Rationalized Licensing via Cisco Collaboration Flex Plan Subscriptions
With the rationalization of Spark into Webex and the availability of a highly functional cloud-based telephony platform in Webex Calling (via BroadCloud), Cisco has also rationalized its Flex licensing plan to enable end user organizations to more easily migrate to cloud at their own pace.
Cisco's Collaboration Flex Plan provides flexible licensing for calling, meetings, and contact center solutions. The Flex Plan Calling subscription allows organizations to use any of the Cisco calling platforms, including Cisco UCM, HCS, BE6/7K, BroadCloud, and Webex Calling. The Meetings subscription allows employees to use Webex Meeting or Cisco Meeting Server capabilities.
Service providers currently selling BroadWorks-based solutions can continue to charge what their individual markets will bear; however, service providers will also be able to offer Flex Plan subscriptions in the future to take advantage of pull-through and adjacent product opportunities the larger Cisco portfolio offers.
Webex Teams is bundled with any Calling or Meetings license at no additional charge.
The final major change to Flex Plan licensing, announced in mid-September, is that a Flex Plan subscription is now available for Contact Center offerings. This concurrent agent subscription allows organizations to use any of the Cisco Contact Center offerings: Contact Center Enterprise, Contact Center Express, or CJP. What this really gives Cisco's customers is the ability to migrate agents to cloud-based CJP when they are ready, without requiring a new commercial agreement.
Cisco has also announced that it is enabling customers with perpetual licenses for on-premises calling solutions to migrate to the Flex Plan more easily by reducing the price within Flex Plan for an on-premises Calling entitlement until the customer is ready to migrate to a cloud calling subscription.
Flex Plan licensing for the CJP (formerly CC-One) has been announced, but the actual pricing details will not be available until late Q4 2018.
