In a market where flexibility is everything, Cisco’s commitment to BroadWorks is drawing mixed reactions. On one hand, it signals support for a platform that many service providers have built their businesses on. On the other, it raises a bigger question: can a legacy licensing model really keep up with the pace of today’s cloud-first world?
Lifetime licenses were once a cornerstone of enterprise software — a big upfront cost in exchange for long-term certainty. But that model is disappearing fast. Microsoft, for example, has made no secret of its move away from perpetual licensing, pushing instead for subscription-based everything. And they’re not alone.
In that context, Cisco’s position is unique. BroadWorks service providers are operating in a world that’s rapidly shifting beneath them. Yes, those lifetime licenses still work today. But for how much longer will they align with the broader direction of the UC market?
Cisco says it’s still behind BroadWorks, but at the same time, they’re steering customers toward Webex and encouraging migration off on-prem systems like UCM. Some features that were once core to BroadWorks are quietly being dropped, and the pace of innovation has shifted elsewhere. It’s hard not to see this as a gentle nudge toward consolidation — and away from long-term independence for BroadWorks partners.
This leaves service providers in a difficult position. Do they double down on existing investments and ride it out? Or do they start building a path toward more flexible, cloud-native offerings that better reflect where the industry is headed?
At LoopUp, we see this playing out across our conversations with partners and customers. There’s a clear desire for voice solutions that are globally scalable, deeply integrated into platforms like Microsoft Teams, and designed for how businesses operate now — not how they used to.
Whatever Cisco’s long-term plan may be, one thing’s clear: service providers can’t afford to wait and see. The future of UC is moving quickly — and it won’t wait for legacy models to catch up.
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