Get Started with Cisco Webex for Government
The Webex for Government collaboration tools enable users to message, call, share, and meet with each other. The tools integrate with work flows on personal computers, mobile devices, and shared video devices (like conference room systems). This article helps you get started with a new Webex for Government organization.
The all-new Webex experience is now FedRAMP authorized and brings everyone together to do exceptional work: one easy-to-use and secure app to call, message, meet and get work done. In real-time or anytime, Webex is the engaging, intelligent and inclusive app that creates exceptional experiences and makes working together distinctly better.
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Key capabilities in Webex for Government are:
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Cloud calling from Webex Calling, Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) Cloud for Government, and Cisco IP Phones.
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High quality video conferencing with multi-stream high-definition audio and video from any device - desktop, mobile, web, and Webex collaboration devices – with easy, consistent experiences.
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Secure messaging and file sharing integrated with Microsoft and Box.
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Webex Devices for enhanced meetings experience, white-boarding and keeping your remote workforce more productive.
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With FedRAMP Authorization Moderate Impact Level, and reciprocity with DoD Impact Level 2, Webex for Government ensures:
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Physical infrastructure dedicated to U.S. government and qualifying customers, with all data centers located in the continental U.S.
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Strictly controlled access to the environment and data by U.S. persons only.
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Government-approved security architecture:
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FIPS 140-2 encryption, mandatory TLS 1.2 support.
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Continuous security auditing and remediation, and continuous scanning against a database of current global security vulnerabilities.
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Monthly reviews of security stature with the sponsoring agency.
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Government-defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for resolving security events.
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U.S.-based technical support by the Cisco FedRAMP Technical Assistance Center (TAC)
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Need some help? We've got you
When you need help, you can call 877-669-1782 to reach the dedicated Cisco FedRAMP Technical Assistance Center (TAC) in the U.S. If you do not have the phone number handy, you may contact Cisco Support who will route you to the Cisco FedRAMP TAC.
Access Control Hub
To access Control Hub (the administrator interface for Webex for Government), go to https://admin-usgov.webex.com.
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Be sure to use https://admin-usgov.webex.com whenever you access Control Hub. Signing in with the direct government link is quicker and more secure than using the admin.webex.com link that is commonly listed in Webex help. |
Current Issues
For a list of known issues, workarounds, and other considerations, see Webex for Government Known Issues and Considerations.
Control Hub is the administrative interface where you manage users and services in your organization. We highly encourage you to enable single sign-on (SSO) for a consistent user sign-in experience.
Before you begin
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Verify that you've established connectivity to the Webex for Government cloud as described in the FedRAMP Meetings Ports and IP Ranges Quick Reference.
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Be sure to use https://admin-usgov.webex.com whenever you access Control Hub. Signing in with the direct government link is quicker and more secure than using the admin.webex.com link that is commonly listed in Webex help.
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Set up your administrator account. We send an email to the address that you specify. Follow the link to sign in to https://admin-usgov.webex.com. This becomes your first full administrator account for the organization. |
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Add, verify, and claim domains. As part of creating your Webex for Government organization, Cisco will claim the email domain of the addresses that you specify. You must claim any additional email domains when you add users. By claiming the email domains belonging to your organization, you ensure that your users do not create their personal accounts on www.webex.com using their work addresses. You also ensure that your organization’s content policies are continuously applicable to employees when they create or share content on Webex. |
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Enable single sign-on (SSO) across all components for a consistent user experience:
If you have your own identity provider (IdP) in your organization, you can integrate the SAML IdP with your Control Hub, Webex site, and Unified CM environments for SSO. SSO lets your users use a single, common set of credentials for Webex Meetings, Webex, and other applications in your organization. |
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Set up automatic license assignment templates You can set up a default template that automatically assigns licenses to new users. |
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Deploy the Hybrid Calendar Service. With Hybrid Calendar Service, you can connect your Office 365 environment to Cisco Webex. This integration makes it easier to schedule and join meetings, especially on mobile and Webex devices; no plugins are required. Users can add Cisco Webex Room and Desk devices and Webex Boards to a meeting to make conferencing resources available. If the device is enabled for the Hybrid Calendar Service, the green Join button appears on the device. (The Join button is also known as One Button to Push, and is also available to devices that are registered to Cisco Unified Communications Manager, and managed by Cisco TelePresence Management Suite.)
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Before you begin
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Be sure to use https://admin-usgov.webex.com whenever you access Control Hub. Signing in with the direct government link is quicker and more secure than using the admin.webex.com link that is commonly listed in Webex help.
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Configure the Cisco Webex Meetings Scheduler for Microsoft 365. The Webex Meetings Scheduler lets Microsoft 365 users schedule Webex meetings or Webex Personal Room meetings directly from Microsoft Outlook, in any browser. For user help, see Schedule and Join Meetings with Cisco Webex Meetings Scheduler for Microsoft 365. |
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Review meeting security settings. Effective meeting security begins with administering your Webex site. We've collected best practices for a secure environment, yet you can tailor your site to your organization needs. |
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Set up session types for user management. Session types are like meeting templates that people in your organization can use to quickly schedule meetings |
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Deliver online meeting best practices to users. |
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Understand how to manage recordings. Site administrators can manage recordings to help optimize available storage. |
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Learn about meeting diagnostics and troubleshooting tools. Pinpoint and troubleshoot meetings where users are experiencing problems. You can drill down into meetings on a per participant basis and see detailed information about the audio, video, and sharing quality of a meeting. You can even see the CPU usage of the device a participant used to join the meeting. |
Before you begin
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Be sure to use https://admin-usgov.webex.com whenever you access Control Hub. Signing in with the direct government link is quicker and more secure than using the admin.webex.com link that is commonly listed in Webex help.
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These messaging features require Pro Pack.
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Set the retention policy for your organization. As a Pro Pack customer, you can use Control Hub to specify how long your content is retained before it's deleted. Content older than the retention policy or content exceeding storage quotas is subject to deletion. This is important because when you keep information around a long time, you increase the chances of confidential information being accessible. |
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Configure access to Enterprise Content Management (ECM) in Control Hub. Configure access to your enterprise content management platform in Control Hub. Provide users with permission to use your enterprise content management platform in the Webex app. Users can only use an approved enterprise management platform to upload and manage files and content in Webex. |
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Ensure regulatory compliance of content. As a compliance officer, you can use Control Hub to search through any conversation in the Webex app. You can look for a specific person in your company, find content they've shared, or search through a specific space and then generate a report of your findings. This way, you can make sure people are complying with both outside regulatory requirements and your internal policies. |
Before you begin
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Be sure to use https://admin-usgov.webex.com whenever you access Control Hub. Signing in with the direct government link is quicker and more secure than using the admin.webex.com link that is commonly listed in Webex help.
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Deploy calling in Webex (Unified CM). Register Webex directly to your Cisco Unified Communications Manager call control environment (on-premises enterprise or UCM Cloud for FedRAMP). Users can use Webex as a softphone for calling features, such as Hold and Resume. |
Webex for Government supports devices registered in the following ways:
Cloud Registration and Management
Add devices to your organization and assign them to either individual users (known as personal mode devices) or workspaces (known as shared mode devices). Control Hub generates an activation code that you enter or scan from the device to link it to Control Hub.
Cloud Registration and Management with Premises Calling (Device Connector)
Room, Desk, and Cisco Webex Board devices in shared mode become a part of your existing on-premises dial plan, allowing these devices to call user extensions or the PSTN, and receive incoming calls.
Premises Registration with Cloud Management and Features (Webex Edge for Devices)
Get cloud features for video devices that are registered to Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Before you begin
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Be sure to use https://admin-usgov.webex.com whenever you access Control Hub. Signing in with the direct government link is quicker and more secure than using the admin.webex.com link that is commonly listed in Webex help.
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Add devices to your organization using the desired type of registration and management:
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(Optional) Group devices with tags Make it easier to organize and search for devices later |
There are multiple ways to set up users.
You can manually add up to 25 users at a time to your organization by entering their email addresses.
Before you begin
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Make sure you've claimed the domain of users' email addresses.
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You can suppress the automatic welcome emails to new users if you set up single sign-on for the organization. For more information, see the following articles on help.webex.com:
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In https://admin-usgov.webex.com go to Users, and then click Manage Users. |
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Select Manually Add or Modify Users. |
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Choose one and click Next:
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For license assignment:
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Click Save. An email is sent to each person with an invite to join, unless you've suppressed automatic emails. Users who are manually added appear in an invite pending state in Control Hub until they sign in for the first time. Licenses are assigned after the user signs in the first time. |
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Review the summary page of records processed, and click Finish. |
You can use the comma-separated value (CSV) template to add up to 20,000 users to your organization and assign services at the same time.
Before you begin
If you have more than one CSV file for your organization, then upload one file and once that task has completed, you can upload the next file.
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Some spreadsheet editors remove the + sign from cells when the .csv is opened. We suggest you use a text editor to make .csv updates. If you use a spreadsheet editor make sure to set the cell format to text, and add back any + signs that were removed. |
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In https://admin-usgov.webex.com, go to Users, click Manage Users and choose CSV Add or Modify Users. |
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Click Export to download the file and you can enter user information in a new line in the CSV file.
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Click Import, select your file, and click Open. |
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Choose either Add services only or Add and remove services. If you have an active license template, choose Add services only. |
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Click Submit. The CSV file is uploaded and your task is created. You can close the browser or this window and your task continues to run. To review the progress of your task, see Manage Tasks in Cisco Webex Control Hub. |
You can synchronize users from an existing directory in to your Control Hub organization using the integration steps for Cisco Directory Connector or a System for Cross-Domain Identity Management (SCIM) API option. These integrations keep your user list in sync so you don't have to recreate user accounts. Whenever a user is created, updated, or removed in the directory that you're synchronizing, Control Hub reflects the update.
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Webex for Government only supports synchronizing with Active Directory or Azure AD. |
Active Directory
If your organization is using Active Directory, you can add users and synchronize them from your Active Directory with the Cisco Directory Connector. Before doing so, make sure you've claimed the domain of users' email addresses.
The Cisco Directory Connector is an on-premises application. You download the connector software from Cisco Webex Control Hub and install it on your local Windows Server machine. For instructions, see the Deployment Guide for Cisco Directory Connector at https://www.cisco.com/go/hybrid-services-directory.
Azure Active Directory
No on-premises infrastructure or connectors are required. For setup steps, see Synchronize Azure Active Directory Users into Cisco Webex Control Hub.
Control Hub shows you analytics for collaboration across your Webex organization:
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Detailed interactive usage and engagement information
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Network quality KPIs and metrics for VoIP, video and join meeting time (JMT)
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Trending charts with summary statistics
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Correlations with connection type and region/location
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Ability to identify users with repetitive network issues and cross-launch into troubleshooting
A 10-minute data refresh means you can confidently report any time.
Learn more about analytics for Your Webex for Government portfolio.
As a Webex administrator you can install Webex using the MSI file on Windows or the DMG file on Mac. You can include command line parameters with the MSI file on Windows to improve user experience.
Set Up the App for Webex for Government
The performance of the Webex app may also be influenced by other factors, for example: network connectivity or other applications on your devices.
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Keep in mind that we don't support using Webex with pre-release or early release programs, such as the Apple Beta Software, Windows Insider Program, or any other similar programs. |
Windows
Windows PCs Recommended Minimum System Requirements
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These requirements are continuously reviewed and may be revised. |
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Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and later. Make sure your drivers are up-to-date.
For further information on the latest drivers for some graphic products, see the following:
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Intel Dual-Core CPU 2.XX GHz or AMD processor (2 GB of RAM minimum recommended).
Mac
Mac Recommended Minimum System Requirements
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These requirements are continuously reviewed and may be revised. |
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MacOS 10.12 and later on a supported Mac.
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Intel CPI-based (2GB of RAM minimum recommended).
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Your organization may require you to run the Webex app in FIPS mode. To do so, set the following registry key to 1 (DWORD value) on user machines:
To change this setting, you must have HKLM registry access. Typically, an administrator or user with admin privileges has this access. Since this is an OS-level setting, we recommend that you evaluate its impact on your other Windows applications before rolling it out across your organization. If you don’t enable the registry key, note the following:
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To enable the app to connect to the Webex for Government cloud for your users, choose one of the following options, according to your needs:
Do these steps if you prefer deploying the app as an administrator-controlled MSI install.
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To perform this action, you must have HLKM registry access. Typically, an administrator or user with admin privileges has this access. The FEDRAMPENABLED setting causes the installer to write to the HLKM area of the registry. |
Before you begin
Enable the FIPS registry key, if required.
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Download the installer using the applicable link.
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To enable usage of the Webex for Government cloud environment, run msiexec with the Example:msiexec /i WebexTeams.msi FEDRAMPENABLED=1 ALLUSERS=1 |
Do this task if you plan to let users download and install the Webex app MSI themselves, but want to ensure that they connect to the Webex for Government cloud.
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To perform this action, you must have HLKM registry access. Typically, an administrator or user with admin privileges has this access. |
Before you begin
Enable the FIPS registry key, if required.
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Set the following registry key to 1 (DWORD value):
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If the user has installed and signed in to the Webex app before the registry key was set, have the user sign out and sign back in. |
This is the recommended mechanism to configure FIPS and FedRAMP modes for MacOS. Deploy an MDM configuration profile that contains the following settings. The exact details for configuring this will depend on your MDM solution.
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Download the DMG installer from the following link. |
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Set the following two Boolean keys to true in preference domain
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If you do not have access to an MDM solution, you can change the default values for FIPS and FedRAMP using the defaults command. The end user can potentially override values set via defaults, so we recommend using MDM if you have the option.
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Enter the following commands:
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Download the Webex app:
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Start the app, tap Get Started, and then tap Are you a FedRAMP customer? Example: This link takes you to the FedRAMP sign-in page, which directs the authentication to the Webex for Government identity service and enables FIPS 140-2 mode. |
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Enter your email address and check I agree to terms and conditions, then click Next to sign in. The first time you sign in, you are directed to set up a passcode. |
To uninstall the app use msiexec /x Webex.msi.
To uninstall Webex, go to the Applications folder and drag Webex to the trash.
