Hybrid work has moved beyond being a temporary solution. It’s now the foundation of how modern organisations operate. I recently attended WebexOne 2025, where Cisco made it clear that the future of hybrid work isn’t just about software platforms or video calls. It’s about intelligent devices, seamless platform flexibility, and workspaces that adapt to people, not the other way around.
This year’s event was also a proud moment for Data#3 as we were recognised as Cisco’s Global Partner of the Year for Employee Experience. This award highlights the work we’ve done with customers across Australia to create workplaces that bring technology, people, and spaces together in meaningful ways.
Here’s what stood out most, and why it matters.
Cisco’s overarching strategy, called Connected Intelligence, sets the stage: people, devices, and AI working together to create frictionless collaboration. But at this year’s event, that vision became tangible through next-generation devices, deeper Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) integration, and richer workspace intelligence.
Rather than introducing standalone features, Cisco is building a cohesive hybrid work ecosystem, one that simplifies experiences for users and gives IT teams unprecedented visibility and flexibility.
One of the biggest takeaways from WebexOne 2025 was the evolution of Cisco’s video collaboration devices, which are now acting as the intelligent backbone of hybrid work.
RoomOS 26 + NVIDIA: AI at the Edge
Cisco’s new RoomOS 26, powered by NVIDIA silicon, transforms devices like the Room Bar Pro and Board Pro G2 from video endpoints into AI-native collaboration hubs.
Key innovations include:
This edge AI capability means intelligence lives inside the room itself, improving quality, responsiveness, and privacy without relying solely on the cloud.
A core design principle behind Cisco’s latest devices is achieving “Distance Zero”, the idea that meetings should feel the same for everyone, no matter where they’re joining from.
Traditional hybrid meetings often create a gap between those in the room and those joining remotely, both in experience and engagement. Cisco’s Distance Zero approach eliminates that divide by:
This is more than a feature; it’s a philosophy that drives device design. By making remote participants feel as if they’re “in the room,” Cisco is removing one of the biggest barriers to effective hybrid work: the experience gap.
The other standout story was Cisco’s continued leadership in platform interoperability.
With the introduction of Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) support on RoomOS 26 devices, organisations can now natively run both Webex and Microsoft Teams Rooms on the same Cisco device.
This is a game-changer for enterprises managing mixed collaboration environments:
In practice, this means an employee can walk into a meeting room, tap one button, and launch a Teams or Webex meeting seamlessly. For IT, it means no duplication of hardware, reduced operational complexity, and better ROI from device investments.
Cisco is also making it easier than ever to deploy and manage these intelligent workspaces at scale. Through Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP), devices can be shipped directly to site, automatically register with the organisation’s tenant, and configure themselves based on predefined policies without IT needing to touch a single unit.
This dramatically reduces rollout time, lowers operational overhead, and ensures every device arrives ready for use, whether it’s going into a flagship boardroom or a remote regional office. For organisations modernising hundreds of rooms, this is a critical enabler of rapid hybrid transformation.
Beyond devices and platforms, Cisco is expanding how organisations understand and optimise their physical environments through Cisco Spaces.
Spaces collect and analyse real-time data from devices, sensors, and networks to provide a rich picture of workplace usage.
Key capabilities include:
This intelligence layer turns buildings into adaptive, data-informed environments, a critical step in redefining how hybrid workplaces operate at scale.
While devices and MTR integration took the spotlight, Cisco also unveiled significant AI and contact centre innovations that support this broader hybrid vision:
These capabilities act as strategic enablers, embedding intelligence into workflows and extending collaboration beyond meetings to customer interactions.
The consistent thread through all of Cisco’s announcements is clear: hybrid work is being redefined from the room outward.
By investing in AI-powered devices, Distance Zero meeting experiences, Zero Touch Provisioning, deep Microsoft interoperability, and spatial intelligence, Cisco is creating a hybrid collaboration ecosystem that is:
For organisations, this means less complexity, more user choice, and smarter workplaces — all built on enterprise-grade infrastructure.
WebexOne 2025 marked a decisive moment in Cisco’s hybrid work evolution. The combination of intelligent devices, Distance Zero experiences, native Teams integration, Zero Touch Provisioning, and real-time workplace insights represents a major leap forward for organisations looking to modernise how their people collaborate.
With these innovations integrated into the One Cisco story, and brought to market through Data#3’s expertise across networking, security and observability, we’re uniquely positioned to help Australian organisations gain a real competitive edge.
At Data#3, we’re excited to help customers across Australia harness these innovations to create environments where hybrid work simply works, seamlessly, securely, and intelligently.
If you’d like to explore how these updates could shape your workplace strategy, reach out to our team we’d love to show you what’s new, and what’s next.
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