Cisco is pushing this product forwards mainly for two reasons :

• Before CuCiMoC was launched,the only possible way to integrate Cisco Unified Communication Manager (CUCM) to Microsoft Office Communication Server (MOCS 2007) for call control was via CUPS.CUPS is acronym for Cisco Unified Presence Server and adds another Server  to administrative overhead .Considering High Availability requirements,it would require atleast a 2nd CUPS node and a pair of Load Balancers. CUPS integrated with Microsoft OCS using Remote Call Control (RCC) functionality.For most enterprises already running Microsoft OCS/LCS ,it ended up as a unnecessary burden and high deployment cost mainly due to licensing requirements and administrative overhead.

• Cisco’s primary focus is to control End-to-End Voice path.By introducing Microsoft OCS into the picture,Cisco’s strategy for voice went into jeopardy.Cisco would rather allow Customers to utilize Microsoft OCS for Instant Messaging and Presence while holding control of Voice Path.As per Cisco’s initiative,it would help it maintain QoS requirements for End-to-End Unified Communication.

Thus , by introducing CuCiMoC into the picture will allow MOC client to integrate directly with Cisco Unified Communications Manager for Voice Control.CuCiMoC actually utilizes what’s called Cisco Unified Client Services Framework (CSF) which also acts as a Softphone.Thus,you can either control a Physical Cisco IP Phone (CIPC or 79xx Hardware phone) Or use CuCiMoC softphone capability without need for physical phone. Besides, CUPS integration with Microsoft OCS was accomplished via direct SIP connection which is relatively complex to configure and doesn’t scale well for advanced feature support.

CuCiMoC is a client-side plug-in which integrates into Microsoft Office Communicator by adding a conversation pane to the window.Essentially,its implemented as a tab that is added to the Microsoft Office Communicator window.

I will continue this discussion in future blog posts. Meanwhile, If you want to explore CuCiMoC on your own,see this link for a quick Video Overview.

http://www.cisco.com/cdc_content_elements/flash/voice/uc_10317/index.html