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Cisco TelePresence vs Skype for Business comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco TelePresence
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Skype for Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Cisco TelePresence is 4.6%, up from 4.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 9.0%, up from 8.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

CarolineXavier - PeerSpot reviewer
It's our go-to solution for demonstrating our services to clients
I use Cisco Telepresence for meetings with clients and internal meetings. It's our go-to solution for demonstrating our services to clients The speaker tracker feature in Cisco Telepresence is highly valuable, especially the ability to track multiple participants and change focus during…
Magdalena Teodorczuk - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers great audio and video quality for virtual meetings
I like the instant messaging feature in the product since I prefer to use the chat functionalities provided by the solution. It is easy to integrate the product with some of the other solutions in the market. I rate the integration capabilities of the product a ten out of ten. The product's user interface is user-friendly. I use the product at a personal level, so I can't speak about the support it provides for the maintenance part. I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"We have a dual screen option to enable video and content sharing."
"PresenterTrack cameras improve the meeting experience."
"The most valuable features of Cisco TelePresence are the basic standard features and the ease of use. Additionally, the configuration and integration are exemplary."
"The SpeakerTrack feature is the most valuable feature."
"It was stable. So, I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
"The speaker tracker feature in Cisco Telepresence is highly valuable, especially the ability to track multiple participants and change focus during meetings."
"Telepresence's most valuable feature is keeping highly paid employees, such as executives, on the ground instead of wasting time flying around the world. So if you have the right telepresence plan and form, it's not just the video cameras and the systems behind them, it's the way you lay out your meeting room.You can have multiple offices interconnecting in a single meeting, and it looks like everybody's in the same big conference room together because the telepresence yields such a fantastic amount of clarity."
"TelePresence allows our customers to have a quick meeting while traveling and still be effective. It saves time and money."
"The solution is easy to use and includes the ability to text message, video and voice chat, and transfer files."
"Scalable communication tool that's easy to install. Even old people are using it, because of its ease of use."
"A good option for virtual meetings."
"What is most valuable about Skype for Business is that almost everyone knows about it and almost everyone has it. You will be able to reach a large number of people."
"Using this solution has helped us to cut long distance calls, as well as video services from third parties."
"There are free versions of the solution available."
"One of the best features of Skype for Business is that you can set it up on mobile phones, and you can set it up on laptops. You can connect to the tool from anywhere."
"It saves trouble, and it saves us time."
 

Cons

"I was in touch with one of our clients and they mentioned that they would like to have a holographic video conferencing. It would be great if that feature would be added."
"I would rate my experience with the initial setup a three out of ten, with ten being expensive. It was complex with badges and certificates. Too crazy."
"The tool is expensive."
"Cisco TelePresence could improve its integration capabilities."
"The calling features can be improved."
"The price of Cisco TelePresence overall should be reduced."
"MX800 comes only with one available DVI port. A few more HDMI ports will improve the system's capability."
"We need a feature where you can virtually raise your hand to silently let the presenter know that you have a question."
"The solution should improve the chat and add more flexibility to make a call."
"Sometimes the connection crashes, which is understandable if you are traveling. But, it would be nice if this could be stabilized somehow."
"We are looking for a more collaborative tool, not only in terms of virtual meetings but also for teams to collaborate, share a document, work together, and all those types of things."
"The ease of configuration or the lack of decent tooling to pinpoint your problems is probably its biggest issue."
"The challenge we had with Skype for Business was with the signing in when a user signed out and when signing in back in again, there was a bit of a problem. We switched from Skype for Business to Teams, and Teams never had that sign-in problem once we did the switch."
"We have found that there is a lag because it cannot integrate with the internal landline."
"I feel that the whole look and feel of Skype should be improved, including its user-friendliness. It should also improve its scalability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I will rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."
"Cisco TelePresence license is expensive and should be reduced. There is only a cost for the license and it is annually."
"We used high definition, 1080p, but again, it required license purchases. For example, with three licenses (TP licenses), each allowing one 1080p screen, if I had six participants, I'd need to lower the resolution to 720p or lower to accommodate more participants. More licenses meant more cost."
"The pricing is expensive, therefore I rate it an eight out of ten."
"The price of Cisco Telepresence is high, especially in Brazil. However, the quality of the product justifies the cost."
"It may be considered costly for certain markets, such as in India."
"The licensing is billed on a yearly basis."
"Previously, I did not use another solution."
"We had a license for every one of our users to use Skype for Business. The license we used was part of an overall Microsoft license package."
"The pricing is really good. It is quite affordable because it came with our Office 365. It is on a per-user license, which is nice. I quite like that they have made it very granular with all of their licensing."
"To realize value from the purchase of Skype Business, you need to take advantage of all the important functions of the program."
"Our company pays for a license for us to use the solution."
"We purchased an open license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
12%
University
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
92%
Financial Services Firm
2%
Computer Software Company
1%
Government
1%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco TelePresence?
It was stable. So, I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What needs improvement with Cisco TelePresence?
Cisco TelePresence could improve its integration capabilities. As for additional features, I would like to see an improved ceiling microphone solution in the next versions.
What advice do you have for others considering Cisco TelePresence?
I recommend it to clients and would rate it 10 out of 10.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Skype for Business?
Skype for Business is affordable and has decent pricing. The video quality is a bit lower than Teams or Zoom, but it remains a good solution overall.
What needs improvement with Skype for Business?
The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues. However, there is no significant weakness in Skype for Business.
 

Also Known As

TelePresence
Skype for Business Plan 1, Skype for Business Plan 2, Lync Server
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Afni, AGCO, Bellevue, Came Group, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children's), Del Papa Distributing, Instituto Zaldivar, ING Bank, Moffitt Cancer Center, Park Nicollet, Pentana Solutions Australia, San Jose State University, Sub-Zero Wolf, Transwestern and Metropolis Investment Holdings, Vital Images
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco TelePresence vs. Skype for Business and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.