Overview

Webex Calling now includes a dedicated cloud instance option based on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager architecture. Dedicated Instance is integrated with Webex Calling and takes advantage of Webex platform services, to bring centralized administration as well as applicable cloud innovation, developed anywhere on the Webex platform, to enhance the calling experience. Dedicated Instance also supports older Cisco endpoints, or existing integrations that are part of critical business workflows.

The Dedicated Instance add-on for Webex Calling includes:

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager

  • Cisco Unified IM and Presence (optional - Refer to Dedicated Instance service activation for more information.)

  • Cisco Unified Unity Connection

  • Cisco Expressway

  • Cisco Emergency Responder (Americas region only)

  • Cisco Session Management Edition (SME) (optional)

Simple migration path

Dedicated Instance for Webex Calling provides a simplified cloud migration path from a legacy PBX as well as on-premises Unified Communications Manager systems.

Dedicated Instance alleviates the pain-points associated with enterprise calling migrations to the cloud:

No Disruptions – Dedicated Instance has the same features, functionality, user experience and integration options supported by Unified Communications Manager deployed on premises, including support for Jabber and Webex App. This creates a frictionless migration to the cloud with no end user or administrator training required for existing Unified Communications Manager customers. Dedicated Instance can be trunked to third party PBXs, allowing new Cisco customers a flexible migration schedule.

Customization – A dedicated private instance for every customer, allows for a highly customizable cloud deployment, which is a unique differentiator from other cloud calling offers in the market. Dedicated Instance’s open APIs enable deep third-party application integrations allowing customers to build a calling environment that supports unique business workflows.

Uncompromised Security – With Dedicated Instance customers have access to all the Unified Communications Manager security features for Endpoints and UC applications like encrypted media, secure SRST, secure OTT registration use MRA.

In addition, customers have access to important physical security features like Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST) for site connectivity in the event network links go down and Cisco Emergency Responder and Nomadic E911 to ensure employees can be located by emergency responders when in the office or in a hybrid mode of work. 

Extended ROI – Dedicated Instance supports the same voice and video endpoints as the associated UC Manager release, eliminating the requirement to refresh all customer endpoints when migrating to the cloud and extending the ROI of these assets.

Basic Inter-Op – Dedicated Instance is integrated with Webex Calling for call routing via the the Webex platform. Customers have the flexibility to distribute users across both Dedicated Instance and Webex Calling, and adjust over time as needed to address their cloud calling business requirements.

Customers who split users across platforms will experience different features. The calling features are not harmonized between Dedicated Instance and Webex Calling. For example, Webex Calling users cannot be part of a hunt group on Dedicated Instance.

Refer to the Cisco Endpoint Support section of the Compatibility Matrix for Cisco Unified Communications Manager and the IM and Presence Service, for the supported endpoints and devices based on the UC application version.

Dedicated Instance sizing

Unified Communication application sizing

A Dedicated Instance deployment from an application perspective is similar to Cisco on-premises Unified CM deployment, except that computing hardware and virtual machine management are no longer owned and managed by the customer. Unified Communication Application sizing is a function of the Dedicated Instance team and isn't dependent on the on-premises deployment’s size.

In this section, the term cluster size refers to the number of call processing servers required to support the customer deployment. A cluster consists of a publisher node and multiple subscriber nodes that perform services, such as Provisioning (publisher), TFTP, Music-on-hold (MOH), and Call processing. Since, a cluster is limited by the number of call processing server nodes, the call processing server node count is the primary factor in determining a cluster size. A fully deployed Dedicated Instance cluster can support up to 8 call processing servers or approximately 50,000 devices (with version 14 and above).

The call processing service should not be activated on any other nodes (TFTP/MOH or Publisher) other than the specific nodes that Cisco has activated in the cluster.

The number of Knowledge Workers and Common Area devices, captured in the First Time Setup Wizard during service activation (for more information see, Activate Dedicated Instance), determines the number of call processing nodes deployed in the Dedicated Instance cluster.

The partner or customer is responsible for configuring the Unified CM cluster and must be aware of the following limits:

  • 50,000 configured devices in a full-size cluster

  • A maximum of 160,000 end users may be configured, or synchronized over LDAP, into the cluster. These end users may be active on the cluster or included for directory or service discovery purposes.

    When a customer has Dedicated Instance clusters deployed across different Dedicated Instance regions, the SIP signaling and media between them must traverse through the customer's network.

Cisco Unified IM and Presence

Cisco Unified IM and Presence is an optional UC application which is driven through the option provided in FTSW, refer to Dedicated Instance service activation for more information. The Cisco Unified IM and Presence UC app is installed as Subscriber node for Unified CM cluster and cluster sizing is a function of the Dedicated Instance team.

Cisco Unity Connection

Cisco Unity Connection is installed as part of the Dedicated Instance service activation based on the number of Knowledge Worker count provided for a particular region in the First Time Setup Wizard. For more information see, Activate Dedicated Instance.

Partners or Customers need to raise a case with Cisco Support if there's a requirement for O365 integration, as the integration has an impact on the sizing of the application. For more information see, Dedicated Instance Tier 1 Support.

Expressways

Cisco Expressway-C and Cisco Expressway-E are deployed as part of service activation for Mobile and Remote access and B2B (Business-to-Business) calling. Customers are entitled for 100% Knowledge Worker count for MRA licenses and 5% Knowledge Worker count for B2B calls.

Dedicated instance operations team deploys MRA for 20% of Knowledge Worker license at the time of activation and the customer can expand to their entitled 100% of Knowledge Workers based on the consumption by raising a case with Cisco Support. For more information see, Dedicated Instance Tier 1 Support.

Multiple clusters

The decision to deploy multiple Unified CM clusters in a single Dedicated Instance region is made based on the number of Knowledge Workers and common area devices assigned to that region during activation of users. Based on these numbers, if it's determined that there are multiple clusters required, Cisco team will deploy them appropriately. The first cluster within the region is activated within 48 hrs from the time of service activation, while the subsequent clusters are activated within 5 business days.

Cisco Session Manager Edition (SME)

Customer is eligible for a Cisco Session Manager Edition (SME) deployment when they have three clusters deployed in Dedicated Instance cloud. The benefit of an SME deployment is that common services and call routing logic can be centralized. SME can allow common access to services like SIP trunks, voice mail services, and conferencing resources. SME also lets a multi-cluster environment avoid creating a fully meshed network between clusters for inter-cluster Calling.

Figure: Dedicated Instance SME Cluster Deployment

A single SME cluster can be deployed across regions to support a multi-region customer. Node-to-node communications and DB replication traffic for an SME traverses the Cisco backbone and not the customer network.

If an SME needs to be deployed for a customer, it has to go through a Business Unit approval process. The account manager responsible for the customer needs to send a SME approval request to the mailer cucm-session-manager@cisco.com.

Backup of UC applications

We take a backup of all the UC applications deployed in Dedicated Instance every night. The latest 3 backups are saved in the datacenter. The backups are password protected and will only be used to restore the UC application as part of the disaster recovery.

In the event of a major hardware failure if the entire cluster is down, the cluster can be reinstalled, and the data will be restored from the DRS backup taken daily. Depending on the size of the database and the components that you choose to restore, the system can be restored to the last known good backup.

This is not a change backout strategy and you will not have access to these backups.

Solution availability

The Dedicated Instance service is globally available and is orderable as an add-on for Webex Calling Flex Plan 3.0 through partners in specific countries. See the Global Availability Guide for more details.

Dedicated Instance supports the same level of localization as our on-premise Unified Communications Manager. It supports phone and gateway tones in 82 countries, a self-care portal in 50 languages, and clients in more than 30 languages.

Benefits

Dedicated Instance offers the most efficient migration path to the cloud for existing Unified Communications Manager customers, with the following key benefits:

  • Dedicated Calling application instance hosted and operated by Cisco in Webex Data Centers

  • Customizable Calling platform

  • Flexible, quickly scalable architecture

  • Familiar user experience, reducing the need for employee retraining

  • Unified client for calling, messaging, meetings and team collaboration that is usable across all device types

  • Compatibility with Cisco’s full portfolio of phones, gateways, and video devices

  • Integrates with Webex meetings, messaging, and calling as part of the Webex suite, enabling an amazing end to end customer experience.