[cisco-voip] Torn apart by choices - old or new solutions? Simplyspeaking: CM5.0 or CM4.x

[Lelio Fulgenzi]

Personally speaking, I'd go with 4.2. 4.x is a more mature product than 5.0 and I'd never install a "dot oh" of anything. 4.2 has a very large feature set (more than 5.0) so you have to weigh what you would be losing if you don't go with 5.0. SIP is a big one for sure. Appliance model is another. There may be others. The biggest thing you want to look out for when migrating is not so much new features but existing feature replacement and of course stability. I think you would get that with 4.2, not sure about 5.0. Look at upgrading in two years to 5.1 or 5.2 when you're not the guinea pig.

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Lelio Fulgenzi, B.A.
Network Analyst (CCS) * University of Guelph * Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1
(519) 824-4120 x56354 (519) 767-1060 FAX (JNHN)
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  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Netfortius 
  To: cisco-voip at puck.nether.net 
  Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 11:33 AM
  Subject: [cisco-voip] Torn apart by choices - old or new solutions? Simplyspeaking: CM5.0 or CM4.x


  You may have already gotten used to my last string of questions here, which - 
  I am not hiding it - are part of my attempt to gain info from the more 
  experienced people, on this subject, regarding a project I am working on for 
  deployment of multi-site IPT & VoIP. I have gone into some details, for some 
  questions I had, but now - reading tons of material every day, I have become 
  very worried about the full blown solution chosen, vs. what is being promised 
  just "around the corner". Here is where I would appreciate any comments, of 
  any nature, thoughts, experience, "what-if" - anything you can share about 
  this subject:

  Scenario: multi-site deployment of Cisco CM, with the following objectives in 
  mind:

  1. Replacement of existing old telephony solution, Nortel-based, consisting of 
  PBX in each location, with Cisco-based IP-based communication systems (and 
  not only one-to-one replacement of phones, but also steps toward unified 
  communications)

  2. Installation of Cisco solution consisting of:
  a. CM 4.x (advised by Cisco) at the HQ + Unity integrated with Exchange 2003 
  and a handful of IP phones (major testers of the technology) and integration 
  with existing Nortel PBX at the HQ (PHASE 1)
  b. IP phones in the remote location (complete replacement of everything old, 
  including PBX) + SRST + standalone (storage-wise) Unity (PHASE 1)
  c. Unified messaging at the HQ, in the "pilot" group, to the best of the 
  abilities and availability of products around CM 4.x (e.g. PA, among others, 
  as an example of what I am getting at) (PHASE 1)
  d. Experience from c> ==> full implementation of unified messaging at the 
  first remote ("upgrade" of the standalone Unity into an Exchange-tied one - 
  is this even possible?!?) (PHASE 2)
  e. remote site used as template fro all other sites (PHASE 2)
  f. full upgrade at the HQ (PHASE 2), with the exception of Call Center
  g. Cisco IPCC replacement of the existing Nortel Call Center, after the 
  entire VoIP and IPT has proven reliable to sustain a Customer Service (PHASE 
  3)

  3. The unified communications (including messaging) will eventually adddress 
  various business needs, primarily focused on mobility and real-time 
  communications and sharing

  Having said all of the above, here are the issues I am struggling with:

  - I have (and nobody in my network geeks group) no real experience with Cisco 
  VoIP/IPT;
  - the suggested solution, from Cisco, revolves around a CM 4.2 and, gradually, 
  as explained above, updates to the point of full unified messaging - still 
  4.2-based
  - I am getting conflicting messages from our Cisco group - they advise us to 
  do the install with CM 4.2 (which would end up as a cluster of multiple 
  servers, at the HQ), not CM 5.0, but:
  - I am reading and reading, and it appears to me that some features associated 
  with CM 4.2 are dying (e.g. PA), while CM 5.0 seems to open the door for much 
  more, but not everything backward compatible with 4.x
  - tons of features are being advertised as related to CM 5.0, only, but are 
  not ready yet, and are to be released this year (majority in second quarter)

  Bottom line - I am struggling with one major question (with no easy answer - 
  thus appreciating any comments this list may have): should I move ahead as 
  started, with the one site + pilot HQ, on CM 4.2 (PHASE 1), then go over all 
  phases, then analyze what would need to be upgraded to a 5.0 environment, if 
  certain additional features would become available and needed, and not 
  backward compatible
  OR
  should I just put a stop to the CM 4.x analysis and planning, and redo 
  everything (with the delay caused by various products availability) around CM 
  5.0?

  As I said - any $0.02-$64K comments will be really appreciated. I will try to 
  consolidate this type of info, in something useful, if enough data warrants 
  it.

  Thanks,
  Stefan
  _______________________________________________
  cisco-voip mailing list
  cisco-voip at puck.nether.net
  https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/cisco-voip
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