Accelerate service deployment
Get your conferencing up and running quickly – and keep it up-to-date
Set up robust conferencing services in one place
VQ Conference Manager provides a single portal through which you configure your video and audio conferencing service on Cisco Meeting Server
Once you’ve configured your call bridge (which you do directly on the Cisco Meeting Server), VQ Conference Manager provides the tools you need to provision and configure robust, predictable services that work exactly the way you want.
All the settings you need, clearly presented
VQ Conference Manager’s setup screens put all the configuration options your administrators need at their fingertips
This gives them an at-a-glance overview of the possibilities – and removes the complexity of using the Cisco Meeting Server API.
The software also gives you peace of mind by checking your configurations for inconsistencies or conflicts that could result in your service working erratically. This helps ensure you deliver predictable conferencing that your organization will trust and adopt.
Adapt your conferencing service to meet changing needs
Successful conferencing services continually adapt to meet the evolving needs of your organization and users
With VQ Conference Manager, your administrators can update the way the service behaves. They can add new call types or modify existing ones, then apply the changes to all meeting Spaces of this call type.
Making these changes through VQ Conference Manager is much faster, easier and less risky than doing so manually via the Cisco Meeting Server API.
Automated user and meeting Space provisioning from LDAP or Active Directory
Automatically and sustainably provision and manage video conferencing users and meeting Spaces, by integrating with LDAP or Active Directory
VQ Conference Manager (formerly Acano Manager) links with your corporate user-management system. This automates the process of adding, managing and removing users and their meeting Spaces, cutting the time taken per user from minutes to around a second.
Automated syncing with your central user-management system ensures the lists of users and Spaces on your Cisco Meeting Servers are always up to date. Based on your configuration, individuals are automatically set up as the correct type of conferencing user and provided with an appropriate meeting Space – without your administrators needing to lift a finger.
LDAP or Active Directory setup
Configure VQ Conference Manager to link with your corporate LDAP or Active Directory service in simple steps
When you use VQ Conference Manager, your administrators set up LDAP configurations for each type of video conferencing user you need. This could include administrators, call operators and one or more flavours of regular user, perhaps based on seniority, location or the type of conferencing service they need.
You use attributes from your LDAP tree, such as job grade, to determine which users to import. You then define the types of call this group can make, by assigning an appropriate meeting Space template.
For example, you might want your management team to make full HD calls, while for other employees, standard definition is sufficient. Read more about this type of service tiering.
Importing and updating your Cisco Meeting Server user and meeting Space list
Once your LDAP configurations are ready, use them to import your video conferencing users. The initial import takes around one second per user. This process also sets up their always-available call Spaces (virtual meeting rooms), based on the template you define in the LDAP configuration
VQ Conference Manager enables you to schedule this import process to run automatically, thereby ensuring your video conferencing user base is always up to date when people join, leave or move roles.
The update process is typically even faster than the initial import, as it only alters those users whose details have changed.
And as part of the import process, you can automatically email users with instructions on how to use the service and their username and Space details.
Create tiered services
Not all calls on your Cisco Meeting Server system will be the same: successful services offer different call experiences, depending on the context
A conference where your management team presents to the entire company will need to be set up very differently from an informal meeting between team members, or one involving a salesperson and a prospective client.
VQ Conference Manager enables you to create tiered services that match the needs of different groups of users and circumstances –without the complexity of using the Cisco Meeting Server API.
Tailor in-call experiences to different situations
We give you the flexibility to set up the right in-call experiences for all your users, in a variety of circumstances
Should all participants be able to speak, or can some only observe? Do you want a chairperson in control of the call, or is a more informal, all-participants-equal setup what you need? Do you require true HD video, or will standard definition or even audio-only suffice? Does access need to be controlled using passcodes?
VQ Conference Manager enables you to define these options and more, using the flexible meeting Space templates. These templates, which can be applied to specific users or groups, ensure they get the right in-call experience for their needs, and that it’s the same every time.
This combination of predictability and convenience is essential when it comes to building the ‘it-just-works’ trust in your service that’s necessary for widespread adoption.
White-glove services for premium users
Extra assurance that your high-priority users’ calls will run smoothly
You may want to ensure your management team’s calls, for example, are scheduled and then monitored by a specific operator, for extra assurance that everything will run smoothly.
VQ Conference Manager helps you run this type of ‘white-glove’ premium offering for selected individuals, alongside self-service conferencing for the rest of your workforce.
Notify individuals of their username, meeting Space and service access details automatically
To use your conferencing service, people need to know what their username, dial-in details and passcodes are – as well as how to access the system. VQ Conference Manager enables you to automatically email this information to your users as they are provisioned
The emailer tools can be set up to notify new users of their conferencing details, as soon as these are set up. The emails can also contain instructions on how to use the service and information on who to contact if there’s a problem.
Send one-off updates to any group of users
Notify part or all of your workforce if you need to change their existing conferencing details
Your administrators can use the emailer tools in VQ Conference Manager to send one-off updates to groups of users in your organization.
If you ever need to make changes to meeting Space naming conventions or passcode complexity requirements, for example, this capability ensures your users are aware of the change and can continue using the service.