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Cisco TelePresence vs Skype for Business comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

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 January 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Cisco TelePresence is 4.5%, up from 4.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 10.4%, up from 8.7% 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

"The configuration is a valuable."
"It was stable. So, I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
"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."
"The speaker tracker feature in Cisco Telepresence is highly valuable, especially the ability to track multiple participants and change focus during meetings."
"PresenterTrack cameras improve the meeting experience."
"TelePresence allows our customers to have a quick meeting while traveling and still be effective. It saves time and money."
"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."
"The most valuable features are the history tracking which allows us to see who participated and who didn't in the meetings as well as the integration with Outlook."
"The GUI is very user-friendly."
"The deployment is very fast."
"The simplicity and ease of use are the most valuable features. It's so much easier and quicker than writing an email to someone and waiting for them to read it."
"Scalable communication tool that's easy to install. Even old people are using it, because of its ease of use."
"Our employees use this solution for a communal space to collaborate for organizational decision making."
"It saves trouble, and it saves us time."
"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
 

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."
"The calling features can be improved."
"Cisco TelePresence could improve its integration capabilities."
"The price of Cisco TelePresence overall should be reduced."
"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."
"MX800 comes only with one available DVI port. A few more HDMI ports will improve the system's capability."
"The video conferencing quality can be improved."
"I feel bored with the look and feel of the tool, so it should be changed."
"The solution has been discontinued by Microsoft."
"The group feature of Skype for Business needs improvement. It should also be improved for online lectures."
"Going forward, I would like to see better call quality and reliability."
"I would like to see an updated user interface and layout even though no functionality is missing."
"The solution should improve the chat and add more flexibility to make a call."
"The solution's functionality needs to be moved to Microsoft Teams. Its technology is outdated."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 price of Cisco Telepresence is high, especially in Brazil. However, the quality of the product justifies the cost."
"I will rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."
"The pricing is expensive, therefore I rate it 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 purchased an open license."
"I am using a corporate account for which I have not made any payments."
"The solution is priced fairly."
"It may be considered costly for certain markets, such as in India."
"We negotiated a fair price with Microsoft. It is definitely worthwhile to negotiate with them for the best price for your solution."
"It may be slightly costly, but the features are awesome."
"Previously, I did not use another solution."
"The cost of Skype for Business is incorporated into our Office 365 licenses."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
12%
University
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
93%
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
 

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: January 2025.
831,997 professionals have used our research since 2012.