DIY Webex Calling Vs Managed Cloud Calling

The Question You Need To Answer Now 

You moved meetings to the cloud. Voice still sits on a branch PBX, a gateway that no one wants to touch, and a help desk that learns each site by trial. Do you keep running Webex Calling on your own, or do you bring in an operator to run it as a service? The right answer depends on the scale you plan to reach, the controls you must prove, and the hours your team can cover. 

What DIY Webex Calling Actually Demands 

DIY looks simple on paper because Control Hub centralises policy, routing, numbers, devices, and analytics. In practice, you own a full stack. 

• Dial plan design across cities, with E.164 rules, site codes, translation, and blocked categories 
• PSTN choices per site, Cloud Connected PSTN where eligible, Local Gateway when trunks stay on premises 
• Feature build-outs, auto attendants, queues, hunt groups, paging, executive assistant 
• Quality analytics, MOS, jitter, loss, failure codes, alerting, and weekly reporting 
• Change management, CAB templates, test cases, backout plans, approvals, and documentation 
• Firmware windows, device inventory, and analog integrations through ATAs 
• RBAC hygiene, audit logs, recording policy by group, and emergency rules per site 

If you run DIY, you must write and follow runbooks. You must staff nights and weekends. You must keep documentation current when sites expand in Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. 

Where DIY Fits, And Where It Fails 

DIY fits when you run a single site, or two, with a steady headcount and low change volume. You can template the build, schedule monthly windows, and keep a small roster. DIY is daunting when you add sites every quarter, when audit demands grow, or when leaders expect near-zero disruption. It also fails when your team cannot sustain 24×7 alert triage and carrier escalations. The risk is not features missing; the risk is operational drag that slows hiring, sales, and support. 

What Changes With A Managed Cloud Calling Model 

You keep the policy. You stay in Control Hub with full visibility. You approve changes. An operator runs the roster, the runbooks, and the escalations. 

What you keep in-house 

Policy, priorities, exceptions, admin access, and the monthly scorecard review. 

What you shift to the operator 

Alert triage, incident response, routine MACD, firmware windows, and RCAs with timers. 

What improves 

A standard dial plan across cities. A change desk that treats voice like a programme with tests and rollback. A reporting rhythm that ends guesswork. 

Webex Calling has reached more than 15 million users across 150-plus markets, which signals maturity and feature depth. Source: Cisco, Spring Summer 2024 release. 

India Specifics You Cannot Ignore 

You must respect toll bypass controls. Keep PSTN and VoIP domains separate for calls that leave the enterprise. Map emergency rules to each location. Pick Cloud Connected PSTN where eligible, pick Local Gateway when premises trunks or local breakout make sense. Document exceptions and revisit them at each service review. Add branch survivability so basic calling continues during a link event.  

Decision Framework You Can Defend 

Answer these in a room with your IT lead, finance, and operations. 

• Sites in the next 12 months, one to two, DIY with strong templates. Three to ten, consider a managed layer. More than ten, add an operator now. 
• Change volume per month, low, DIY cadence works. Medium to high, managed change desk with CAB, UAT, and backout. 
• Coverage for 24x7, if you cannot staff nights and weekends, shift alert triage and incidents. 
• Audit pressure from clients or regulators, if you need recording, exports, or strict RBAC, insist on documented runbooks and monthly reviews. 

Metrics That Prove You Made The Right Choice 

Pick a one-page scorecard and hold to it. 

• Availability per site and time to restore 
• Median MOS, jitter, loss by site and device 
• Queue answer times and after-hours handling 
• Change success rate, rollbacks, and incidents tied to change 
• Patch currency and open advisories 

Control Hub provides the telemetry. You set thresholds, alerts, and owners. Validate each cutover with before and after data. 

Why Proactive As Your Managed Service Provider 

You do not need a portal; you need an operator. Proactive standardises dial plans for India, runs change with real tests and rollback, and closes incidents with evidence and RCA. We run 24x7, coordinate TAC and carriers, and document every step. You keep policy and oversight. We keep the roster, the runbooks, and the response timers. 

Make The Next Move 

Start with one pilot site and a fixed change window. Write the dial plan, map PSTN per location, and define alerts. Run the pilot, review the scorecard, and scale in waves. Voice should behave like a utility, predictable and quiet. 

Ready To Standardise Voice Across India 

Request a Cloud Calling Readiness Review or a Webex Calling Design Workshop. Write to [email protected].