Jive partners with Cisco on unified communications

Cisco's not entirely out of the hardware woods yet.

Cisco and Jive, a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) provider in Utah, have signed a strategic partnership to deliver cloud voice solutions with Cisco's new Multiplatform Phones (MPP).

The Jive Voice service offering includes voice; contact centre; mobile; and video products, delivered directly from the cloud. The system can be controlled and updated in real time from a browser, and also includes features such as custom schedules and find me/follow me; users can route incoming calls to specific phones, depending on their location. The Voice product is already used in VoIP deployments worldwide.

The 7800 and 8800 MPPs from Cisco now include purpose-built firmware for cloud control platforms like Jive's. They are designed for companies seeking to move to the cloud, but retain a physical handset.

Mike Sharp, Chief Product Officer at Jive, said, "Many of our customers and partners have been looking forward to using these new handsets… [T]his is going to make a huge difference for [them]."

Jive and Cisco will host roadshows throughout the year to promote their new partnership and provide more information about the combined service. Jive will also be at the CiscoLive! event in Las Vegas this month.

Last year, Cisco announced that it was cutting 5,500 jobs worldwide, and extended that to another 1,100 employees this year. The company has been facing revenue declines for a year and a half now, and is taking its first steps to transitioning to a software-first business model. Earlier this year it acquired software firm AppDynamics; AI business MindMeld; and SD-WAN provider Viptela. The company also rolled out a new, flexible software licensing agreement.