Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex: Building Bridges

To serve business needs, enterprises often end up installing custom software or using multiple tools to fulfill requirements.

Many tools offer freedom to avail distinct features, but accessing those features from different resources can be a daunting task.

That’s where interoperability makes sense.

When two or more applications interoperate, they offer users to have access to all features.

The co-existence of two tools not only provides an extensive list of functionalities but also makes the workplace productivity, and the business process twice as efficient.

Messaging interoperability: Microsoft Teams and Webex

The number of messaging users is rapidly growing.

From around 1.6 billion users in 2014 to 3.8 billion users in 2018, the growth of messaging provides an insight into the need and challenges on interoperability between messaging and collaboration tools.

To meet the distinct demands of the company, more and more enterprises are seeking means to bridge the features of multiple tools in one system.

While many applications can be bridged together, this article mainly addresses the interoperability of Microsoft Teams and Webex.

Here, we will highlight the best medium of connecting these two tools, and making the most of it.

Why Microsoft and Webex is a great combination

Here’s why Microsoft Teams and Webex make for a perfect interoperability combination:

• With Microsoft Teams, the users can avail Microsoft Licenses, Skype for Business features, and integrate natively with Office 365 features
  
• Given Cisco’s legacy, users get access to hardware like Cisco Webex boards, VoIP handsets, and telepresence solutions  
  
• Microsoft Teams and Webex interoperability is the optimum solution for company acquisitions and mergers where one company's resources are on Microsoft Teams, and the other one uses Webex.  
  
• Where Webex offers core hardware, Microsoft allows integration with leading third-party tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Trello, Slack, Outlook, Survey Monkey, Wrike, Jira, Folly, and many more

Microsoft Teams and Webex interoperability options

1 – Webex and Microsoft Teams Office 365 integration

Recently, Cisco announced the compatibility of Webex with Office 365. With such an alliance, the users can easily access OneDrive, SharePoint, and even G-Suite applications within the Webex app.

Pros
1. You no longer require signing off from Webex to access Office 365 productivity tools like MS words, MS Excel, and Powerpoint    

2. Since Office 365 assures robust security to your company's data, Webex integration will allow you to benefit data governance have to keep your files encrypted

3. Content Created in MS tools can be easily transferred to Webex storage space

Cons
1. This combination works fine with different Microsoft Office tools, but the integration of Microsoft Teams is not possible

2. Webex users cannot make changes to Microsoft files

Author Verdict
The MS Office 365 and Webex team’s integration is perfect for users who need to access Office 365 tools within Webex, but it’s not a great pick for those looking for MS team’s collaboration too.

2 – Bot integration

IFTTT (If This Then That) allows the collaboration of applications and devices.

Through IFTTT, a rule or function is established for one device or app based on the action or behavior on another device or app.

One example is syncing an Instagram account with Twitter so the photos display on Twitter rather than a link.

In the business world, a similar process is followed when setting IFTTT for both Webex and Microsoft. So, when a Webex contact sends a text, the bot in Microsoft Teams also gets a notification.

Pros
1. Users have the freedom to add customized actions

2. Bot integration has several pre-built activities to choose from across an extensive range of devices and applications

3. The familiar feel and design of IFTTT applications in the business world, that you may be used to from a consumer world

Cons
1. Administrative time for adding custom options is lengthy    

2. With new users, the administrator is asked to add further actions or recipes

3. Limited features across platforms

Author Verdict
Bot integration can facilitate collaboration across Webex and Teams, but the cross-platform experience is not as seamless since notifications are not received in a native app, instead of in the bot itself.

3 –Cisco Webex Meetings for Microsoft Teams

Microsoft users who wish to host live meetings can integrate with Webex.

You don’t have to switch to a different tool since the interoperability allows Microsoft users to host Webex Meetings directly.

Pros
1. Users can host and schedule Webex meetings without signing out of Microsoft Teams

2. The meeting app is available for Workplace from Facebook and Slack too

Cons
1. During the Webex meeting, from Microsoft Teams, you cannot exchange chats, messages, or files  

2. Webex Meetings for Microsoft Teams does not support accounts on     meetingsIn.webex.com and webex.meetings.com

Author Verdict
Webex Host Meetings for Microsoft is an excellent integration, but you’ll have to compromise with limited meeting functionality.

Bridging the gap

How to Make Webex and Microsoft Teams Interoperable

You don’t need administrative support or a ton of training to get started. The way Mio allows collaboration across platform is simple.

Here’s how a non-techie can do it:

Step 1: Getting Started

Sign up by choosing your platform combination.

Once your account is registered with Mio, you will need to add basic details that’ll help the system learn which programs or applications you want to sync. Once you have shared account details, Mio will scale to fit your business requirements.

Step 2: Channel mapping and User mapping

The next step involves administering your team and adding the channels of your choice. For example, you can sync the ‘Project Management’ channel in Webex with the ‘PM' channel of Microsoft Teams.

If you have dozens of linked channels, you can use the search feature to make the process super efficient.

Step 3: Message Routing

Once you’ve linked your channels, Mio can provide interoperability between these specific teams. There's also an option to sync all channels in one go. You can also enable future sync so any new channels are automatically synced.

Step 4: People Sync

Mio isn’t restricted to just syncing channels. People Sync allows you to send direct messages between Webex and Microsoft Teams.

Once People Sync is active, Auto Prompt sends automatic prompts to users whenever they receive a message from anyone using Mio so they can start receiving messages from other platforms.

Bridging the gap between Microsoft Teams and Webex in your company

With Mio as a bridging tool, you can easily make your favorite messaging tools interoperable.

You no longer need a complicated development or migration strategy if your team's different applications.