requires Quote

Compare Features, Security, and Pricing for Teams vs. Cisco Webex

Microsoft Teams vs. Cisco Webex: What does the Future Hold?

As we’ve demonstrated, both tools have a lot to offer and remain at the forefront of innovating and improving the current state of remote work. In the months and years to come, Cisco and Microsoft will stay head-to-head in the race for the most popular collaboration platform.

There’s no doubt that each tool offers excellent team collaboration applications that can be an asset to any business, regardless of size or industry. Both are built and maintained by world-leading developers and provide an intense levelof reliability, security, and features.

But in the battle of Microsoft Teams vs. Cisco Webex, who will emerge victoriously? When it comes time to choose, your decision ultimately boils down to which factor(s) matter(s) most to your team. Going with Microsoft Teams is a no-brainer for organizations that are already utilizing Office365 and its related software. If your company places a strong emphasis on meetings, conferences, and visual collaboration, your workforce might prefer Cisco Webex.

With NextPlane, You can Connect. Any Team. Any Platform

Our recent survey shows 79% of companies are operating in a mixed collaboration environment, which can include legacy UC platforms such as Microsoft Skype for Business and Cisco Jabber.

NextPlane enables mixedcollaboration environments to deliver the same seamless functionality as email; users can send messages, share presence status, participate in channels, or share files, without leaving their preferred clients.

By using NextPlane, companies with mixed environments, such as IBM, Merck, Nokia, and others, have reduced their total cost of ownership and administrative burden by 50%.

This video shows users on Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex Teams communicating while the two platforms can share the same domain.