In November 2023, Cisco IT set out to modernize communications for more than 84,000 users across 300+ locations in 80+ countries. To accomplish this, the team undertook a migration from Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM) to the cloud with Webex Calling, simplifying administration, reducing costs, and delivering a modern calling experience for every Cisco employee.
Recently, we sat down with two of the leaders behind this transformation, Bill Chhor, Leader, Technical Systems Engineering at Cisco, and Luke Clifford, UC Architect at Cisco, to discuss what it took to make this migration happen, what we learned along the way, and what comes next.
Why Cisco Moved to Webex Calling
For years, Cisco relied on Cisco UCM, the market-leading on-premises calling platform, to manage global communications. However, Webex Calling presented an opportunity to modernize collaboration across the company, reduce costs, and enhance the employee experience.
By moving to the cloud, Cisco aimed to:
- Simplify administration with centralized control.
- Improve agility by enabling calling anywhere, on any network.
- Lower operational costs by reducing hardware dependencies.
- Unlock innovation by giving users instant access to the latest Webex capabilities.
Tackling a Massive Migration
Migrating a global enterprise of Cisco’s size required meticulous planning and collaboration. The team spent nearly a full year preparing, focusing on identifying essential features for end users, resolving migration blockers and dependencies, and establishing a unified deployment strategy.
A pivotal moment came during a San Jose workshop in October 2023, where the team finalized the migration plan. The first sites were migrated the next month and the project was completed by fall 2024, just two years from start to finish.
A key lesson learned throughout the process was the importance of automation. The first site migration in North Carolina, involving about 6,000 users, required an entire weekend to complete. By the end of the project, however, the team had developed experience and automation tools that enabled the migration of 16,000 users across 22 sites in Bangalore in just three hours. These tools proved so effective that Cisco IT published a GitHub repository containing scripts, how-tos, and best practices to help other organizations streamline their own migrations.
Transforming Cisco’s Calling Experience
The migration to Webex Calling has redefined how Cisco communicates globally, delivering a modern, cloud-first platform that simplifies operations, reduces costs, and enhances flexibility.
Cisco began by modernizing the user experience, replacing thousands of legacy desk phones with the Webex App and saving $5 million in hardware costs. At the same time, AI-powered Webex devices were deployed in key locations like conference rooms and lobbies to improve collaboration.
With Webex Calling, employees are no longer tied to the corporate WAN. Phones can now be deployed anywhere with internet access — as demonstrated at the Cisco GSX conference, where a temporary network was set up using hotel Wi-Fi, avoiding costly LAN build-outs.
Administration has also become simpler and more efficient. By consolidating 22 management portals into Control Hub, Cisco IT now has real-time visibility into users, devices, and locations, enabling faster troubleshooting and streamlined operations.
Finally, the shift to Webex Calling is driving significant infrastructure savings, with plans to reduce UCM servers in the U.S. by up to 80% by FY26 and retire more than 100,000 unused DIDs by 2026.
What’s Next: The Future of Webex Calling at Cisco
With the migration complete, Cisco IT is now focused on unlocking even greater efficiencies and advancing its cloud strategy. The team is beginning the transition from Local Gateway to Cloud PSTN, simplifying connectivity and enabling a more scalable, streamlined calling experience.
At the same time, Cisco is equipping its Technical Assistance Center (TAC) agents with Webex Calling and Webex Contact Center, giving them access to the latest AI-powered tools such as live captioning, real-time translation, and enhanced customer support capabilities. Looking ahead, Cisco IT will continue to leverage automation and AI to further optimize operations, elevate the employee experience, and deliver smarter, more flexible collaboration across the organization.
Laying the Foundation for Continuous Innovation
Cisco’s successful migration to Webex Calling marks a major milestone in modernizing its global communications strategy. By moving 84,000 users across 300+ locations onto a cloud-first platform, Cisco IT has simplified operations, reduced infrastructure costs, and delivered a more agile, intelligent, and scalable calling experience for employees worldwide. This transformation not only enhances how Cisco connects and collaborates today but also lays a strong foundation for continuous innovation, ensuring the company remains ready to adapt and thrive in an increasingly digital, AI-driven future.
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