What is Cisco Unified CM? An In-Depth Guide to Cisco Unified CM

Cisco Unified CM is the central component of Cisco's Unified Communications (UC) solution, which offers a wide range of tools and applications for streamlining communication and collaboration within organizations. Unified CM provides a powerful and flexible platform that supports various types of communication, including Voice over IP (VoIP), video conferencing, instant messaging, and presence information.

The Cisco Unified CM acts as a control hub for the entire UC system, managing call routing, endpoint registration, and other critical functions. It is designed to be highly scalable, with support for thousands of users and devices across multiple sites, making it an ideal solution for organizations of all sizes.

Key Features of Cisco Unified CM

Cisco Unified CM boasts a wealth of features that enable organizations to improve their communication and collaboration capabilities. Some of the key features include:

1. Call Control: Unified CM handles call routing, call processing, and endpoint registration, ensuring seamless and efficient call handling across the organization.

2. Scalability: With support for up to 40,000 users per cluster and the ability to link multiple clusters together, Unified CM can grow with your organization, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.

3. High Availability: Unified CM's architecture is designed for redundancy, with multiple servers working together to provide continuous availability and minimize the risk of downtime.

4. Security: Unified CM offers a range of security features, including encryption, authentication, and authorization, to protect your organization's communications.

5. Interoperability: Unified CM supports a wide range of devices, protocols, and third-party applications, allowing for seamless integration with your existing infrastructure and other communication solutions.

6. Centralized Management: Unified CM simplifies the management of your communication system by centralizing configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting in a single interface.

Architecture of Cisco Unified CM

The architecture of Cisco Unified CM is built on a distributed and modular design, which ensures high availability, redundancy, and scalability. The core components of the architecture include:

1. Unified CM Servers: These servers form the backbone of the system, handling call processing, device registration, and other critical functions. They are deployed in clusters for redundancy and scalability.

2. Unified CM Database: This central database stores configuration data, call records, and user information. It can be replicated across multiple servers to ensure high availability and fault tolerance.

3. Unified CM Administration: This web-based interface allows administrators to configure, monitor, and troubleshoot the Unified CM system from a central location.

4. Unified CM Services: Various services run on the Unified CM servers to provide specific functionality, such as call control, media resources, and directory integration.

5. Endpoints and Devices: Cisco Unified CM supports a wide range of communication devices, including IP phones, video endpoints, and soft clients, which can be managed and configured through the Unified CM system.

6. Gateways and Trunks: Unified CM connects to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and other communication systems through gateways and trunks, enabling seamless communication with external parties.

7. Unified Communications Applications: The Unified CM platform integrates with various UC applications, such as Cisco Unity Connection for voicemail, Cisco Meeting Server for conferencing, and Cisco Jabber for instant messaging and presence.

8. Third-Party Integrations: Unified CM's open architecture allows for integration with third-party applications and systems, such as contact centers, CRM solutions, and collaboration tools, further enhancing its capabilities.

Benefits of Cisco Unified CM

Organizations that implement Cisco Unified CM as part of their communication infrastructure can enjoy a range of benefits, including:

1. Enhanced Communication: With Unified CM, organizations can unify their voice, video, and messaging communication, making it easier for employees to collaborate and share information.

2. Increased Productivity: By streamlining communication processes and providing a centralized platform for managing communications, Unified CM helps organizations become more efficient and productive.

3. Scalability: The modular architecture of Unified CM allows organizations to scale their communication infrastructure as they grow, ensuring that they always have the capacity to support their users and devices.

4. Reduced Costs: By consolidating communication services and leveraging IP-based technologies, organizations can reduce their telephony costs and simplify their IT infrastructure.

5. Improved Security: With built-in security features such as encryption, authentication, and authorization, Unified CM helps protect organizations' communications from unauthorized access and data breaches.

6. Ease of Management: The centralized management capabilities of Unified CM make it easy for IT administrators to configure, monitor, and troubleshoot the system, reducing the burden on IT staff and freeing them up to focus on other tasks.

Cisco Unified CM Deployment Models

Organizations can deploy Cisco Unified CM in various ways, depending on their specific needs and requirements. The three primary deployment models include:

1. On-Premises Deployment: In this model, organizations deploy Unified CM on their own servers and maintain the infrastructure within their data centers. This allows for complete control over the system and its configuration while providing the highest level of customization and integration with other on-premises applications.

2. Hosted Deployment: In a hosted deployment, organizations rely on a service provider to host and manage the Unified CM infrastructure in their data centers. This model reduces the burden on IT staff and eliminates the need for organizations to maintain and manage their own infrastructure. Hosted deployments offer a balance between control and simplicity, as organizations can still customize their system but do not have to manage the hardware and network resources.

3. Cloud Deployment: With a cloud deployment, organizations leverage Cisco's cloud-based Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) offerings, such as Cisco Webex Calling. This model provides the most flexibility and scalability, as organizations can easily add or remove users and services without investing in additional hardware. Cloud deployments also offer the advantage of rapid deployment and reduced maintenance responsibilities.

Cisco Unified CM Licensing

To accommodate the varying needs of organizations, Cisco offers different licensing options for Unified CM. These options provide organizations with the flexibility to choose the right set of features and capabilities based on their specific requirements.

1. Cisco User Connect Licensing (UCL): UCL is a per-user licensing model designed for organizations with a simple communication infrastructure. It offers various tiers, each providing a different set of features and capabilities, allowing organizations to choose the level of functionality they require.

2. Cisco Unified Workspace Licensing (UWL): UWL is a more comprehensive licensing model that includes a wide range of UC applications and services, such as voice, video, messaging, and presence. UWL is ideal for organizations looking to implement a fully integrated UC solution, as it provides a complete suite of tools for communication and collaboration.

3. Cisco Flex Plan: The Cisco Flex Plan is a subscription-based licensing model that provides organizations with the flexibility to mix and match on-premises, hosted, and cloud-based UC services. The Flex Plan is designed to accommodate the changing needs of organizations, as they can easily scale their services up or down based on their requirements.

Cisco Unified CM Training and Certification

To help IT professionals develop the necessary skills and expertise to implement, manage, and troubleshoot Cisco Unified CM systems, Cisco offers a range of training and certification programs. These programs include:

1. Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Collaboration: The CCNA Collaboration certification validates a candidate's foundational knowledge and skills in implementing and managing Cisco UC solutions, including Unified CM.

2. Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Collaboration: The CCNP Collaboration certification builds on the CCNA Collaboration and focuses on more advanced concepts and technologies related to Cisco UC solutions, including design, deployment, and troubleshooting of Unified CM systems.

3. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Collaboration: The CCIE Collaboration certification is the highest level of expertise in Cisco UC technologies and validates a candidate's ability to plan, design, implement, and troubleshoot complex UC solutions based on Unified CM and other Cisco UC products.

By investing in training and certification, IT professionals can develop the skills and expertise required to effectively manage and optimize their organization's Cisco Unified CM infrastructure, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration across the enterprise.

Conclusion

Cisco Unified Communications Manager is a powerful and flexible solution that can help organizations of all sizes streamline their communication processes, enhance collaboration, and improve productivity. With its robust feature set, scalable architecture, and support for a wide range of devices and applications, Unified CM offers a comprehensive platform for managing and unifying an organization's communication infrastructure. By implementing Cisco Unified CM, businesses can enjoy significant benefits, including cost savings, improved security, and simplified IT management.