June has been immense for the VQ Team – with one of our most successful showings at Cisco Live in San Diego, the latest instalment of our myth-busting blog series and a well-earned break by the sea to reconnect in person.

This month’s newsletter recaps some of our highlights and points you to our newly refreshed website, where you can dive deeper into the world of secure, self-hosted conferencing.

Read on for:

• Cisco Live US and Giles Adams’ interview with Cisco
• Our blog debunking the myth of ‘limited features’ for on-premise solutions
• An update from VQ’s CEO
• The new, refreshed VQ homepage

Latest from VQ

VQ at Cisco Live US – Watch our interview on self-hosted solutions

What a week at Cisco Live! The VQ Team spent the week connecting with partners, customers and Cisco to showcase how VQ Conference Manager delivers secure, video conferencing solutions.

If you missed it, don’t worry – Giles Adams, VQ CEO, joined Cisco’s live broadcast to discuss:

• Why on-premise conferencing is thriving
• How VQ supports defence, government and highly secure deployments
• What’s next for the Cisco + VQ partnership

Watch the full interview below!

What’s new at VQ?

Dispelling the myth: On-prem lacks features

In part two of our blog series tackling myths about self-hosted video conferencing, we address one of the most common misconceptions:

That on-premise means limited functionality or poor user experience.

Not true.

From seamless Cisco Meeting Server integration to transcription and translation, VQ Conference Manager enables organisations to deliver the same polished experience users expect from the cloud – with total control.

Missed part one? Catch up here.

Inside VQ

An update from VQ’s CEO

“Earlier this month, the VQ Team took some well-earned time away from screens and servers with a coastal company day in the UK. It was a chance to reconnect and celebrate what we’re building at VQ.

“We’re incredibly proud of the momentum behind VQ right now – from the feedback we had at Cisco Live to the energy at our team day, it’s clear we’re building something that matters.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our customers, partners and community. 

Your support continues to shape the future of secure, self-hosted video conferencing.”  — Giles Adams, Chief Executive Officer at VQ

Explore our refreshed website

We’ve given vqcomms.com a fresh look, with clearer product overviews and easier access to the resources that matter most.

Take a look and explore what’s new!

Will you be at Cisco Live US next month? Read on for our plans at the event and what our team will be showcasing in San Diego.

This month’s newsletter also features our new informative blog series dispelling the myths around self-hosted videoconferencing, and an update on our service support in June.

Read on for:

• Cisco Live US, as we return for another year
• Our new blog series – Dispelling the Myths…
• Upcoming service support notification

Latest from VQ

Cisco Live US is back

Cisco Live in San Diego is just around the corner and we’re busy finishing all our preparations for the show. The VQ team will be at Booth 1921 from June 8 – 12, demonstrating how we help organisations deliver:

• Secure, air-gapped conferencing
• Advanced Cisco device management
• Deep insights with curated analytics
• High-scale meeting performance

 Book a meeting with our team at the event here.

What’s new at VQ?

Dispelling the myth – On-premise is dying

Cloud platforms may dominate the headlines, but the reality is very different – on-premise video conferencing is far from dead. In fact, it’s the preferred choice for security-conscious organisations worldwide.

Our newest blog breaks down the myth that self-hosted solutions are outdated, using deep insights from credible industry data and Cisco’s continued investment in Cisco Meeting Server.

Read the full blog here.

This blog kicks off a new VQ blog series that will tackle many common myths, including the idea that on-prem lacks features or that it’s only suitable for massive enterprises. Stay tuned for more soon and feel free to share your myths with us.

Inside VQ

Upcoming service support

Team spirit is the glue that holds VQ together and we have an upcoming company day on June 4 and June 5. As a business with a progressive work-from-anywhere policy, this is an excellent chance for our team to reconnect in person and strengthen the bonds that power our innovative platform.

As a result of this team time, we will have a reduced support service across this two-day period with our office and support desk closed.

Please do not change or upgrade your production services during this period.

If you have a system down outage or emergency, please contact support@vqcomms.com or call our “Out of Hours Support” line where we will triage the problem and, if required, escalate the issue.

Out of Hours Support Number: +44 1249 470 146

Thank you for your understanding and support!

With Cisco Live US on the horizon, the VQ Team is entering a season of travel. This newsletter has the full rundown on where you can see VQ in the coming months.

We also preview our extended guide to self-hosted conferencing and take a look at VQ Conference Manager 4.6.

Read on for:

• VQ Conference Manager 4.6
• GITEX and FEINDEF 25
• More upcoming travel news
• Full guide to self-hosted conferencing

Latest from VQ Conference Manager

VQ Conference Manager 4.6 is now available

4.6 is the latest major update to VQ Conference Manager, bringing new fixes and improvements to address book features, including: 

• Nested Address Books
• Locational Address Books
• LDAP as Address Book Source
• MTR room support in DMA

Read this Knowledge Base article for the full release notes.

Join the team on Thursday 8th May for the 4.6 release webinar.

What’s new at VQ?

Why self-host video conferencing?

Cloud platforms like Zoom and Teams are everywhere – but they’re not built for organizations with serious security, compliance, or data sovereignty needs. 

Read the full blog to find out why self-hosting your video conferencing is the way forward.

In our latest blog, we break down:

• What really happens to your meeting data in the cloud
• Why encryption alone isn’t enough
• How cloud platforms trade security for features
• The hidden risks to data residency and sovereignty
• How VQ Conference Manager delivers full-featured, secure, self-hosted conferencing

Read the full blog to find out why more organizations are taking control of their virtual meeting data — and how you can too.

Inside VQ

GITEX Africa, Feindef 25 and more

This month, the VQ Team made an appearance in Morocco at GITEX Africa, walking the floor and meeting with tech leaders from across the globe and members of the Cisco community. Thank you to everyone who met with Graeme and Ahmed during the event!

Coming up in May, VQ will be exhibiting at FEINDEF 25 in Madrid, Spain for the first time. You’ll be able to find us at stand 8B06d from 12 – 14 May.

Book a meeting at the event here.

Upcoming travel plans

We’ve got even more events coming up throughout this year, including:

• 21 – 23 May: GITEX Europe in Berlin, Germany 
• 8 – 12 June: Cisco Live US in San Diego, California, US
• 24 – 26 June: Cisco Partner Virtual Training in Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 18 – 21 August: Technet in Augusta, Georgia, US
• 29 September – 1 October: WebexOne in San Diego, California, US

Stay tuned to our events page for the latest travel updates.

Subscribe to our mailing list for the latest updates from VQ.

In our March newsletter, we explore the topic of self-hosted, on-premise video conferencing solutions in our latest blog and we’ve also published a brand new VQ&A episode.

We also share the latest VQ Conference Manager release updates and highlight some key reasons to migrate from Cisco TMS to VQ DMA.

Read on for:

• VQ Conference Manager 4.5.1
• 5 reasons to migrate from Cisco TMS to DMA
• Our new blog exploring self-hosted conferencing
• The latest VQ&A covering on-premise and cloud conferencing

Latest from VQ Conference Manager

VQ Conference Manager 4.5.1 is now available

4.5.1 is a general patch release with fixes and improvements across Meeting Services, DMA, and Analytics. It also includes several customer-requested/driven feature enhancements.

Please read this Knowledge Base article for a complete list of changes, new functionality, and bugs.

5 reasons to migrate from Cisco TMS to VQ DMA

Cisco TMS’s end-of-life is approaching, and Cisco’s recommended replacement, VQ DMA, is ready to fill the gap.

Our latest guide covers the key reasons to move your conferencing management over to VQ DMA, including:

1. TMS is End-of-Sale
2. DMA fills the gaps in TMS’ old architecture
3. It eliminates Windows server dependency
4. Improves integration with Microsoft Exchange
5. TMS doesn’t provide support for the latest features in CMS & Devices

Read the full guide here

Please get in touch with support@vqcomms.com to start your migration.

What’s new at VQ?

The power of data security in self-hosted video conferencing

In our new blog series, the VQ Team is exploring the world of self-hosted conferencing solutions in depth, covering:

• What self-hosted conferencing actually means
• How these solutions differ from cloud-based infrastructure
• Why self-hosted conferencing is a must for security-conscious organisations

We’ll explore all these questions and more over the coming weeks. We have published the first in this series, covering the number one reason organisations choose self-hosted conferencing: data security.

Read the full blog here.

Key differences between cloud and on-premise conferencing

The latest episode of VQ&A is live, with Steve Holmes and Graeme Fish delving into the key differences between cloud and on-premise videoconferencing, and which is the right fit for you.

This episode covers:

• Reasons companies choose on-premise over cloud
• How setup and maintenance differ between on-premise and cloud solutions
• The biggest misconceptions around on-premise solutions

Watch the full episode below…

If you haven’t already, subscribe to our mailing list to stay updated on the latest VQ content and travel updates.

Hot off the heels of ISE, LEAP and Cisco Live EMEA, the VQ Team have continued to deliver an exciting new product release for VQ Conference Manager.

In this milestone newsletter, we say hello to VQ’s new CEO, reflect on our most recent product updates and more.

Read on for:

• VQ appoints new CEO
• Latest release of Metro 1.2 and VQ Conference Manager 4.5
• An update for customers still using VQCM 3.x
• We look back at the highlights from recent travel

Inside VQ

VQ appoints Giles Adams as its new CEO

We would like to share the news that founder Mike Horsley is retiring as VQ’s CEO. We thank Mike for his countless years of dedication building VQ into the trailblazing company it has become. Mike will continue in a consultative role at VQ.

Mike’s retirement will see Giles Adams take on the role of CEO. 

Giles has held a longstanding position at VQ as one of its directors since the company was founded in 2006 and has played a key role in the company’s growth as part of its sales engine.

There are exciting times ahead, and we look forward to the future of VQ in this new iteration.

Latest from VQ Conference Manager

VQ Conference Manager 4.5 and Metro 1.2 now available

For anyone who might have missed the news, we have released two new product updates for VQ Conference Manager and Metro over the last few weeks.

VQ Conference Manager 4.5 includes:

• DMA Certificate Management (for devices)
• DMA Macro Management
• Meeting Services Pane Placement enhancements

The full release notes for 4.5 can be read here

Metro 1.2 includes several improvements to our self-service conferencing app: 

• Metro Dual Stream
• Metro for Teams
• Metro Voice
• Hybrid Calendar

We have hosted two webinars demoing the new functionality and showing a preview of our 2025 product roadmap. Watch them on-demand here.

Migration from VQ Conference Manager 3.x to 4.x

For our customers still using VQ Conference Manager 3.x, we strongly recommend migrating over to the 4.x platform, which comes with no additional cost.

You can read the full 3.x end-of-sale and end-of-life announcement for VQ Conference Manager 3.x here.

Please note that the last date of support for 3.x is 30th June 2025.

Watch this video to learn more:

Please get in touch with support@vqcomms.com to start your migration.

What’s new at VQ?

VQ travel highlights

The team has been travelling across the globe in recent weeks exhibiting at industry conferences to showcase the best of VQ Conference Manager.

At Cisco Live EMEA, the VQ stand was a hive of activity as the Cisco community descended upon Amsterdam. We had a great time demoing VQ Conference Manager 4.5 and had an outstanding turnout to Barry and Isidro’s talk in the Speakers Corner about ‘Keeping Cisco Collaboration on-premise’.

LEAP 2025 was also a great opportunity to connect with new and familiar faces in Riyadh. We exhibited alongside Cisco and were thrilled to be presented with a Technology Sponsor Award by the Cisco team during the event.

Looking ahead, we’re already gearing up for our biggest showcase of the year at Cisco Live US in San Diego, California.

Sign up to our mailing list for updates on our upcoming travel and product releases.

We’re kicking off 2025 with the latest release of VQ Conference Manager!

Our January newsletter features an overview of the new VQ Conference Manager 4.5 release and we share details of our upcoming webinars. We also take a look at the VQ Team’s travel plans for Cisco Live EMEA and LEAP.

Read on for:

• VQ Conference Manager 4.5 release information
• Our attendance at Cisco Live EMEA and LEAP
• Details of our upcoming webinars

Latest from VQ Conference Manager

VQ Conference Manager 4.5 is available now

This month marks the latest release update for VQ Conference Manager. Version 4.5 brings several new improvements and features for DMA and Meeting Services, including:

• DMA Certificate Management (for devices)
• DMA Macro Management
• Meeting Services Pane Placement enhancements

You can read the full release notes here.

On Tuesday 28th January at 4PM (GMT), we will be hosting a webinar exploring the new functionality coming with this update including live demonstrations. 

The webinar will also feature a preview of our 2025 product roadmap, and a Q&A session with the VQ Team.

Register for the webinar here.

Metro 1.2 release webinar

On Wednesday 19th February at 3pm (GMT), we’ll be hosting a webinar on the latest update for VQ Metro.

The 1.2 release includes added functionality for:


• Metro Dual Stream
• Metro for Teams
• Metro Voice
• Hybrid Calendar

If you have any questions about this Metro release or upcoming features, we recommend attending this session.

Register here.

What’s new at VQ?

Cisco Live EMEA and LEAP 2025

The VQ Team has an event-filled month right around the corner, as we’ll be exhibiting at two global conferences this February. Here’s our upcoming schedule:

🇸🇦 LEAP 2025 – 9th to 12th February: We will be attending LEAP in Riyadh and exhibiting on the Cisco stand in Hall 1. We’ll be sharing a preview of what’s on the way for DMA, Meeting Services and more.

🇳🇱 Cisco Live EMEA – 10th to 14th February: We’ll be exhibiting in Amsterdam on stand B09 in the World of Solutions. We’re also excited to share that at Cisco Live, Barry Pascolutti and Isidro Fernandez will be hosting a Speaker’s Corner session on Monday 10th February at 1:40pm. Find out more here.

For full details on our upcoming schedule and to arrange meetings with the team at either conference, go to our events page.

Inside VQ

Cisco and Partners only: TMS end of life webinar

Do you still have customers using Cisco TMS? As this platform approaches its end of life, many customers need a suitable replacement.

VQ DMA is the Cisco-recommended replacement for Cisco TMS and has been built to replicate and improve on many of it’s top features. 

In this upcoming session for the Partner and Cisco community, the VQ team will be covering:

• How does DMA compare with TMS?
• What is the migration process from TMS to DMA?
• What environments is DMA suitable for
• The benefits of migrating to DMA
• Key selling points of DMA
• How to quote DMA to your customers

This webinar will be on Thursday 30th January at 2pm (GMT). Register for the webinar here.

Thank you for reading this months newsletter! To stay up to date with the latest news and updates from VQ, follow us on Linkedin.

As the VQ Team prepares for the holidays, we reflect on a fantastic 2024.

Our final newsletter of the year covers our support hours for the Christmas and New Year break, our latest blog on migration to VQ DMA and thoughts from CEO Mike Horsley.

Read on for:

• Holiday support hours
• Top five benefits of migrating from Cisco TMS to VQ DMA
• Mike Horsley reflects on VQ’s 2024

Latest from VQ

Holiday support hours

With the holiday season fast approaching, the VQ Team will be taking some much-deserved time to rest and recharge. 

During the Christmas and New Year period, we will have a reduced support team available on these dates:

• Monday, 23rd December: Sales and support offices open as normal
• Tuesday, 24th December:
  • Offices open until 2:00 PM UK time
  • Email support available until 5:00 PM UK time
• Wednesday, 25th December – Thursday, 26th December: Offices closed
• Friday, 27th December – Tuesday, 31st December:
  • Offices closed
  • Email support available (until 2:00 PM UK time on 31st December)
• Wednesday, 1st January: Offices closed
• Thursday, 2nd January: Offices reopen as normal

We recommend that you do not make any changes or attempt any upgrades to your production services from 23rd December to 2nd January.

We will be responding to support tickets via email, but there might be cases where the response is delayed. Rest assured, we will follow up once the team is back at full strength on 2nd January. 


If you experience a system outage, please contact us via our “Out of Hours Support” line. We will triage the issue and escalate it as needed.

Out of Hours Support Number: +44 1249 470 146 

What’s new at VQ?

Top five benefits of migrating from Cisco TMS to VQ DMA

As Cisco TMS approaches its end-of-life, organisations need to plan their migration to VQ DMA, the Cisco-recommended replacement.

For those on the fence about migrating from TMS, our Solutions Architect Abhijit Dey has put together a blog outlining the top five benefits of moving to DMA, covering:

• Key dates in the TMS end-of-life timeline
• How DMA addresses architectural gaps in TMS
• Removing the reliance on Windows servers
• Enhanced integration with Microsoft Exchange
• Full support for the latest CMS features

Read the full blog here

Inside VQ

As we approach the end of the year, CEO Mike Horsley reflects on a very successful 2024 and the path VQ has taken to get here:

“First of all, I’d like to thank all our customers for being our customers. You are why we are here; without you, there is no VQ. So, a very big thank you.

As an overnight success, I think it is fair to say that VQ has been a dismal failure. We’re heading towards being 25 years old, so the success that we’re seeing has been a long time coming.

We are seeing excellent momentum across the board. We’ve had our most successful year, and, depending on what happens in the next 4-5 weeks, we have a good chance of doubling our bookings from last year.

Customers and what they pay us are our lifeblood. Therefore, we focus on customers: the problems you want us to solve and the next-generation services you want to deliver.

Some incredible orders from some incredible customers have been big components of the doubling this year, which has enabled us to hire more engineers and grow the whole team. We are now a long way from VQ day one with an empty desk and not even any paper clips.

Our technology platform goes from strength to strength. Our team continues to grow, and, really importantly, people stay. 

The cumulative knowledge and ability of the team to deliver just keeps growing. One of my greatest pleasures and senses of achievements is the truly remarkable team we have managed to create. 

To conclude, 2024 has been a very good year for VQ and we think you’ll like what we have been working on.”

Thank you for reading and being a part of our journey. 

Happy Holidays and here’s to a great 2025! Stay updated on everything VQ by following us on LinkedIn.

For our November newsletter we’re excited to share our new market trends report, examining the security requirements for government agencies that need mission-critical conferencing.

In light of Cisco’s recent TMS end-of-sale announcement, we’re also sharing details of the migration process to DMA.

Read on for:

• Cisco’s end-of-sale dates for Cisco TMS
• Our market trends report with GovLoop
• Welcome messages from the newest members of the VQ Team

Latest from VQ Conference Manager

Cisco TMS end-of-life timeline

Cisco has announced the upcoming dates for Cisco TMS going end-of-sale and end-of-life over the next 18 months.

The last day to order TMS is May 2, 2025, and software maintenance will cease on May 2, 2026. Organisations using this solution have limited time, so they should begin migrating to the Cisco-recommended replacement for TMS – VQ DMA.

VQ DMA was developed in collaboration with Cisco to replicate and innovate on Cisco TMS’ suite of features. It enables users to manage and maintain the devices behind their organisation’s video conferencing.

This new video explains how the migration process from TMS to DMA works.

What’s new at VQ?

Mission-critical conferencing report

We’ve partnered with GovLoop, a US government social network, to discuss the importance and value of on-premise video conferencing for government agencies. 

This joint report explores:

• An overview of secure, on-premise video conferencing
• The key challenges faced by government agencies
• Best practice for delivering mission-critical conferencing

In this snippet, VQ’s CEO Mike Horsley explains why the cloud isn’t an option for some agencies:

“There are a lot of places in federal government where the voice and video, everything that’s being discussed, is too sensitive to entrust to a cloud service that might, for example, go via a third-party country or be exposed to the wrong people.”

Read the full report here

Inside VQ

Say hello to the newest members of the VQ Team

We’re rounding out 2024 with some exciting team growth. Over the last few weeks, we’ve added Isidro and Millie to our Sales and Customer Success teams. 

They both recently shared their thoughts on getting started at VQ:

“At VQ, I will continue working with the Canadian customers I was supporting at Cisco while also looking after Spanish customers and other initiatives in the European market. I’ve only been with the VQ team for a few weeks now, but they’ve made me feel incredibly welcome and we’ve really hit the ground running.”– Isidro, Business Development Manager

“I’m so excited to be joining the VQ Team as Customer Success Manager. I’ll be working alongside Joel Price to ensure our customers have all the support they need to unlock the full value of VQ. 

“I look forward to reaching out to many more of our existing customers in the coming weeks (some of you may have heard from me already) and onboarding those of you who are new to VQ in the coming months.” – Millie, Customer Success Manager

Thank you for reading. We’ll be releasing plenty of exciting new content and product updates in the coming weeks, so follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date

Over the last few weeks, the VQ Team have attended several conferences meeting up with members of the Cisco and Partner community. Having previewed our upcoming roadmap and collected some early feedback, we can’t wait to share more about what’s on the way.

This month’s newsletter features some perspectives from Steve Holmes on VQ’s recent market activity and a summary of our recent training session hosted by Cisco.

Read on for:

• VQ Team around the globe
• Migrating from VQCM 3.x to 4.x
• Our Collaboration Specialist Training with Cisco

What’s new at VQ?

VQ Team around the globe

The team have been extensively travelling all over the world over the last few weeks. From the Middle East to the United States, meeting with customers, partners and advocates across the VQ community has been fantastic.

Some of our highlights include GITEX’s 2024 global conference, DoDIIS and WebexOne.

Steve Holmes, VP of Sales, shared his thoughts on VQ’s recent events:

“We’ve had an incredible reception from Cisco, partners and customers over the last few weeks, especially everyone’s reception to our roadmap for VQ Conference Manager.

“DoDIIS has been a particular highlight, showcasing VQ’s value and importance for mission-critical infrastructure for customers in the defence sector. Thank you to everyone who met with us in October – we hope to see you again soon.”

Latest from VQ Conference Manager

Migrate from VQCM 3.x to 4.x

For customers still on VQ Conference Manager 3.x, we strongly recommend migrating to our new 4.x platform.

3.x is end of life, meaning all future updates will take place on Conference Manager 4.x.

The 4.x platform is loaded with powerful new features designed to make conferencing on Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) easier than ever, including:

• File Server
• CUCM Connector
• Device Firmware Deployment
• Call Builder
• Filters
• And more

We know migrating technology can be daunting, so watch our breakdown of the 3.x to 4.x migration process that explains how simple a change it is:

Collaboration Specialist Training with Cisco

For those in the Cisco ecosystem, the VQ Team joined Cisco for a Collaboration Specialist Training session earlier this month. The session was “CMS Update and TMS to VQ Migration”, and covered the CMS and CMM roadmap.

During this session, the VQ Team presented VQ DMA as the Cisco-recommended replacement for the now end of sale TMS product.

Our section featured a detailed overview of DMA and how it can replace TMS, as well as an explanation of the TMS to DMA migration journey.

Watch the session on demand here (Please note: this recording can only be accessed if you have a Salesconnect account)

Thank you, as always, for reading our newsletter. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our mailing list for the latest updates on VQ Conference Manager. You can also follow us on Linkedin.