June 2017 — Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
As collaboration technologies continue to evolve, the demand for secure and seamless remote access to enterprise communication tools has surged. In 2017, Cisco Expressway emerged as a critical solution to bridge on-premises Unified Communications (UC) environments with remote and mobile workers, without compromising on security or usability.
Understanding Cisco Expressway
Cisco Expressway is a gateway technology that enables secure collaboration beyond traditional network boundaries. It provides remote access for Jabber, Webex, and video endpoints without the need for a VPN, making it ideal for organizations embracing mobility and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) strategies.
Deployment Architecture
The Expressway solution typically consists of two components: Expressway-C (Core) and Expressway-E (Edge). Together, they facilitate traversal of firewalls and NAT devices, allowing secure communication between internal and external users. Here’s a high-level view of their roles:
- Expressway-C: Resides inside the corporate network and integrates with CUCM, IM&P, and other UC services.
- Expressway-E: Deployed in the DMZ and communicates with external users and devices, handling encryption, authentication, and NAT traversal.
Security Features
Expressway integrates several key security mechanisms:
- Mutual TLS (mTLS): Ensures that only trusted endpoints can establish connections.
- Secure Traversal: Encrypted signaling and media paths over SIP and SRTP.
- Authentication Integration: Works with LDAP, Active Directory, or SAML-based SSO for user access control.
Benefits for Enterprise Environments
By enabling seamless, secure collaboration, Cisco Expressway delivers several business benefits:
- Improves productivity for remote and mobile workers
- Reduces IT overhead by eliminating VPN dependencies
- Facilitates B2B and B2C communications securely
- Supports video conferencing and Jabber without complex NAT rules
Real-World Use Cases
Organizations in finance, healthcare, and education sectors have leveraged Expressway to extend their UC platforms. Remote medical professionals use Jabber over Expressway to securely access voicemail and messaging services. Universities use it to enable cross-campus collaboration over video with faculty and students working remotely.
Licensing and Configuration Tips
Licensing Expressway can vary depending on the features enabled. Key recommendations include:
- Deploy Expressway-E in a DMZ with static NAT configuration
- Ensure DNS SRV and certificate chains are properly configured
- Use dual NICs on Expressway-E for improved segmentation
- Monitor registration statistics and TURN server performance for troubleshooting
Common Pitfalls and Troubleshooting
Some challenges include certificate trust issues, firewall misconfigurations, and incorrect SRV records. Cisco’s diagnostic logs and Collaboration Solutions Analyzer (CSA) are helpful for pinpointing connection failures and SIP negotiation problems.
Future-Proofing Collaboration
As hybrid work becomes the norm, Expressway is evolving to support cloud-registered devices and Webex Edge integrations. Planning for certificate lifecycle management and enabling cloud fallback for critical services is essential for future-proofing deployments.
For IT teams managing Cisco UC environments, Expressway offers a robust, scalable approach to ensure secure collaboration without the complexity of VPNs or additional hardware.