TMS exit is now urgent: Here’s how you do it fast 

For fear of sounding like a stuck record, Cisco TMS end-of-support is in January 2027. At the time of writing, that’s just over three months away – the blink of an eye in corporate IT terms. 

For those still running TMS, if you’re to exit before this cut-off, you’ve only realistically got one shot at the migration, and you need to start now.  

To help you get such a critical decision right, we’ve outlined the main areas to consider, and questions to ask potential vendors, as you plan your exit. 

How to ensure your TMS replacement is genuinely low-risk: The questions to ask 

The need for speed necessitates choosing the lowest-risk path. Here’s what to ask as you review your options. 

Is the TMS replacement software endorsed by Cisco?

Cisco hasn’t built an on-premises replacement for TMS. But exiting TMS doesn’t have to mean leaving behind the assurance of a Cisco-endorsed solution.  

In the TMS end-of-sale announcement, Cisco explicitly recommends VQ Conference Manager – and we’re the only complete on-prem TMS successor in the list. 

Does the vendor have independent security validations? 

Any software you use in your organization, particularly if you’re in government, defense, or a highly regulated industry, must offer robust security. Every vendor will tell you they’re secure, but look for independent verification of the claims. 

VQ Conference Manager, for example, has been validated by the US Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC), which meant the product was on the US Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) Approved Products List (APL) prior to the APL program sunset. We’re currently working through the process to secure a Vendor STIG as part of the DoD’s new validation framework. 

How many deployments of the product are in the field? 

A widely used product is a sign of high customer satisfaction. Ask potential vendors how many customers they have, and what sectors they operate in.  

VQ Conference Manager is used by hundreds of organizations across government, defense, intelligence, education, and the private sector, inclulding large numbers of happy ex-TMS customers. Browse some of our customer success stories. 

Can your TMS replacement scale? 

Changing key components of your unified communications ecosystem is a significant undertaking – something you only want to do once. That means your TMS successor must be capable of supporting your needs long into the future. And in our experience, these systems invariably grow, often beyond even the most optimistic estimates. 

How many Cisco collaboration devices can the software support? VQ Conference Manager can manage 10,000+ on a single deployment, and we have customers running systems of this scale currently. 

Does the TMS replacement vendor have an enterprise-class support function? 

If something goes wrong with your conferencing service, you need to know there’s someone on the end of a phone or email to help at any time of the day or night. 

VQ Communications, the business behind VQ Conference Manager, has operated in this space for 20+ years, and has a mature in-house support team offering 24×7 coverage for P1s. 

How quickly can you move off TMS – and how assured is the process? 

Having a proven platform to replace TMS is no longer enough on its own. With the end-of-support deadline looming, a process to get you off TMS without disrupting your organization is critical. You don’t, for example, want people having to rebook their meetings, or to ask administrators to painstakingly rebuild all your phone books. 

How straightforward is the implementation of your TMS replacement? 

Simplicity streamlines your migration. For example, the fewer teams you need to involve, the faster you’ll be. Equally, a smaller number of components to install typically cuts down the time required to migrate. 

VQ Conference Manager comes as a single virtual appliance, containing all parts of the product. This massively simplifies installation compared to solutions with multiple components to install and maintain. And our Outlook plug-in, which replicates and enhances the functionality of TMS XE, doesn’t require Exchange integration. This removes the need to involve your Exchange team in the migration, streamlining the overall process. 

And of course, the accelerators and integrations mentioned above further simplify the end-to-end upgrade. 

TMS replacement: What you need to do next 

While there’s now a very limited window before TMS goes end-of-support, there is still an assured way out. The key is to ask the right questions of potential vendors, to ensure you’re choosing one that is genuinely low-risk, and can deliver a fast and seamless migration. 

If you’d like to discuss your TMS exit with our team, book a no-obligation discovery meeting to assess your options. 

To learn more about how VQ Conference Manager replaces all the key TMS functionality – and does a whole lot more besides – head over to our Cisco TMS end-of-life replacement page, to discover why we’re the only complete on-prem TMS replacement recommended by Cisco.