Cisco Meeting Server vs Skype for Business comparison

Cisco and Microsoft are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Cisco is ranked #7 with an average rating of 9.0, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.7. Cisco holds a 7.9% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 13.4% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meeting Server

Read 5 Cisco Meeting Server reviews

816 Views
641 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Skype for Business

Read 62 Skype for Business reviews

2,218 Views
904 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

Cisco Meeting Server

Skype for Business

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

Cisco Meeting Server and Skype for Business are communication and collaboration tools. Cisco Meeting Server has an edge in pricing and support, while Skype for Business offers comprehensive features that might justify its cost.

Features: Cisco Meeting Server provides robust integrations, scalability, and security for large enterprises. Its pricing is competitive with comprehensive support. Skype for Business integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office products, supports advanced telephony features, and enhances productivity within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meeting Server could improve in initial setup complexity, integration with non-Cisco products, and simplifying the user interface further. Skype for Business may enhance customer service consistency, expand integration capabilities beyond Microsoft products, and offer more competitive pricing plans.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meeting Server is favored for straightforward deployment and responsive customer service. Skype for Business benefits from easy setup and Microsoft infrastructure but shows variation in customer service experiences.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meeting Server generally involves higher initial costs but offers a significant ROI through its secure and scalable solutions. Skype for Business boasts lower initial investments with potential recurring costs, although integration with existing Microsoft services can boost productivity and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business

March 2025

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Helped 845,406 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Meeting Server

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Skype for Business

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

3rd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Cisco Meeting Server is 7.9%, up from 7.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 13.4%, up from 8.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings

Featured Reviews

Ahmed Elrayes

Voice Network Engineer at Raya Integration

A scalable tool useful to hold conferences and video meetings

I use Cisco Meeting Server for conferences and video meetings, which are crucial for my company The share screen option available during conferences is one of the best features of Cisco Meeting Server. In Cisco Meeting Server, GUI is an area of concern where improvements are required. In the…

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Magdalena Teodorczuk

Senior at Krajowy Depozyt Papierów Wartosciowych S.A.

Offers great audio and video quality for virtual meetings

I like the instant messaging feature in the product since I prefer to use the chat functionalities provided by the solution. It is easy to integrate the product with some of the other solutions in the market. I rate the integration capabilities of the product a ten out of ten. The product's user interface is user-friendly. I use the product at a personal level, so I can't speak about the support it provides for the maintenance part. I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"What I like most about Cisco Meeting Server is its quick management. The solution also has a straightforward configuration."

"The share screen option available during conferences is one of the best features of Cisco Meeting Server."

"You can use the Cisco Meeting Server to set up conference calls and virtual meetings. Those are the two primary functions of Meeting Server. Most people in the company are using Microsoft Teams, so we only use Meeting Server when we have an internal meeting for all staff."

"Cisco Meeting Server is an easy and less complex solution."

"The UI is user-friendly and very good overall."

"The integration with Microsoft Outlook for creating and scheduling meetings is nice."

"Making calls and having meetings is easy."

"The solution’s video quality is fine."

"The quality of the meetings is very good."

"The deployment is very fast."

"Using Skype allows us to connect with external agencies when a Skype call is set up and aids in sharing large files efficiently."

"The most valuable feature of Skype for Business is that it has many other tools that you can be integrated with it. It makes the meetings more interactive."

"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

More Skype for Business pros

Cons

"What would make Cisco Meeting Server better is integrating it with Zoom and Teams so that you can connect or make a call through any of the two third-party solutions."

"Cisco Meeting Server should include a feature to control another user's screen during a remote session."

"This is a difficult solution to install and it should be made easier."

"A few features are missing on the Meetings app, like a recording function. My understanding is that you need to buy a separate recording solution. It's modular, so you have to enable some functions if you want to use them. For example, we had to enable the Mood function. Recording is the primary feature we'd like to see in the app."

"In Cisco Meeting Server, GUI is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"The solution requires deployment on a Microsoft server and its performance is heavy because it consumes too many resources from the RAM."

"The solution's functionality needs to be moved to Microsoft Teams. Its technology is outdated."

"Whenever someone is using a messaging platform, the messages needs to be stored. In Skype for Business, the message will not be seen later on if you're not online. It isn't useful, in my opinion."

"If one of the users has a poor internet connection, this failure will compromise the meeting, causing delays and distortions in the communications."

"Skype for Business could improve by having a document channel or repository. Microsoft Teams has a better repository place for documents that you can share with your team. You can access it anywhere from any device."

"I should be able to make a desktop phone call when I click a member of my Lync directory."

"We are looking for a more collaborative tool, not only in terms of virtual meetings but also for teams to collaborate, share a document, work together, and all those types of things."

"The inability to integrate Skype with other products is an area of concern where improvements are required."

More Skype for Business cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco Meeting Server has reasonable licensing costs."

"Price-wise, Cisco Meeting Server is a product that falls in a mid-range category."

"Licensing fees are billed yearly."

"It may be slightly costly, but the features are awesome."

"We purchased an open license."

"A license is required to use the solution."

"We negotiated a fair price with Microsoft. It is definitely worthwhile to negotiate with them for the best price for your solution."

"The licensing is billed on a yearly basis."

"When it comes to the pricing of the solution, I rate it as a five out of ten. It falls somewhere in the middle between being cheap and expensive."

"We have been able to save money by moving our conferencing solution to Skype for Business Conferencing."

"I use the product's open-source version."

More Skype for Business pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

26%

Government

14%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

93%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Meeting Server?

Cisco Meeting Server is an easy and less complex solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Meeting Server?

Price-wise, Cisco Meeting Server is a product that falls in a mid-range category.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Meeting Server?

Cisco Meeting Server should include a feature to control another user's screen during a remote session.

See all answers

What do you like most about Skype for Business?

The solution’s video quality is fine.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Skype for Business?

Skype for Business is affordable and has decent pricing. The video quality is a bit lower than Teams or Zoom, but it remains a good solution overall.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Skype for Business?

The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues. However, there is no significant weakness in Skype for Business.

See all answers

Comparisons

Webex vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 47% of the time

Pexip vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 28% of the time

Polycom RealPresence Clariti vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 7% of the time

Huawei Video Conferencing Platform vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 7% of the time

More Cisco Meeting Server Competitors

Webex vs Skype for Business

Compared 28% of the time

Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business

Compared 27% of the time

TeamViewer vs Skype for Business

Compared 15% of the time

Zoom vs Skype for Business

Compared 14% of the time

BlueJeans Meetings vs Skype for Business

Compared 2% of the time

More Skype for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

March 2025

Download Cisco Meeting Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Skype for Business

March 2025

Download Skype for Business product report

Also Known As

Acano

Skype for Business Plan 1, Skype for Business Plan 2, Lync Server

Overview

Cisco Meeting Server brings premises-based video, audio, and web communication together to meet the collaboration needs of the modern workplace. It works with third-party devices, and provides an enjoyable and intuitive user experience. It also scales easily, and can be purchased using our all-in-one, user-based multiparty licensing offer.

Cisco

Skype for Business offers features including presence, IM, voice and video calls, online meetings, conferencing, and telephony solutions that support enterprise-level collaboration requirements. Skype for Business Record meetings, share your screen, and annotate PowerPoint for real-time collaboration with up to 250 people and use whiteboard, polls, Q&A, and built-in IM during your business meetings to make them more productive. Skype for Business provides new client experience, Skype for Business Server provides several new features to improve manageability of on-premises servers and hybrid solutions. Skype for Business also supports the Lync client experience so that you can choose a phased upgrade approach to the new client experience for users. Skype for Business is also an integral part of Microsoft Office 365, providing PSTN Conferencing, Cloud PBX, PSTN Calling, and Skype Meeting Broadcast capabilities to Office 365 users.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Starz

EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business

March 2025

Free Report: Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business

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