On March 1^st, Cisco announced the end-of-life for its EX90. It will no longer be sold after August 2, 2017, and service and support will cease in 5 years on August 31, 2022. In its place, the suggested path of migration is the DX80, but it’s not a direct replacement. Yet, the EX90 was very well loved, so it must come as a surprise that it’s stepping out of the spotlight. What does its end mean?

Built-in Flexibility for Future Movement
Ditching the well-loved EX90 for the DX80 provides opportunities for flexible deployments. This migration is about the ability to change infrastructure and create a workplace of the future… when you’re ready. It’s an evolutionary improvement enabling movement towards converged Unified Communications (UC) where voice, video, instant messaging, and presence are all together. In sync with the recent release of the new Cisco Spark Board used with the Spark service, this is a logical progression.

Today’s employees want to be more productive, and many feel they are stifled because they don’t have the right tools. Cisco realized it’s time to revolutionize the workplace so workers can embrace better ways to collaborate. Although the migration to the DX Series is in support of this direction, this is an option. The DX Series is backwards compatible and still supports VCS if that’s the way you want to work; it also provides a path for future migration when you choose to do so.

The DX80 provides everything needed to be productive. This one, sleek integrated device is all that’s required, so a desk only has one screen. With the DX Series, experience best-in-class HD video with expanded collaboration capabilities and more. Listed below are five key benefits of migrating to the DX Series:

#1 Improved Personal Experience
For an elegant “applesque” user experience, the DX80 provides a multi-touch capacitive touchscreen. It also offers many options to personalize your experience and maximize productivity—from wallpapers, widgets, and screen layouts to the ability to use a variety of Bluetooth and USB accessories. Also, as a self-provisioning device, it’s easy for users to take out of the box and start using quickly.

#2 Intelligent Proximity Support
Automatically pair your device with the DX80 to enable a range of features which will improve the meeting experience. For ease of use, intelligent proximity provides contact synchronization with Bluetooth-paired, Android or iOS mobile devices. This simplifies the call management process by allowing contacts and the call history to be easily imported.

#3 Lower Cost
The DX80 is a fraction of the cost of the EX90. At approximately a third of the price, there’s good reason to consider moving forward.

#4 Wi-Fi Support
In addition to Ethernet connectivity, the DX80 supports Wi-Fi for more flexible deployments. It also saves on labor costs by eliminating the need to pull Ethernet cables to every work location.

#5 Cisco Spark Support
The DX80 is supported as an endpoint on the Cisco Spark platform. This licensed, cloud service is a collaboration application designed to unify people, communication, and information. Using the Spark application, team members have access to the same, easy-to-use tools, and the content they create is securely stored and easily accessible anywhere from the cloud.

This is a great time to take advantage of manufacturer promotions and incentives to refresh your hardware suite. Find out more about discounts on:

• New equipment when trading in older Cisco systems
• New Cisco equipment when trading in older competitor models
• The DX Series and Cloud Video Experience (CVE) bundles
• Bundling DX series endpoints with Cisco Spark

To learn more about migrating to the DX series, contact your local IVCi Sales Representative at 800-224-7083.