Frost Sullivan has named Cisco the 2026 Global Enterprise Desktop Phone Company of the Year. Evaluated on visionary innovation, security, sustainability, customer impact, and total cost of ownership, the Cisco Desk Phone 9800 Series was recognized for transforming the desk phone from a single-purpose voice device into an intelligent workspace hub.
Cisco continues to advance the portfolio with innovations including the upcoming AI Translation Agent and the new Cisco Wireless Phone 9821.
Cisco named Company of the Year, Global Enterprise Desktop Phone, 2026.
Frost & Sullivan recognized Cisco for redefining enterprise telephony with the secure, sustainable, AI-powered Cisco Desk Phone 9800 Series.
Architecting the desk phone for modern work.
Enterprise desk phones were once designed and evaluated as fixed, single-purpose voice devices. But as hybrid work becomes standard, organizations need endpoints that can support flexible workspaces, personalized user experiences, and seamless cloud or on-premises operations.
The 9800 Series was built for this new reality. By bringing calling, workspace management, emergency notifications, and centralized administration into one architecture, Cisco helps IT teams reduce complexity while giving employees a more intuitive workplace experience.
Five innovations that set Cisco apart, according to Frost & Sullivan.
1. End-to-end security: hardware, privacy physical safety
The 9800 Series protects organizational privacy, infrastructure, and physical employee safety within a single hardware platform:
- Hardware-based root of trust: The first desk phone portfolio featuring TPM 2.0 as a dedicated hardware chipset, defending devices against supply-chain tampering and physical breach attempts.
- Private & secure communications: Guarantees data privacy and network integrity through TLS 1.3 encryption, Secure Boot, image authentication, runtime defenses, and a built-in stateful firewall to prevent unauthorized access.
- Physical safety emergency escalation: Includes a dedicated, high-visibility red Action Button directly on the device. IT teams can configure it for instant emergency calls, silent alerts, or custom facility dispatch with a single press.
2. AI-powered audio & automated call capabilities
Instead of just routing voice calls, the 9800 Series actively enhances how teams communicate—removing background noise and language barriers while automatically capturing key action items and sending follow-up summaries straight to your inbox after the call:
- Distraction-free audio quality: Bidirectional AI noise suppression filters out background chaos—like open-office chatter or home noise—on both ends of the line, keeping conversations clear and professional without requiring specialized headsets.
- Inclusion accessibility in real time: Live closed captions and real-time transcription display spoken words directly on screen as people talk, helping hard-of-hearing team members stay fully engaged and easing comprehension in fast-moving discussions.
- Global team alignment: Instant language translation breaks down cross-border communication barriers on the fly, allowing international teams and clients to connect naturally across different languages.
3. Simpler deployment across cloud and on-premises environments
Deploying and maintaining thousands of devices can create significant administrative overhead. Cisco simplifies operations by bringing management into Cisco Cloud Control for a consistent platform and streamlined provisioning.
- One operating system across deployment models: PhoneOS supports both Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Webex Calling, helping organizations move between on-premises and cloud environments without complex firmware migrations.
- Zero-touch NFC provisioning: IT teams can configure and onboard devices through Collaboration Control Hub using built-in NFC tags—without removing each phone from its box.
- Centralized management & observability: Managed centrally through Cisco Collaboration Control Hub, within the single Cisco Cloud Control platform, IT teams get one central place to manage all their Cisco tools, alongside built-in Cisco ThousandEyes intelligence for real-time diagnostics.
4. Intelligent workspace management and desk reservation
The 9800 Series integrates with Cisco Spaces and Webex to make shared workspaces easier to find, reserve, and use.
Cisco helps employees address a real and persistent frustration: arriving at an office only to waste time finding a suitable workspace, and solves it with a friction-free, technology-enabled workflow.”
— Chris Pennell, Industry Principal, Frost & Sullivan
- At-a-glance availability: Front and top LED indicators make workspace status easy to see.
- Flexible reservations: Employees can reserve a desk in advance or directly from the phone when they arrive.
- Personalized sign-in: Users can securely sign in from the phone display to access their settings and services.
5. Measurable sustainability and greater ESG visibility
The 9800 Series is designed with sustainability in mind. Models use more than 74% post-consumer recycled plastics, include low-power modes, and are ENERGY STAR certified.
IT teams can also view estimated device-level carbon emissions in Collaboration Control Hub, helping organizations better understand and report on the environmental impact of their device estate.
What’s next for the Cisco phone portfolio.
Real-time AI translation
Cisco has announced an upcoming AI Translation Agent for the 9800 Series, targeted for 1H CY27.
The feature will provide real-time speech translation during active calls, helping global teams and customer-facing employees communicate across language barriers without relying on separate third-party tools.
Introducing the Cisco Wireless Phone 9821
The Cisco Wireless Phone 9821 extends the PhoneOS experience to deskless and frontline teams in industries such as healthcare, retail, and manufacturing.
Built for demanding work environments, the 9821 combines enterprise-grade voice, centralized management, mobility, and worker-safety features in a durable handheld device.
- Built for frontline environments: Tactile, glove-friendly buttons, IP54 dust and water protection, and MIL-STD-810G durability.
- Designed for continuous shifts: Swappable batteries, single and multi-device charging docks, and spare-battery options help keep teams connected.
- Reliable high-density connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E supports low-latency voice performance in busy enterprise environments.
- Built-in safety features: Push-to-talk, a dedicated emergency Action Button, and fall detection help support faster escalation when needed.
Cisco Phones, built for frontline work.
Explore the Cisco Phone 9800 Series and Wireless Phone 9821 and learn how to keep frontline teams connected across healthcare, retail, education, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frost & Sullivan recognized Cisco for its innovation, market leadership, customer impact, and ability to address unmet enterprise needs. The report highlights how Cisco brings calling, hot desking, hardware-based security, sustainability, and centralized management together in one platform.
The 9800 Series integrates with Collaboration Control Hub for centralized administration and ThousandEyes for network-path visibility and diagnostics. Together, these capabilities help IT teams monitor device health, identify performance issues, and resolve problems more proactively.
No. The 9800 Series uses PhoneOS to support both Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Webex Calling, helping organizations transition between on-premises and cloud deployments without a separate firmware migration.
Explore the full report.
Read the Frost & Sullivan report to learn why Cisco is setting a new benchmark for enterprise desktop phones.
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