Cisco Spark to Streamline Enterprise Communication in the Cloud

Cisco Systems (CSCO) announced a new offering on Wednesday that combines messaging, meeting and calling in one streamlined user experience, called Cisco Spark.

The company said that the offering is available from its cloud platform, and is designed to make setting up “video rooms and phones a snap” while giving “developers free rein” with open APIs.

“My team is passionate about making tools for work that are as simple and delightful as the tools we use at home,” Rowan Trollope, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Collaboration, Data Analytics and IoT groups said. “Spark lets us give amazing experiences to companies of all sizes—from tiny start-ups to the Fortune 100. And we’re just getting started.”

Cisco Spark for Developers and select services of Cisco Spark are available now, with the complete Cisco Spark service rolling out in the US during Q1 2016.C Cisco Spark will be sold as a subscription, where companies will pay for services per users per month. It will be available through its partners who will determine pricing, Cisco said.

For enterprises who have invested in phone systems and other on-premises equipment, Cisco Spark Hybrid Services will connect these to the cloud.