{"id":47173,"date":"2012-05-22T08:30:45","date_gmt":"2012-05-22T12:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voipsupply.com\/blog\/?p=47173"},"modified":"2016-07-01T09:40:35","modified_gmt":"2016-07-01T13:40:35","slug":"cisco-callway-part-1-what-is-callway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voipsupply.com\/blog\/voip-insider\/cisco-callway-part-1-what-is-callway\/","title":{"rendered":"Cisco Callway Part 1 – What is Callway"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cisco Callway \u2013 So Easy Even a Caveman Can Do it..<\/h2>\n

A 2 part series<\/h2>\n

As the Product Manager for Cisco at VoIP Supply I was recently challenged with getting VoIP Supply Cisco Small Business Telepresence Certified.\u00a0 Of course I passed all of the exams with flying colors (Yay! We are Certified!) but as many people in the IT industry know passing a test and being able to use that knowledge are two very different things. So I set out to install and use Cisco Callway myself to determine if it is really user friendly and a viable alternative to premise-based video conferencing solutions.<\/p>\n

Part 1 \u2013 What is Callway?\"Cisco_Callway\"<\/h2>\n

Part of the Cisco SB Telepresence offering is a hosted video solution called Callway. If you have ever looked into setting up an IP video conferencing solution for your office you no doubt have been overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

You can do point-to-point which is pretty easy but are you really going to see a fast ROI on that steep investment? \u00a0For example, maybe you were quoted $8K for a single room system but then you\u2019re going to need a friend for that room system to talk to. \u00a0So, $16K later and some messing with your firewall and all you have is the ability to talk to your other location.\u00a0 You will get ROI from that but how long<\/span> before you see ROI on $16K?<\/p>\n

To really get the most from your video system you are going to want to:<\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Allow for multipoint video meetings \u2013 Do you have a 3rd<\/sup> location?\u00a0 How about customers and partners?\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t you like to talk with more than 1 of them at a time?<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Assure that each worker that is out of the office has access to a video meeting- Do you have remote personnel? Salespeople on the road?\u00a0 Work from home employees?<\/p>\n

(3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Share data from your PC with everyone on the video call \u2013 standing at a white board isn\u2019t always the best solution. Video of a presentation on a projector will not give you the quality that you need to be effective.<\/p>\n

If you want or need this functionality you would have to invest in expensive infrastructure for your server closet and have someone qualified to maintain it. An MCU, multipoint bridge, and\u00a0 firewall traversal server are expensive, complex, and usually puts a fully functioning telepresence plan out of grasp for most small businesses.<\/p>\n

Using hosted telepresence<\/em> brings all this functionality back into the realm of the SMB. With a hosted telepresence plan, like Cisco Callway, Cisco keeps and maintains\u00a0 the infrastructure.\u00a0 You simply connect.<\/p>\n

Callway is sold like a cell phone subscription.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n

(1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You choose your cell phone. In this case, you are going to choose your video endpoint. It may be a big room system connected to a 55in plasma display or it may be a webcam and speakerphone from your laptop.<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You choose your service package.\u00a0 Callway offers three levels of serve: Standard, Premium, and Jabber.<\/p>\n