Video conferencing, web
conferencing and online meetings are fast becoming important tools
for organizations that must communicate with staff, clients or
students in different geographical locations. If you have been
thinking about using this technology for your enterprise, it is
important to first outline your needs and then match them with the
various online conferencing systems that are being offered in the
marketplace. Here are a few things to consider when you shop around
for the system that is best for you:
1. Do you need to communicate with one static location or with a
variety of possibly changing locations? Some conferencing systems
are designed to connect two or more specific locations. If you have
a head office and a fixed branch office that you want to communicate
with, then a fixed connection system could work for you.
However, if you want to connect with a variety of locations or allow
people anywhere to join your conferences or meetings then you should
choose a system that allows you to add users no matter where they
log in from.
2. Do you want a browser based system or can you work with
proprietary software? A few of the original web and video
conferencing applications had their own software and even specific
hardware to install. Now it is possible to use conferencing systems
that run on all browsers and all operating systems without the need
for special hardware. Take a look at the various systems being
offered and choose the one that would fit in with your
organization’s technical capabilities.
3. Are some of your participants behind firewalls? These days many,
if not most offices, and even individual computers connected to the
Internet are protected by firewalls. The firewalls keep hackers out,
but they may also pose a problem for some conferencing systems.
Check to see if the conferencing system of your choice can deal with
this problem.
4. How important is video to you? If you would like to see your
colleagues and staff as they participate in your meetings, then you
will need a system that allows some locations to hook up to the
meeting with a web camera. Check to see how many individual video
windows are allowed by the various applications that you consider,
and choose the one that best meets your needs.
5. What features do you need? Do you want to poll attendees and get
immediate results while you are online? Some systems allow the host
to present a question and then all the participants can vote or give
an answer with the click of their mouse.
Do you want to share applications online? If your conferencing
system allows application sharing then it is possible for the host
to present PowerPoint presentations, for example, that will be
visible to all the attendees.
Make a list of the communications features that you need and match
them to the capabilities of each system that you consider.
6. What is your budget? Of course you want the most features that
are possible but you also have to weigh-in the costs. When you make
your decision, keep in mind the benefits that you will get by
communicating online, think about the cost of doing this offline and
then look at the fees charged by the conference technology
providers. Choose a communications package that will give you a good
return on your investment.
Now, armed with this checklist, go online and do a search for web or
video conferencing and pick out a system that will allow you to
conduct your meetings online at a price that you can afford.
About the Author:
Dan Richmond is CEO & Co-founder of MegaMeeting.com. MegaMeeting
provides Web Conferencing & Video Conferencing services for
individuals, businesses and educational institutions. For more
information, or for a free live demonstration, please visit http://www.MegaMeeting.com/
or call (818) 783-4311.
Source: www.isnare.com
