FAQ

Flex 3.0 FAQ

Executive Summary
and
Frequently Asked Questions

September 2020
 FAQ

Executive Summary

With the release of Flex 3.0, Cisco Collaboration Flex Plan is evolving to accelerate and incentivize the move
to Flex, simplify quoting and ordering, and provide sellers a competitive offer with aggressive pricing.

The Cisco Collaboration Flex Plan is improving. Key improvements are:

 The Cisco Enterprise Agreement (EA) is simplified by consolidating three tiers into a single tier.
 New aggressive pricing reduces the need for Deal Support Automation (DSA).
 Bundled Meeting + Calling Pack. Customers benefit when buying them together.
 Multi-year discounts are available for EA and Named User (NU) offers.
 Consistent offer for cloud, hosted, and on-premises.

The new NU buying model sets the stage for a complete transition from perpetual calling licenses to
subscription. The main objective is for all new users to be sold as a Flex Plan subscription, and for all calling
SWSS agreements to be renewed under Flex 3.0. This change will normalize the definition and price structure
for NU for all calling offers in the portfolio, including cloud and hosted. The end result will be a consistent tier
and discount approach that is easy for sellers and partners to understand.

Up to now, Flex Calling on-premises licenses only addressed the needs of Enhanced Plus & UWL users. The
Flex 3.0 Calling NU options now have 3 levels of entitlement that cater to the needs and price points
demanded by all users.

The new EA agreement has reduced 3 pricing tiers to a single tier. This will provide ease of quoting and
positioning for all sized customers. Meeting + Calling Pack is available in EA with an additional discount.
Additionally, customers who agree to terms overs 36 months will receive an additional discount.

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Frequently asked questions

Q. When will this offer be available?
A: September 23, 2020.

Q. What is different with the new Flex Plan?

Accelerate: Incentivize the move to Flex with the EoS of perpetual calling, provide additional calling
functionality, and a streamlined transition process.

Simplify: Deliver simplified quoting and ordering with fewer buying models, and a consistent offer across
cloud, on-premises, and hosted.

Better Together: Be competitive with aggressive pricing and better-together bundles for platform adoption &
customer stickiness.

Q. Does this offer have a new ATO?

A: Yes, Flex 3.0 has new top-level SKUs: A-FLEX-3, A-FLEX-3-FEDRAMP (available Q2FY21), A-FLEX-3-EDU
(available Q2FY21)

Q. What are the billing models for Flex 3.0?

A: Billing options are: Monthly, annual, or prepaid.

Q. What are the ordering Platforms available for Flex 3.0?

A: CCW for everything. CCE for cloud meetings.

Q. What SKUs are available?

A: A link to the Flex 3.0 SKU list can be found here.

Q. In what countries is Flex 3.0 currently available?

A: Flex 3.0 is available everywhere Flex 2.0 is currently available, see cs.co/geos. For geo availability for
Webex please visit Where is Cisco Webex Calling Available

Q: What are the routes to market for Flex 3.0?

A: Available for all routes to market (DVAR, VAR, SP, Direct).

Q. What are the buying models for Flex 3.0?

A: The Collaboration Flex Plan is available in three buying models:
Enterprise Agreement: The Enterprise Agreement (EA) buying model covers all knowledge workers (KW) in
an organization and allows for 20 percent growth. A minimum of 250 KW (1000 for UCM
Cloud) are required. Features and benefits: Enterprise Agreement Meetings |Enterprise Agreement
Calling Covers all knowledge workers in an organization and allows for 20% growth. A minimum of 250
employees is required. Features and benefits: Enterprise Agreement Meetings |Enterprise Agreement Calling

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Named User: A per-user subscription that enables customers to provide meeting or calling services for
individuals, teams, or departments and to add additional named users as adoption grows. Entitlements can
be purchased per user with no minimum. No growth is included. Features and benefits: Named User Calling
|Named User Meetings

Active User: If you require Active User Meetings, please use our Flex 2.0 Offer. Active User will be added in
Flex 3.0 in the first half of CY2021. Features and benefits: Active User Meetings

Q. What offers can be trialed in Flex?

A: Several different trials are available. Webex Meetings and Webex Calling are available for trial, start the
process here. Information on UCMC demo can be found here.

Q: What are the Flex prem migrations for on-premises calling customers?
A: See chart below.

Q: What Calling options are available in Flex 3.0?

A: There are 4 Calling options available for Flex 3.0:
 On-Premises Calling (CUCM)
 Hosted Calling (HCS)
 Cloud Calling (UCMC)
 Webex Calling (VAR & SP)
Q: Is CUCM as a platform going EOS?
A: No just the perpetual licensing model, Customers can stay on-prem and just migrate to the new Flex
licensing subscription model.

Q: Doesn’t Perpetual mean the Customer owns it forever?

A: No, Software vendors can’t keep a product in market forever, Cisco has supported perpetual collaboration
licensing for our customers for almost 20 years. Cisco is committed to premises deployments of CUCM,
however customers will now need to leverage Flex subscription licensing.

Q: How do I purchase on-premises meetings?

A: If customer needs on-premises meetings utilize A-CMS or Flex 2.0.
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Q: Why is a Flex Subscription more than my SWSS cost?

A: Flex delivers more value than SWSS: it enables customers to pay over time (SWSS is billed upfront) and
includes extra features like team messaging, SRST, and Emergency Responder.

Q. What subscription terms are available for Flex Plan?

A: Flex 3.0 provides additional discount off list price for 36 months or more NU and EA contracts to
incentivize multi-year adoption. The default subscription starts at 36 months.
Other Standard Flex Plan subscription term options are: 12, 24, 36, 48, or 60 months.

Q. Can existing Webex Work customers migrate to Flex 3.0?

A: Existing customers on A-WORK will be required to stay in their current contract until their current contract
expires. Migrations are not encouraged without a compelling event.

Q. Can existing Flex customers migrate to Flex 3.0?

A: Existing customer on A-FLEX will be required to stay in their current contract until their current contract
expires. Migrations are not encouraged without a compelling event.

Q. Will an Active User buying model be available in Flex 3.0?

A: Yes, Active User will be added to Flex 3.0 in the first half of CY2021.

Q. Is CUBE available as a subscription in Flex 3.0?

A: CUBE is currently not available as a subscription, but CUBE will be added in early CY21. CUBE local gateway
is available to add with Webex Calling, entitled at 50% of KW or 50% Named User count.

Q. How is Cisco going to handle better together pricing when a customer has AU in Flex 2.0, but calling in
Flex 3.0?
A: There are no pricing advantage for purchasing across Flex 2.0 and Flex 3.0. If the customer needs active
user, we suggest they stay on FLEX 2.0. Active User will be added to Flex 3.0 in Q1CY21.

Q: Is Webex Teams included in Flex 3.0?

A: Yes, Webex Teams messaging is included with EA and NU subscriptions and also available as an
incremental add-on for additional KW’s not covered in the customers Calling and/or Meetings subscription .
Webex Teams is not included as a NU Access entitlement.

Q. When are multi-year incentives available for Flex 3.0?

A: Partners can select multi-year incentive for any new subscriptions with initial term >= 36 months. For
change/modify or change/replace, the term must be extended to >= 36 months.

Q. Does Flex 3.0 allow for multi-year renewals?

A: No, currently multi-year renewals are not available on the subscription billing platform.

Q. After the SWSS EoS in January 2021, what will existing SWSS customers do if they need to add additional
licenses?
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A: Customer can either migrate to Flex and use SWSS residuals or create a standalone Flex 3.0 subscription.

Q. If a customer is on a perpetual EA that extends past the January 2024 end of SWSS support date, will
they still receive SWSS support?
A: Yes, customers will receive support through the end of their contract.

Q. Is a programmatic ramp available for customers migrating to Flex 3.0?

A: Yes, 36 and 60-month term ramps are available for Calling EAs including Flex Hosted. We are working on a
programmatic ramp for Contact Center(Q2FY21). Programmatic ramp cannot be used if SWSS residual is
included.

Q. How much recording storage do I get with my Flex 3.0 deal?

A: Webex Meetings Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Named User (AU) Meetings agreements includes 1 GB of
Network Based Recording (NBR) storage per KW and Named User. The storage is allocated at the organization
site level. For example, organization with 250 Named Users will have 250 GB of included NBR storage.
Customer can purchase additional NBR storage in increments of 500 GB. Webex recordings will be retained
on the Cisco Cloud for 1 year.

Q. Are SWSS residuals available when migrating to Flex 3.0?

A: SWSS Residual applies for migration to Flex 3.0.

Q. Are there any changes to the SWSS Residuals program?

A: As of September 13, 2020 SWSS Residual Credits will become "Time Bound SWSS Residual” for ALL new
subscriptions. Time Bound SWSS Residuals will be applied upfront to offset the net price of applicable PIDs.
The price adjustments is applied for a limited number of full months dependent on the residual value of the
active SWSS contract.

Q. Is Value Transfer available in Flex 3.0?

A: To simplify the transaction and improve transaction velocity, value transfer credits are now built into Flex
3.0 pricing. Perpetual licenses trade-in are therefore no longer required.

Q. Is Contact Center included in the Flex 3.0?

A: No, Contact Center is not currently available in Flex 3.0. If a customer requires Contact Center, it is
available under the Flex 2.0 offer (A-FLEX-CC).

Q. What collaboration promotions are available in FY21?

A: A list of FY21 promotions can be found here.

Q. Is Flex Plan 3.0 eligible for a bundle discount?

A: Yes. Discounts for bundled purchase of Meetings and Calling is built into the Meeting + Calling Pack, which
is available for EA and NU.

Q. Are any regional discounts available for Calling under the Flex Plan?
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A: There are TWO regional discount tiers. The regional mapping is the same across all deployment types (On-
Premises, Hosted, UCMC, and Webex Calling), and all buying models (Named User and Enterprise
Agreement). Regional Discount will take form of a pull promotion.

Q: What Regional Pricing Discount is available for my country?

A: Discount details are published at here.
Region 1: US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand
Region 2: Rest of World. For geo availability please visit here.

Q: What is the best way to manage a Regional Pricing deal across regions?
A: In this scenario, we would recommend booking the deal within a single region. The region of choice should
be where 70% or more of the knowledge workers are located. For example: If you have a deal in the US and
the UK the preference is to book the deal out of the US if more than 70% of the knowledge workers are US
based. On the other hand, the deal should be booked in the UK if more than 70% of the knowledge workers
are based in the UK. In general, the deal should be booked in the region where the majority of users reside.
Furthermore, CCW will guide you through the required fields.

Q: Is it possible to split a customer deal across multiple regions?

A: It is possible to split a customer deal across regions; however, this model should only be considered for
large customers.
Considerations when splitting a deal:
 The partner must book each portion of the deal in the appropriate country/region, meaning they must be able
to book in that region*.
 Calling must be deployed out of Control Hub in a single Data Center.
 The Webex Meetings deployment can be split but that will result in a different Meetings URL per region.
*The partner must have a partner ID and Bill To ID in that region. A LOA (Letter Of Agreement) is required for
EA (Enterprise Agreement).

Q: Can I apply Regional Based Pricing to existing subscriptions?

A: No, Regional Based Pricing is only available for net new deals .

Q. What features are included in Flex 3.0?

A: Features can be found on the data sheet.

Q. Is VIP included with Flex 3.0?

A: Yes, information on VIP 36 can be found at www.cisco.com/go/vip.

Q. Are uncommitted users available for Flex 3.0?

A: No, uncommitted users are not available. This concept is only available as part of Webex Work (A-WORK).

Q. What Webex Meetings audio options are included with Flex Plan?
A: Audio options are the same as what is available in Flex 2.0. The audio rates have been updated to improve
market competitiveness. See data sheet for full details.

Q. Do partners receive differentiated pricing for discovering a Flex Plan opportunity?

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A: Yes, partners can register the opportunity for an additional 10% Hunting discount that can be approved
quickly. www.cisco.com/go/oip

Q. Are there any partner certifications required?

A: Yes, Collaboration SaaS authorization is required (no change from Flex 2.0). There are no additional
authorizations required for on-premises Calling, the Webex App, Webex Meetings, or Webex Messaging.
Additional requirements based on product are listed below:
 Cisco Webex Calling Partner (WBX_CALL) - Webex Calling VAR
 Webex Calling SP (CP_CALL) - Webex Calling SP
 Flex Hosted Partner (SaaS_HCS-P) - HCS
 UCM Cloud – Partner Connect
 UCM Cloud for Government (UCMC-G)
 UCM Cloud – Customer Connect

Flex 3.0 Changes to EA

Q. What EA add-ons are available?
A: Unity Connections Enhanced / Voicemail, Device Registration, Expressway RMS, SpeechView - Standard,
Common Area, Access-Add On, Teams Messaging Add-On, Edge Connect, Enterprise to MPP Firmware
Migration (for Webex Calling), Direct Connect (for UCMC), OTT/MRA (for UCMC), UCM Cloud Enterprise
Service (for UCMC), Additional NBR Storage, Teams File Storage, Extended Security Pack, Webex Assistant,
Event/Lifecycle Assist, Telehealth Meeting Broker Enhanced, Expert on Demand, and Conferencing Audio
Options

Q. What else would I consider on an EA?

A: Always look to expand the opportunity with Cisco Phones, Video devices, headsets, gateways, Contact
Center, and network upgrades

Q. What are the new EA entitlements?

A: More information on EA entitlements can be found here.

Q. Are True Forwards available with an EA?

A: True Forwards are available with an EA. Click here to learn more.

Q. Will additional discounts be available for EA customers signing extended subscriptions?

A: Yes. To reward partners and customers for longer subscription terms, Cisco is providing additional 12%
discount for subscriptions greater than or equal to 36 months. Additional information on multi-year
incentives can be found here.

Q. What are the savings on the EA Meeting + Calling Pack?

A: Bundled Meeting + Calling Pack for EA is approximately 20% less expensive compared to buying a la carte.

Q. Are there any changes to the EA buying model?

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A: Changes to EA buying model include: EA tier elimination, new pricing, enhanced entitlements, and multi-
year incentive. All other aspects of EA will remain the same.

Q. Will Pro Pack be included with Teams Messaging Add-On on EA?

A: Yes, Pro Pack is now included at no charge for both EA and NU Calling, Meetings, or Meeting + Calling Pack,
and is also included in team messaging add-on

Q: Does EA include Enhanced and Access users?

A: EAs include 20% organic growth. EAs include entitlement based on knowledge workers 50% Enhanced,
and 20% Access. Access not available on Webex Calling.

Q. Can additional Enhanced Users be added?

A: Yes, additional Enhanced users can be purchased.

Flex 3.0 Changes to NU

Q. What do new NU entitlements include?

A: There are 3 new entitlement tiers listed below. More information on each can be found here.

 Professional- the full-featured tier for employees and contractors who use multiple communication
devices including Teams as part of their job duties. The tier includes voicemail.
 Enhanced- the feature rich tier optimized for task-based workers who use a single device without the
need of voicemail.
 Access- the entry level tier for a dial-tone and basic calling capabilities on basic devices.

Q. What Calling products are included in Named User buying model?

A: The following Calling options are available: On-Premises Calling (CUCM), Hosted Calling (HCS), Cloud Calling
(UCMC), Webex Calling (VAR & SP).

Q. Are additional discounts available for NU Meeting + Calling Pack?

A: The Meeting + Calling Pack for NU are 20% less expensive compared to buying a la carte.

Q. Are NU Professional, Enhanced, and Access users available on all Cisco Calling in Flex 3.0?
A: No, NU Access is not available for Webex Calling.

Q. What NU add-ons are available?

A: Unity Connections Enhanced / Voicemail, Device Registration, Expressway RMS, Session Manager,
SpeechView, Teams Messaging Add-On, Edge Connect, Cloud Connect UC (for On Prem), Enterprise to MPP
Firmware Migration (for Webex Calling), Direct Connect (for UCMC), OTT/MRA (for UCMC), UCM Cloud
Enterprise Service (for UCMC), Additional NBR Storage, Teams File Storage, Extended Security Pack, Webex
Assistant, Event/Lifecycle Assist, Telehealth Meeting Broker Enhanced, Expert on Demand,
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Q. What if my customer needs a feature not currently available?

A: An Ecosystem Partner Solution may be available, more information on Ecosystem partners can be found
here.

For More Information

If you have additional questions, please Open a case with XaaS Ops, visit the Customer Service Hub
at www.cisco.com/go/cs

Prepared by Kurt Nebel, Kunebel@cisco.com

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