We’re in the final stretch of 2023 and hitting the ground running. The VQ Team had a fantastic time at Cisco IMPACT in Vegas, and we’re already looking to our next event – GITEX Dubai.

In this month’s newsletter, we share details of an upcoming webinar and our latest deep dive on VQ DMA migration.

Read on for…

·     Reflection on Cisco IMPACT 2023

·     Plans for GITEX Dubai 2023

·     VQCM 3.12 release

·     Upcoming Metro Webinar

·     Our new VQ DMA migration guide 

·     A word with VQ CEO Mike Horsley

What’s new at VQ?

GITEX Dubai

From October 16^th to the 20^th, the VQ Team will sponsor and attend GITEX GLOBAL’s event at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

GITEX is an excellent opportunity for customers and partners in the Middle East to get hands-on with VQCM and our Cisco-recommended replacement for TMS – VQ DMA.

Those attending the event can find us on the Cisco stand in Za’abeel Hall at stand # – Z1 C20. We’ll have access to meeting rooms to go through everything new and forthcoming with VQ Conference Manager. We also have an allocation of customer passes available for free entry to the show.

Following GITEX, we are spending three days in Riyadh for those of you who can’t make it to the Dubai event.

While in Riyadh, we will be running a partner workshop at Cisco’s Riyadh office.

Get in touch with Steve (sholmes@vqcomms.com) to arrange a meeting.

Cisco IMPACT

Giles, Steve, Joel and Mike recently attended Cisco IMPACT in Las Vegas. We were also very pleased to have been invited to the event and join Cisco in the Four Seasons’ Presidential Suite.

VQ DMA was a hot topic at the event, with much interest around the migration journey from Cisco TMS, now that the product’s End of Life has been announced.

Learn how we make this journey as stress-free as possible in our latest blog.

Cisco Corner

VQ launches VQCM 3.12

We’re delighted to announce the launch of VQ Conference Manager 3.12, representing a significant milestone for us here at VQ.

Our latest release completes the first phase of our DMA suite, adding Device Maintenance to our existing OBTP, Directory Services and Device Configuration functionality.

Device Maintenance is all about knowing what is happening to your device fleet and, where required, being able to troubleshoot and onboard new devices.

VQ’s CEO, Mike Horsley, explains the latest functionality for 3.12 and our progress in 2023 in this new video.

Prefer to read? Find out more about VQCM 3.12 in our blog.

Upcoming Metro Webinar

Stay tuned… VQ Conference Manager Metro is coming soon; our brand new cross-platform, all-in-one user app.

On Thursday, 19^th October, at 4pm BST, we will host an Engineering Takeover webinar exploring the exciting capabilities Metro unlocks for users.

Register here

Inside VQ

A word from our CEO, Mike Horsley

“It was great to be back in Las Vegas at Cisco Impact. Our main messaging was VQ DMA, 3.12 and the TMS End of Life/Sale notification. We were very pleased with how many people came to us to learn more and expressed their interest in our offering. 

As is often said, these events are about people, meeting people you know and the conversations that flow through. It was great to catch up with a lot of known faces and start the cycle with a whole group of new ones. The exchange of ideas, challenges and requirements is always fascinating and one of the real pleasures of attending. It also influences us massively in terms of how the VQ journey evolves, so thank you to everybody who made time to come and talk with us.”

Sign up for our mailing list to get the latest updates from VQ

We’re with you every step of the way

System migrations can be stressful, especially if you’ve been using your legacy system for years or decades. We want to help by making the migration journey from Cisco’s TMS to VQ’s DMA as stress free and simple as possible.

From the very beginning, we developed VQ DMA as the natural replacement for TMS. We worked in close co-operation with Cisco throughout this development.

With the announcement of TMS’ end of life, it became clear that existing TMS environments will need to be migrated to DMA. Our goal has been to make this as planned and controlled as possible by developing a phased approach for you to manage your migration.

Are Cisco’s TMS and VQ’s DMA similar?

To make the migration process from TMS to DMA easier, the two systems have many commonalities. Let’s discuss their similarities and differences:

TMS has six modules of functionality:

• Portal – DMA Dashboard
• Booking – Scheduling and management (OBTP)
• Monitoring
• Systems – Device Configuration/Maintenance
• Phone Books – Directory Services
• Reporting – Reporting and Analytics (Kibana)

Like, Cisco’s TMS, VQ DMA has a similar modular approach with six modules:

• DMA Dashboard
• Scheduling and Management – OBTP
• DMA Configuration/Maintenance
• DMA Directory Services
• Reporting and Analytics (Kibana)

VQ DMA is not a direct replica of TMS, and this may take some time to adjust to.

We’ve given DMA’s areas of functionality different names. However, while they have different names, all available TMS functions are available and more, including:

• Cisco customers delivering collaboration services using on-premises deployed systems
• Using Cisco CMS and associated infrastructure

VQ Conference Manager (VQCM) functionality can be mapped to the six TMS modules. This enables customers currently running TMS to quickly and easily understand and navigate DMA.

One important difference between TMS and DMA, is that we haven’t directly replaced TMS monitoring (graphical monitoring function). That said, within the DMA dashboard we provide a rich visualization activity and performance data within your environment. This will be expanded over time.

The TMS to DMA journey migration path

We understand that TMS is deeply embedded into organisational conferencing environments. ‘Big Bang’ migration approaches aren’t often supported by existing users. We’ve developed DMA so customers can migrate in stages, running both TMS and DMA in parallel until a full migration has been completed.

To help make the migration process easier and enable quicker, streamlined adoption, we’ve developed a phased approach.

Four-step migration from TMS to VQ DMA:

The first phase of the TMS to DMA migration journey involves switching current bookings and schedule management. Here’s what that process looks like:

Step 1 – Meeting Services/Scheduling and Management

• Switch all new bookings to VQ Conference Manager
  • One button to push (OBTP)
    • Available since VQCM 3.9.0 Exchange Online integration planned to replace TMS EX
  • Outlook plug-in
    • Exchange Meeting Room Resources/Room Finder
    • “Meet Me” (Space call-in details only) and VQCM scheduled meetings
• Migrate existing bookings to VQ Conference Manager
  • Meeting extraction tooling
  • Creates new meetings using VQ Conference Manager methods
  • Replace meetings to be cancelled and communicated

In the second phase of the TMS to DMA migration journey, we focus on moving address book information into the DMA environment.

Step 2 – Directory Services – Address Books

• Switch endpoints to use VQ DMA Directory Services for ‘PhoneBooks’

The VQ DMA Address Books function is designed to replace TMS PhoneBooks. It:

• Replicates TMS hierarchical model
  • Uses same connection method
  • Tools to export/import existing Phone Books from TMS
  • Import connectors planned for CUCM and LDAP/AD
    

Once you’ve reached the third phase, you’re getting close to the end of your migration. This phase focuses on device configuration within the DMA environment.

Step 3 – Device Configuration

• Templates and Modules

The key part of configuration is our Templates Modules capability. It allows:

• Configuration management through templates and Cisco API
  • Enhance scheduling and automation
• Locations
  • Import or define the hierarchy of devices
• Labels – new feature in VQ DMA which did not exist in TMS
  • Add new labels for additional grouping/filtering

Finally, the fourth and final step in the TMS to DMA migration journey is device maintenance. Device maintenance ensures your DMA system is running smoothly, giving you access to a variety of features and functions, designed to ensure your system is always at peak performance.

Step 4 – Device Maintenance

• Device Maintenance provides access to the greatest number of features and functions in DMA:
  • Devices
  • Provisioning
  • Status
  • Activity monitoring
  • Health checks
  • Trouble shooting (change settings)
  • Security configuration management (replacing certificates etc.)
  • Firmware image management and deployment

This migration path, plus the planning and support provided by the VQ services team and your Cisco partner, will guide you through the process ensuring a smooth migration.

Once step four is complete, you have a fully up and running DMA that is ready to help you manage your environment. That means it’s time to turn off TMS.

Why migrate to VQ’s DMA?

Cisco’s TMS is coming to the end of its life. While there is plenty of time to get a replacement system in place, many organisations are using this opportunity to plan ahead and be proactive.

Benefits of migrating to DMA:

• DMA has all the capabilities you need to replace TMS in an on premise, CMS environment
• DMA can be deployed as modules. When migrating from TMS, you can choose to migrate module by module or in a single, step-by-step migration
• We’ve developed tooling to aid migration and minimize the amount of re-keying required, with our starting goal always being zero-rekeying

Want to find out more?

If you’re interested in what you’ve read so far, we have a number of other really useful videos in our ‘Learn more about DMA’ playlist.

And if you’re interested in buying VQ DMA, browse through our sales information.

Contact the VQ team for more information or stay up to date with the latest VQ news via our ‘Ask VQ’ Webex Space

Cisco IMPACT is only a few days away and we can’t wait to show you what we have in store for the event. Ahead of that, we’re hosting a webinar for the latest release of VQ Conference Manager – version 3.12.

This month’s newsletter also focuses on a major TMS announcement from Cisco and a message from our latest starter.

Read on for:

• VQCM 3.12 Webinar
• Cisco IMPACT
• Migrating to VQ DMA following Cisco’s TMS End of Life/End of Sale announcement
• VQ Learn More video series
• A word with our new starter

What’s new at VQ?

This Thursday, at 4pm (BST), we’re hosting a webinar for the VQCM 3.12 release.

The release includes the final phase of our DMA suite, Device Maintenance, which we will dive into on the webinar. In addition to Device Maintenance, we’ll be sharing a peek at Metro, our brand-new cross-platform end-user app.

During the webinar, we’ll address questions about Cisco’s TMS End of Sale/End of Life notification and walk you through the migration journey from TMS to VQ DMA.

Secure your space for the webinar here

Cisco Impact

Giles, Steve, Joel and Mike will be heading out to Las Vegas next week for Cisco IMPACT 2023. You will find us at Booth PS49 in the hub. 

This year, we’re also delighted to have been invited by Cisco to be part of the additional sessions in the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons.

If you’re looking to replace TMS, we will be available to speak with you in person about our Cisco-recommended replacement, VQ DMA.

To prebook a meeting with us during Impact, you can book a session with us here

Cisco Corner

Cisco makes TMS End of Life/End of Sale announcement

Earlier this month, Cisco’s TMS product page was updated to announce that the End of Sale process has started for TMS.

For a six-month period, it will still be possible to order TMS subscriptions. After that time, it will not be possible to order TMS, but customers can continue to use existing TMS deployments with valid support contracts.

As part of the End of Sale announcement, the migration detail section encourages customers who cannot migrate to Webex cloud services to consider VQ Conference Manager.

VQ Conference Manager DMA is the natural replacement for Cisco TMS in these environments offering a functionality superset relative to TMS along with a modern architecture, US Department of Defence Approved Product List status and a large installed base of very satisfied customers.

We are delighted that Cisco is recommending VQ Conference Manager DMA in this manner.

Want to find out more?

We’ve recently launched our new video series – ‘Learn more about VQ DMA’.  In the most recent episode, we explain how to migrate from TMS to DMA.

Inside VQ

A word from the VQ Team…

Eleanor recently joined VQ’s Software Engineering team and shared her thoughts on the experience so far:

“I’ve been at VQ for 6 weeks now and I absolutely love it!

The team has been really welcoming and friendly, helping me get set up as it’s my first role as a software developer. 

I’ve learnt so much already, supported by our brilliant developers and I’m really enjoying getting stuck into DMA. I definitely made the right choice coming to work at VQ and look forward to a long career with the team!” 

Following Cisco’s recent announcement that the End of Sale/End of Life process has started for TMS, we’re incredibly pleased to announce that we’ve released VQCM 3.12 and it is now available for download.

3.12 represents a major milestone, it completes the first phase of DMA suite, OBTP, Directory Services, Device Configuration and now Device Maintenance.

Device Maintenance is all about knowing what is happening to your device fleet, and where required, being able to trouble shoot and onboard new devices.

Device Maintenance adds.…

• Device Status and Activity Monitoring
• Device Health Checks
• Device Onboarding
• Trouble Shooting (interactivity changing settings)
• Security Configuration management (certificates)
• Kibana based visualizations including Mapping

Interested in finding out more?

VQ DMA overview

VQ DMA migration path

Video: How to migrate from TMS to DMA

Directory Services

Device Configuration

Our website is full of other useful information. Visit the Resources section of our website for further details.

If you’ve any other questions and would like to speak with us, please contact us

Cisco’s TMS product page has been updated to announce that the End of Sale and End of Life process has started for TMS.

For a six-month period, it will still be possible to order TMS subscriptions. After that time, you will not be able to order TMS, but customers can continue to use existing TMS deployments with valid support contracts.

As part of the End of Sale announcement, the migration detail section encourages customers who cannot migrate to Webex cloud services to consider VQ Conference Manager.

We are delighted that Cisco are recommending VQ Conference Manager and DMA in this manner.

“DMA is another example where we listened to what our customers were asking for. We are delighted that we’ve been able to work closely on it with Cisco’s support. The initial indicators are that customers really like the results. We look forward to working with new customers who choose to migrate onto the VQ platform.”
Mike Horsley – CEO VQ Communications

What is VQ Conference Manager DMA?

DMA is built on the robust and secure VQ Conference Manager platform and provides vital functionality for Cisco video endpoint management. DMA is deployed ‘on premise’ as part of a Cisco Meeting Server and Cisco videoconferencing devices eco-system.

What functionality is in DMA?

The goal of DMA was to extend VQ Conference Manager so that DMA plus Conference Manager’s existing functionality gave customers the functional equivalent of TMS and, in doing so, provide a transition path for TMS customers requiring a modern, secure, scalable on-premises solution designed to enable the delivery of modern video/unified communications services.

Under DMA, we group OBTP, Directory Services, Device Configuration and Device Maintenance.

DMA leverages the core benefits of the VQ Conference Manager platform – US Defence Department Approved Product List status (from 4.2) and Kibana based Reporting and Analytics.

How do I migrate from Cisco TMS to DMA?

Our migration path and support will guide you through the process ensuring you have a smooth migration from TMS.

We expect customers will want to migrate services in a controlled manner over several phases. We are not expecting customers to migrate away from TMS in a single, high pressure and risky, “big bang” step.

DMA was developed to enable this; with tools to aid migration from TMS available now and CUCM integration in an upcoming release.  We expect VQ and TMS to operate in a side-by-side mode during the migration process.

Interested in finding out more?

Our resources area is full of useful information about DMA. Including…

DMA overview

DMA and TMS comparison

DMA Features overview videos

Learn more about DMA video series

If you’ve got any questions and would like to speak with with the team, contact us:

• Email us – info@vqcomms.com
• Join our ‘Ask VQ’ Webex Space

VQ is gearing up for a return to Vegas this August and we’re delighted to be invited again to attend Cisco IMPACT. Giles, Joel, Steve and Mike will be there talking all things VQ DMA as well as our product strategy and roadmap.

Also in this month’s newsletter, VQ’s CEO Mike Horsley gives a brief year-to-date round-up which includes our recent trip to a Cisco Federal customer event in Washington D.C.

Keeping with VQ DMA, we also share our brand new DMA video demo series…

Read on for:

• Cisco IMPACT plans
• A word from the CEO
• VQ DMA video series

What’s new at VQ?

Cisco IMPACT

VQ returns to Las Vegas on 28 – 30 August for Cisco IMPACT 2023 and we have some exciting things to share.

For those looking to replace Cisco TMS, we will be there to talk with you about our Cisco recommended replacement, VQ DMA. 

We will also have VQ Conference Manager Metro our new cross-platform, all-in-one end-user app for Cisco Meeting Server customers to discuss.

Stay tuned for more details on our Cisco IMPACT plans in our August newsletter.

Migrating from Cisco TMS to VQ DMA

We’ve got a great new video series called Learn More about VQ DMA. Based on customer feedback seeking more information about our product we’ve produced 10 short videos, providing walkthroughs on a range of DMA topics, including:

Device Templates

Managing, modifying & pushing Phone Books/Address Books to endpoints

Applying configuration changes to endpoints

And more…. subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up to date

Have questions about VQ Conference Manager? Take a read of our brand new FAQ page

Inside VQ

We’re at the halfway point of the year, and so far, the year’s going really well. Indeed, we had our biggest quarter ever in Q2. DMA is being well received and we’ve released 4.1 which is significant because the 4.x platform has been a major, major, investment for us. It’s great to have reached the point where we can release 4.x updates on a regular cadence.

Cisco Live was a great success; we’re back in Las Vegas towards the end of August for Cisco Impact. We were in Washington D.C. in July for a Cisco Federal customer event. We were very honoured to be invited and to see how VQ is being positioned as the replacement for TMS with customers who can’t move to Cloud-based Webex. It was a great opportunity to meet a lot of familiar faces.

We’re excited about what happens next; 3.12 is a big step and wraps up the first phase of the DMA project. The work done on 4.1 means that 4.2 should arrive quickly and give customers requiring DOD APL the platform they require. Metro and all the things it enables are looking really good and will start to appear on 3.12 & 4.2.

Here’s to the second half of ’23.

Regards

Mike

Sign up for our mailing list to get the latest updates from VQ.

Did you know you can schedule Recurring Calls from the VQ Portal? The great news is that you can now also schedule a Recurring Call where each instance of the meeting has its own Passcode.

Scheduling Recurring Calls

Before we begin, it’s important to mention that a Recurring Call must happen in a permanent Space.

Let’s show you how to create a permanent Space. Permanent Spaces are created from System, then Space Templates.

In this example, we are scheduling a basic Recurring Call. The first thing you need to do is create the Space.

The Template we are using has auto generated URIs (Uniform Resource Identifier) and Host and Guest roles. Otherwise, it’s fairly standard.

An important Space Template setting is “Space Locked”. Space Locked is the second option in the list of settings.

Enabling Space Locked locks the Space as soon as you create it. Locking the Space means no one can dial into it. When you schedule a call, VQ unlocks the Space at the meeting start time and then locks it again once the meeting has finished. This setting makes it so the Space can only be used for scheduled calls.

Creating the Space

From the Activity Page, click on the green plus at the top of the page.

On the form, you’ll need to complete the Space Name In this example “Jack Test Space”, we’ve filled out the Owner, Jack Larkin, and Space Type (Template) fields. Once you’ve filled in these fields, click Done.

Next, you need to schedule the Recurring Calls.

Once again, we’re using the test Space we created, “Jack Test Space”.

To schedule Recurring calls, click on the blue Schedule button, then click on the green Add button (denoted by a green plus sign on the left side of the screen).

Clicking on the ‘Add’ button brings up a new window. In this window, you’ll need to:

• Give the Recurring Meeting a title – we’ve used “Demo of recurring calls”
• Set a Start and End time for your recurring meetings – our example recurring call will be from 9am – 11am on the 4^th of May

Once you’ve completed these, click on the Recurring check box.

Clicking on the Recurring check box brings up a settings window.

Here, you’ll set the number of recurring meetings or choose when these recurring meetings end, and what day they occur on.

Now, add a Participant and click Done.

You can check the Recurring Call you created by looking at the Meeting list or Meeting page.

Remember, on both these pages, the default filter shows calls occurring within the next 24 hours. This means, in our example, you will only see one occurrence of the call. Expand the filter to a future time to see all occurrences of the Recurring Call within a specified period.

To edit or cancel an occurrence, click on the Meeting you wish to edit, and choose Edit. You can either make the changes to just that occurrence or apply the changes to all the occurrences in the series.

Watch a Recurring calls demo here

Find out more about VQ Conference Manager

If you want to learn more about the VQ Conference Manager visit our website

Looking for more VQ product information? Check out the Resources section of our website.

If you need additional help, contact us or join our Webex Space.

We’re pleased to announce that 4.1 is available. As a reminder, version 4 is our secure platform targeted at Government agencies.

4.1 brings version 4 up to the same state as the 3.11 release. This means DMA Directory Services and Device Configuration, Recurring Meeting support for Pins per meeting instance and Participant Snap-Shot images on the Activity Page.

VQCM 4.x is listed on the US Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) Approved Product List. 

Want to find out more about VQCM 4.1? Contact the VQ team today.

Cisco Live, TMS migration and more – VQ’s June newsletter

VQ Towers has been much busier the past few weeks since the team returned from Cisco Live in Las Vegas. It was our biggest-ever presence at the event, packed full of incredible memories, discussions and milestones.  

This month we reflect on Cisco Live and the most talked about topics from the event, including TMS migration, Metro and VQCM 3.12, and we also say hello to the newest member of the VQ Team.

Read on for:

• Reflections on Cisco Live US
• Upcoming VQ travel plans
• A new blog spotlighting DMA functionality
• Sneak peek at VQCM 3.12
• Words from the latest VQ starter

What’s new at VQ?

This year VQ went BIG at Cisco Live as we hosted a wide range of sessions in our two meeting rooms to incredibly positive feedback.

On Day 1, Jonathan English presented in the packed-out Collaboration Village to discuss VQ DMA, Metro and more…

Throughout the week, we heard from the VQ Team about the highlights of the event. Day 2 featured Giles Adams walking the floor at Cisco Live, highlighting the VQ Collaboration Village stand activity and what was resonating with show attendees.

Want a recap of the rest of the week? Take a listen to VQ CEO Mike Horsley as he gives a rundown of the fantastic time the team had at Cisco Live.

A big thank you to everyone that attended our meeting room sessions, joined our presentations and had a demo at the VQ stand. This was a milestone event for us, and we are incredibly grateful for the support shown at the event.

Travel Plans for Summer

VQ has plenty more in store for 2023, which is why you’ll be seeing us at a few more events in the coming months.

The biggest trip in our calendar is from 28 – 30 August, VQ will return to Las Vegas for Cisco IMPACT 2023 with some exciting things to share.

Stay tuned for more updates soon…

Migrating from Cisco TMS to VQ DMA

TMS migration was a hot topic at Cisco Live – for good reason. VQ DMA is the Cisco recommended on-premise replacement for TMS.

Learn more about the background of Cisco TMS and why the powerful functionality of the DMA suite is the ultimate replacement option. VQCM replicates key TMS functionality and builds on those foundations with new and exciting tools.

Read our full blog for DMA’s features.

ICYMI: In collaboration with Cisco, we’re offering a 20% discount on VQ DMA for migrating TMS customers until 31 July 2023. Read more.

Inside VQ

A Word from the VQ Team

Our VQ Team continues to grow as we welcome Abhijit as the newest Solutions Architect to our Sales team:

“Having been part of the VQ team for nearly three months, I have been delighted to discover a multitude of positive aspects that present an incredibly exciting opportunity.

Firstly, VQ’s work culture exudes vibrancy and innovation, creating an environment that nurtures creativity and collaboration. I feel empowered to share my ideas and contribute to the company’s growth, fostering a closely-knit team dynamic centred around collaboration and shared objectives, resulting in a strong sense of unity and camaraderie.

Secondly, VQ actively cultivates a collaborative and team-oriented atmosphere, encouraging cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing among colleagues.

Thirdly, the company prioritises work-life balance, placing a strong emphasis on supporting its employees in maintaining a healthy equilibrium. With flexible work-from-home arrangements available, I can strike a harmonious balance, resulting in heightened job satisfaction and productivity. Moreover, VQ wholeheartedly embraces diversity and inclusivity, fostering a welcoming and supportive environment that values individuals from all walks of life.

Overall, joining VQ promises a stimulating work environment, abundant growth opportunities, a healthy work-life balance, and the unique spirit of a high-performing sports team (as Mike says), making it an irresistible choice for those seeking a truly fulfilling career.“

Sign up for our mailing list to get the latest updates from VQ.