The 7900 Cisco series has been at the forefront of business communication for quite some time now, but it appears that’s about to change. While this is yet to be set in stone, or digital information—the more recent 8800 series is an indication that a new series of VoIP communications will be an industry standard.
A big jump in number with an even bigger jump in features.
While the 7945g, 7965g, and the 7975g models all had a large backlit color display, their new counter parts (CP-8841-K9, CP8851-K9, CP-8861-K9), each feature a significant jump in color and resolution. How much? Well 16-bit to 24-bit, and from 320-240 to 800-480. Otherwise known as a jump from standard definition to high definition. A jump that is rather exponential in clarity and overall picture. They’re also offering a monochromatic model (CP-8811-K9), a colorless version that includes many of the benefits found in the 8800 series.
As a consumer, we’re rather numb to new features because we often find that these new features tend to become obsolete in years to come. Or they just don’t make that big of a difference. But with the new 8800 series, we’re seeing a plethora of features that have a direct correlation with user experience benefits, and built-in features that are cost-effective for big and small business alike.
So what are those other benefits?
For the business professional of the new, albeit not-so-new mobile era, the 8800 series offers telephony feature integration with personal mobile devices using Cisco Intelligent Proximity for Mobile Voice. As well as, Cisco on-premises, hosted, Spark cloud and third-party hosted call control platforms. These make it much easier for each party to connect from various locations, which in turn saves time and money. And support for Cisco Expressway gives remote workers single sign-on access without a VPN client. Given that just about everyone has had issues signing on with a VPN client—I think we all can breathe a sigh of relief.
Other features include one-button dialing and expanded status detail with optional Cisco IP Phone 8800 Key Expansion Module. Yes, that means shiny new things that add shiny new benefits. One of the biggest advancements is the integration of Cisco EnergyWise which reduces energy costs and carbon footprint in off-work hours. Again, another benefit in saving time and money—the underlying theme of the 8800 series.
That’s a lot to consume, but given that a majority of the global businesses will be calling the 8800 series their communication hubs, it’s better we address them now. And it’s really exciting. The advancements made from 7900 to 8800 can and will be, undoubtedly seen and heard. How long the 7900 series will continue to be sold or updated is yet to be determined, but I think it’s fair to assume that 8800 series is Cisco’s new king of VoIP communications.
