Converging Technologies
In the coming years, communication technologies—email, IM, voice, Web
conferencing, collaboration tools—will begin to converge into a comprehensive
unified communications (UC) platform. Gartner defines UC products (equipment,
software, and services) as those that "enhance individual, workgroup, and organizational
productivity by enabling and facilitating the control, management, integration,
and use of multiple enterprise communication methods. UC products achieve this
through the convergence and integration of communication channels, networks,
systems, and business applications."
Under UC, audio and Web conferencing solutions will converge and include integrated
presence information, letting users initiate an IM session, switch to audio
or Web interaction, then invite other people into the conversation and seamlessly
switch to a live conference. Microsoft is spearheading the push toward integrating
conferencing functionality into the enterprise communications architecture.
Live Meeting 2007 integrates multiple communication channels, including VoIP
and Public Switched Telephone Network audio, chat, audience feedback tools,
screen and document sharing, and live and recorded video.
Interwise is another leader in this area. Vice President of Marketing Neil
Lieberman told me that the barriers between voice and Web communications are
melting, and the trend is toward consolidation so that organizations have fewer
products to buy and support. Interwise Connect combines voice, Web, and video
conferencing into one product that uses a single data stream. Lieberman said
the company's goal is to consolidate multiple communication and conferencing
tools into one product and transform conferencing into a company wide core business
application for all employees, like email is today.
Companies looking for a new conferencing solution should keep this trend in
mind and plan accordingly. To map out a migration to UC, companies need to outline
their current and future performance needs, scalability requirements, user expectations,
integration with other business systems, and compatibility with legacy equipment.
Enterprises that want to wait until the UC technologies and markets mature
might consider a short-term hosted service or pay as-you-go solution. When the
time comes to purchase a solution, they can use their experience to select one
that meets their needs.
Organizations that are planning to update a company wide communications system
certainly need to look at solutions that combine their voice and data networks.
Thanks to the ease of integrating IP communications and traditional telecommunications
systems, those companies will be able to to make the move in phases, minimizing
user disruption and spreading the expense over time.
Ease of Use
Usability is key to a solution's success, making it one of the primary factors
to consider when comparing Web-conferencing solutions. Does the service or product
let you easily schedule meetings and invite guests using preferred desktop tools
such as email and calendar applications? Does it have an intuitive UI that requires
little training? Is it easy to deploy and manage? A tool that's difficult to
use, manage, or maintain or that requires substantial training or IT involvement
will dilute the solution's benefits and cost savings.
Citrix GoToMeeting is one of the easiest Web-conferencing tools to use and
administer, and Sonexis's plug-and-play ConferenceManager is easy to set up
and use. Other solutions known for their ease of use are WebEx Meeting Center
and SiteScape Zon, both of which let you simply click a URL to download
the conferencing client and begin a conference—no installation or maintenance
is necessary.
Just the Basics
Basic features that every service or product should offer include broad Web-browser
support, good security, and scalability. Additional features can mean additional
complexity, so you should select only the functionality you need, especially
if the vendor charges more for certain features or services.
An online conferencing application needs to support common Web browsers, such
as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, and should provide
integrated audio or support for third-party audio providers. Look for easy-to-use
scheduling and invitation options, preferably through integration with common
email and calendaring programs.
If you're considering a SaaS solution, make sure it provides the level of security
you need. At the least, the service should offer Secure Sockets Layer or Transport
Layer Security, 128bit Advanced Encryption Standard encryption, and access controls
such as secure logon, participant lists, one-time meeting IDs, and meeting passwords.
If you buy a standalone solution, it will run within your organizational firewall,
so you'll have total control of the application's security.
The solution you choose should also scale to fit your requirements. Does it
need to support only meetings with fewer than 10 participants, or do you plan
to hold large-scale presentations with hundreds of attendees?
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