Welcome to what’s new in Webex! This article highlights new Webex features and capabilities that we have recently introduced and those coming in March.
This month we’re introducing expanded features and capabilities in Webex including a preview of real–time translations in meetings coming later this year. We’re also introducing new hybrid calling options and rich experiences for Webex devices via Webex Edge services to help customers on their journey to the cloud.
Read more below for information about these capabilities and more, including details on the Webex app.
MEETINGS
MESSAGING
CALLING
DEVICES
CONTACT CENTER
CONTROL HUB, SECURITY AND EDGE SERVICES
COMING SOON
MEETINGS
Moderated unmute mode
Control who can be heard in a Webex Meeting with moderated unmute mode. Now you can directly unmute attendees, like young students, who can’t unmute themselves. (Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android)
Q&A support for Webex Meetings
Conducting a training session or briefing where you need to moderate Q&A so questions are not lost in the chat window? Now Webex Meetings allows participants to type their questions into Q&A panel so they can be answered by the host or cohosts.
MESSAGING
New files experience
The improved file experience makes navigating files faster and easier. You can easily drag and drop files into the chat window, switch between list view and grid view, and other quality and visual improvements. (Windows, Mac and mobile)
Moderate team spaces
Bring the moderator experience to your team spaces. You can now control who can join the team spaces you moderate, add existing moderator options to these team spaces, and move moderated spaces into a team. (Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and iPad)
Enter a 9-digit code to connect to a device
In situations where proximity is not available, you can now pair to a device using a 9-character code. For instance, if you’re on a guest network, simply get the 9-digit code from the device and enter it into the Webex app device panel. Once paired to the device, you can use the device for audio/video, wireless screen share, and device control. (Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android)
CALLING
Webex deliver business class calling from the cloud. New features are added each month to allow users to get the best calling experience
Below, we’ve indicated which calling service each new feature applies to. If you’re not sure what calling service you have, see Webex | Find Out What Calling Service You Have.
Hybrid Calling with Webex Calling
Webex is enabling hybrid calling migration journeys from on-premises PBX to native cloud calling services site by site, or user by user while offering a full collaboration suite of meetings, messaging and contact center capabilities.
Centralized dial plans
- Configure advanced Enterprise dial plans to optimize on-network call routing via Webex Calling. Create dial plans to route calls between cloud-native users and on-premises PBX users (Cisco Unified Communications Manager or 3rd party solutions), simplify calling and enable extension dialing across the whole organization as part of a hybrid journey to the cloud.
Geo-redundant routing policies for enterprise trunks
- Geo-redundant routing policies for enterprise trunks allows admins to scale call traffic to the PSTN using trunk groups across enterprise sites for greater scale and higher availability.
Call media optimization for Webex Calling (ICE)
- Keep media on-premises and improve call performance for calls between Webex app users for Webex Calling. This helps business decrease bandwidth usage, reduce latency, and improve quality performance. No extra hardware or configuration support is required, Webex Calling architecture and Webex app will support ICE to automatically improve call performance.
Webex app with Unified Communications Manager (UCM)
Record your phone calls
If you’re set up by your administrator to record calls, you can now start, stop, pause and restart recordings (pause and restart via UCM Cloud only) as needed during your call, providing flexibility and greater control. If the call is being recorded, the recording continues if you move the call to another device, merge the call with another active call, or make it a conference call. As always, a visual indicator light will be visible to let you know when a call is being recorded. (Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android)
Calling presence
IP phone and Webex app status for on-hook, off-hook and do not disturb (DND) are synchronized for UCM calling. Set your status as Do Not Disturb (DND) on Webex App, and your IP phones will also be set to DND. This synchronized presence results in a more complete view of your contacts availability across your enterprise. This requires admin support to on-board UCM nodes to cloud-connected UC.
Simplified redirect URI for single sign-on
Webex app users with UCM calling can experience simplified sign-on options. With this update, users only have to log in once to use both UCM and Webex app calling services. End users accessing an external browser for single sign-on, can cross launch the Webex app using an SSO redirect URI when the Webex app is registered with UCM calling. This requires Expressway X14, to support MRA usage.
DEVICES
Webex Edge for Devices: Meeting experiences
Webex Edge for Devices enables your video device to join Webex meetings natively. Extend cloud only Webex Meetings features for devices to your on-premises deployment including: bi-directional whiteboarding, advanced mute controls, facial recognition and name labels, host controls and more.
Immersive Share: Get the best out of your presentations
Deliver more engaging presentations, by placing yourself in front of any content you share from your computer. The presentation and video are both sent in the content stream so you will stay in focus until you stop sharing. This is available on the Desk Pro through the floating content bar.
5×5 grid view for meetings
See all your meeting participants in one screen. New 5×5 grid layouts will be available for Room Series, Board Series and Desk Pro. Supported for switched meetings only.
Get a fast meeting start: Admit all
Get your meeting started quickly. With the new Admit All feature, the host and co-host can accept everyone waiting in the lobby at the same time, by pressing a single button
Background noise removal and audio enhancement
Get an outstanding meeting experience, even in a noisy environment. Now available on the Webex DX80 device: background noise removal and voice enhancement. Noise removal processing is done locally on the device which means the feature is available in Webex meeting, 1:1 calls, even 3rd party meetings.
Full language keyboard layout
Every language available for the device’s user interface will now have a keyboard layout as well.
Layout menu improvements
Easy options to select your screen layout preference. A new, more modern layout menu displays the different options available for layouts on each device.
Cisco Webex Wireless Phone – 840
Introducing the Webex Wireless Phone 840 a ruggedized Wi-Fi smart phone for the frontline worker. The 840 is IP65 ruggedized, both water and dust resistant with a 4” gorilla glass touch screen. The phone has an 8MP camera with grid view, 5MP front camera to easily capture images on-site. Shift work communications are made easy with a swappable battery, plus enterprise grade voice quality, app integration, Cisco security, and registers to Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM) as a native device. Learn more
CONTACT CENTER
IMImobile acquisition completed
IMImobile’s suite of products and solutions contributes to Cisco’s customer experience-as-a-service (CXaaS) vision. Learn more here
CONTROL HUB, SECURITY AND EDGE SERVICES
If you are an admin, Webex Control Hub places management, monitoring, troubleshooting, analytics, edge and hybrid services across all your collaboration resources in one pane of glass.
Webex For Government: FedRAMP authorized
Webex for Government is now FedRAMP authorized. Government users can enjoy the all new Webex for calling, meeting and messaging. Learn more here
Getting started with Webex Control Hub
New to Webex? Take advantage of getting started resources on Webex Control Hub. Control Hub acts as a coach to help IT admins adopt best-practice setup, adoption and performance measures through a scoring mechanism.
Report scheduling capabilities
We’re making it easier for IT administrators to automate the execution of multiple monthly reports. Now you can schedule reports through Webex Control Hub to run automatically in recurring fashion. Frequency can be daily, weekly or monthly.
Analytics- Video Mesh
In March, Video Mesh real-time analytics will be available in a new user-friendly layout, that includes contextual filtering and faster load times. Understand call join times, meeting usage overall and by client type as well as call-overflow so you can optimize performance with Webex Video Mesh.
Trending: Proactive notification alerts for audio and video network quality
Proactively take action based on insights gained from daily and weekly network metric alerts. Understand network quality trends at a site-wide level or specific location.
UCM Cloud notification service (UCM Cloud)
An IT admin or partner can select, from a list, proactive notification of events and alarms, to accelerate troubleshooting and remediation of issues occurring outside the UCM Cloud system, such as an enterprise network issues, or on-premises equipment issues.
COMING SOON
Real-time translation for Webex Meetings
In late March, Webex will begin a trial of real-time translation – from English to 100+ languages (note not all dialects included in translations). That means, non-native English speakers and/or hearing-impaired participants can choose closed captioning translation from English to one of the 108 additional languages supported from Afrikaans to Zulu . Real-time translation aids understanding and creates a more inclusive meeting, where language no longer be a barrier to great collaboration. More information on the trial will be on Webex.com, including any restrictions, later this month. See it in action:
For more information on all of these features and upcoming updates to Webex, please visit the What’s New Articles for Webex Services
Resources
Ready to make the switch to the new Webex?
Learn more
Learn more about Webex, join one of our upcoming training sessions
About The Author
