La dernière analyse est disponible depuis le 4 aout ici: http://www.gartner.com/technology/reprints.do?id=1-1YWQWK0&ct=140806&st=sb
On peut constater que Microsoft commence à se démarquer par rapport à Cisco pour les critères “Completeness of Vision” et “Ability to Execute”.
Cisco
Cisco offers a full UC suite, as well as a broad range of additional communications functions. Key parts of the UC suite include Cisco Unified Communications Manager; Cisco Jabber, which includes the mobile and desktop client; Cisco Unity Connection; Cisco WebEx, which is now also available as an on-premises server; multiple video options; and a broad range of fixed and mobile client and device options. The vendor's entire portfolio is now offered virtually on VMware, operating on both Cisco Unified Computing System servers and other qualified servers. Cisco offers several virtual desktop integration (client virtualization) options, and offers additional integrated communications and collaboration functionality, including in its contact center, Cisco WebEx conferencing integrated with Cisco TelePresence and via a recent agreement with Jive. Finally, Cisco leverages its UC software into a cloud portfolio branded Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (Cisco HCS), which allows Cisco HCS partners to create UCaaS offerings as well as hybrid on-premises-cloud options.
Key additions to the portfolio during the past year include several in the video area, spanning new desktop systems (DX Series), room systems (MX Series), the TelePresence SX10 Quick Set (a rapidly deployed, easily installed room video system), improved packaged offers (Business Edition 6000 for midmarket and Business Edition 7000 for enterprise), and TelePresence Video Communication Server Expressway, allowing teleworkers and remote Jabber users to access services without requiring a VPN connection.
Cisco UC is an attractive solution for midsize, large and multinational corporations requiring strong voice and video capabilities. It is also attractive to enterprises that require full UC client support on leading mobile platforms and on Apple Macs, and those that wish to leverage Cisco's networking infrastructure.
Strengths
- Cisco offers a full UC suite with strong, globally scalable support for IM/presence, video, telephony and multiple conferencing options. Additionally, full UC functionality is available on leading mobile platforms.
- Prime Collaboration provides unified management for voice and video networks including automated, accelerated deployment, provisioning, real-time monitoring, proactive troubleshooting, license management and long-term trending and analytics. Prime Collaboration can scale to 150,000 endpoints per server instance
- Cisco's large data infrastructure client base, along with its strong global channel, service and system integration (SI) partners, position it well within enterprise UC buying and decision-making groups, including many IT and operations departments.
- Through carrier and service provider partners, Cisco is advancing attractive hybrid on-premises and cloud options. HCS is based on the same software as Cisco's on-premises offering, and both support the same Jabber client. Additionally, Cisco has agreements for transferring licenses from on-premises to hosted environments.
Cautions
- Cisco's solution is based on a series of separate products and acquisitions over the years, including Cisco Unified Communications Manager, WebEx, Jabber and Tandberg. One result of this is that some user and administrator experiences are fragmented, rather than seamless.
- Cisco's Unified Workspace Licensing (CUWL) is a useful package to profile user requirements. It offers attractive pricing, compared with buying competitive UC components separately. However, it's important to size requirements accurately based on user needs, in order to avoid overinvesting in capabilities that then go unused.
- The Collaboration Technology Group must advance new and innovative software and a compelling vision for the UCC industry to retain its strong leadership position. However, this may prove challenging as the group must operate within a company, and with channels, that are heavily focused on network-centric architectures and services.
Microsoft
Microsoft Lync offers a full suite of UC functionality that Microsoft continues to improve with each release. It integrates with Office applications, Active Directory and Skype. Microsoft has a broad set of additional business applications that will increasingly be leveraged, including Office Graph (which uses machine learning to define the context and connect users with relevant documents, conversations and people) and Cortana (a digital assistant).
The Lync partner ecosystem expanded at a rapid pace; however, more importantly, the partners' skill level and experience in complex deployments that include voice and video also improved significantly year over year. Lync's improved federation capabilities have proven an effective way for groups to collaborate across organizational boundaries. For cloud delivery, Microsoft offers Lync Online as part of the Office 365 suite, as well as in private cloud configurations; in both cases, partners can be leveraged for telephony. However, enterprises should be aware that Lync Online offers only a subset of the on-premises Lync solution, most notably with limited PSTN connectivity.
Enterprises that have a significant number of employees that can benefit from Lync's collaboration model should consider the Lync solution and understand how it might change their business processes and worker productivity. Enterprises considering deploying Lync telephony or video should understand the topology and infrastructure requirements, how they will support branch offices, and (if relevant) how they will deploy and obtain global third-party support. Enterprises with advanced telephony feature requirements should also ensure that the needed functions are supported.
Strengths
- Microsoft Lync continues to make significant gains in the market and is attractive to a broad range of enterprises. In many cases, it is initially deployed for its IM, presence and Web conferencing functionalities, with gradual incremental deployments of telephony and video added as follow-on phased deployments for specifically targeted groups or regions.
- The vendor has significantly improved its go-to-market strategy for Lync during the last year, positioning itself to more adequately address the real-time communications requirements of enterprises over the next several years.
- Microsoft has added video capabilities, including support for Lync room-based video systems and interoperability of standards-based video endpoints.
- Customers report that Lync functions can be readily integrated into business processes and applications, providing new, different and effective ways to perform tasks. Often, these new functions are achieved by deploying Lync enhancements from a growing list of ecosystem partners.
Cautions
- Few IT managers report that they have completely eliminated their PBXs in Lync implementations. Typically, Lync IM/presence and Web conferencing are deployed across the broader employee base, while telephony is deployed only for a subset of employees. Microsoft's stated telephony strategy is to leverage partners for functions like endpoints, gateways and contact center; therefore, enterprises interested in PBX-level capabilities should be prepared to also invest in a number of partner solutions to achieve advanced functionality.
- Gartner clients report users with non-Microsoft endpoints, such as Mac workstations, are not satisfied with the functionality and quality of the Lync UX.
- Gartner clients deploying Lync with in-house staff often report that multiple partners are required to obtain a complete deployment, and that this poses challenges (for example, different partners for telephones, gateways, servers, remote support and network monitoring); additionally, it can lead to release-level incompatibilities. This can also result in difficulty obtaining an accurate total cost for Lync service and support.
- Some enterprises express concern that Microsoft's bundling, combined with proprietary protocols, will leave them locked in a closed circle of choices. Bundling includes Exchange, Lync, SharePoint, Office, Skype and Yammer. While the video interoperability is a good sign, it also serves to emphasize the lack of standards-based capabilities in the other areas, such as standard SIP endpoints and WebRTC.
