Cisco TMS replacement: Your burning questions answered 

As the Cisco TMS end-of-support deadline inches closer, many customers have made the switch to VQ Conference Manager, Cisco’s only recommended complete on-prem TMS replacement.  

In our conversations with customers looking to exit TMS, we get asked lots of questions. To help you make informed choices when planning your TMS replacement, we’ve answered some of the most common ones below. 

And remember: TMS end of support is January 2027. If you haven’t yet got your replacement plan in place, or have lingering doubts over the solution you’ve chosen, you still have time to address this if you move quickly. Contact us today to discuss your options. 

Can’t I just switch from TMS to Collaboration Control Hub?

It depends! TMS was an on-premises application, whereas Control Hub is in the cloud. If your organization will permit a cloud solution, then Control Hub may indeed be an option. 

However, for many security-conscious customers, Control Hub won’t be suitable or authorized for use. It isn’t certified for use in most classified environments such as US Department of Defense Impact Level 5 (IL5) and above, for example.  

Where Control Hub can’t be used, the only complete on-prem TMS replacement that comes with Cisco’s recommendation is VQ Conference Manager. Some folks within Cisco even refer to it as ‘Control Hub for on-prem’. 

Note that it doesn’t have to be an either/or decision. We’ve got customers running VQ Conference Manager alongside Control Hub, to access additional capabilities such as our TMS-style hierarchical address books. 

Can I replace TMS with Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM)?  

Not on its own. CUCM is first and foremost a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) registrar. While you can also register Cisco video devices to it, it has limited device management capabilities. 

VQ Conference Manager offers a much broader feature-set across device setup, maintenance, and monitoring. Our software integrates with CUCM, to keep your device lists in sync, and lots of organizations use both products, for their respective strengths. 

Does exiting TMS require me to move away from the assurance of a Cisco-backed solution, to a small-scale vendor with limited customer proof points?

No. Cisco hasn’t built its own on-prem replacement for TMS. Instead, it explicitly recommends VQ Conference Manager. This means you can continue to enjoy the assurance of a solution endorsed by Cisco, built by a SolutionsPlus partner with a long history of delivering software to Cisco’s most security-conscious and high-stakes customers. 

VQ Conference Manager is used for mission-critical conferencing by hundreds of organizations worldwide across government, defense, intelligence, and enterprise. The product is approved by the United States Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) and has passed Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) evaluation – independent validation that gives customers globally confidence in its security and interoperability. 

As a vendor, VQ Communications has been around for more than 20 years, and we offer customers the assurance that comes from choosing a mature supplier with enterprise-class product development, solution design, support, and customer success functions. 

Can I replace TMS with VQ Conference Manager even if I don’t use Cisco Meeting Server?

Yes. You can license and run our Device Management and Automation capabilities separately from our Cisco Meeting Server conference management software. Lots of happy former TMS customers use our product in exactly this way. 

What meeting platforms does VQ Conference Manager’s OBTP support?

VQ Conference Manager’s One Button to Push (OBTP) supports meetings on Cisco Meeting Server, Webex, and Microsoft Teams CVI (Cisco’s video interoperability integration for Teams). 

OBTP puts a one-tap ‘join’ button on a Cisco video device display when a meeting is due to start, making it super-easy for people to get into their conferences. Supporting multiple platforms matters because many customers require their staff to join meetings hosted on a variety of conferencing tools. 

Why do you offer both an Outlook add-in and an Outlook plug-in?

Add-ins and plug-ins work in different ways, and their respective strengths play to different use cases. VQ Conference Manager Metro has both, to provide maximum flexibility for customers.  

One consideration is that our plug-in does not require Exchange integration, which can accelerate deployment, and enable it to be used in environments where third-party back-end connections to Exchange are not permitted. 

Having a plug-in also lets us leverage the wider scheduling capabilities in VQ Conference Manager, meaning customers can enjoy more sophisticated meeting configuration and security use cases that go far beyond merely replicating TMS XE.  

I want to use macros and RoomOS web apps on my Cisco devices. Does VQ Conference Manager enable this?

Yes, VQ Conference Manager includes comprehensive macro and RoomOS web app management and analytics.  

Store your macros and apps centrally on the VQ Conference Manager fileserver. Deploy to or remove from devices at scale. And understand what macros are being used where, with detailed reporting. 

How many Cisco collaboration devices can I manage using VQ Conference Manager? 

A single VQ Conference Manager server can support over 10,000 Cisco collaboration devices. This has been proven in live customer environments. 

If you need to go larger, we can support tens of thousands across multiple deployments. 

Even if you don’t have this number of devices today, many customers like the assurance of knowing their chosen TMS replacement is truly enterprise-class, and offers them ample room to expand their device footprint over time. 

Is replacing TMS a massive and high-risk migration?

It doesn’t have to be. Like any enterprise technology migration, exiting TMS requires careful planning, but with VQ Conference Manager, it’s a well-trodden path, not a leap into the unknown. We work closely with you to understand your unique setup and advise on the optimal approach.  

Then we bring out our purpose-built migration tooling for devices, meetings, and phone books. These have been stress-tested and refined over dozens of migrations and help deliver a smooth transition for all involved. Find out more about our proven TMS to VQ Conference Manager migration process. 

And of course, by exiting TMS before January 2027, you’re eliminating the risks associated with running unsupported software. 

Over to you… 

We hope these insights have brought clarity to your TMS replacement deliberations. With just over six months until TMS goes out of support, now’s the moment to kick-start your migration. 

Our team is ready to help: Contact us today to begin your journey to VQ Conference Manager, Cisco’s recommended complete on-prem replacement for TMS.