Spark
When it comes to team collaboration apps, Cisco is playing a different game from most others. At one level, Spark is the platform that powers the next-gen (do people say "next-gen" anymore?) UCaaS service that competes head to head with all the other UCaaS services on the market. You can connect deskphones to it, you can connect video room systems, you can get a core set of PBX features, you can dial out to the PSTN. I know companies -- not many, mind you, and not very large -- that have entirely replaced their PBXs with Spark.
At another level, Spark is a team collaboration app like any other. It's core technology came from Collaborate.com, a startup that Cisco acquired way back in 2013. Spark subscribers don't need to go whole-hog UCaaS, but instead just use it as an IT-friendly Slack alternative plain and simple. The app provides persistent workspaces, searchable content, desktop video for up to just three participants in the lower-cost plans and more participants with the higher priced ones. It has been localized in 16 languages, which will help Cisco partners sell Spark internationally.
Cisco is a bit cagey about the prices of everything except the M1 plan. So the $12 figure above comes from the Cisco site, and I've cobbled together everything else from this Cisco partner's website, write-ups from Sandra Gustavsen of G Business Systems (here and here), and this blog from Bill Haskins of Wainhouse Research. They're all a bit different from each other for whatever reason. And Cisco ain't helping by not just listing them all out on the Spark website. But the prices above seem to have us within the ballpark. And if they're not... well, I'm sure I'll hear about it sooner rather than later.
One of the more interesting additions to Spark lately is Spark Board, a video-capable interactive white board that's a lot like other video-capable interactive white boards out there... except for Spark. And for Spark customers that will make all the difference. Why it's interesting to me is that it only supports Spark. You can't attach it to UC Manager or HCS or any of the infrastructure that powers Cisco video conferencing systems. It's just for Spark. Given Spark's installed base relative to any of that other stuff, you can see Cisco's ambitions here. Spark is where Cisco is centering its coolest development efforts. So customers might want to consider boarding the Spark train.
