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Web conferencing saves time, money: staff and customer collaboration made easier - Internet/IP Technologies

Communications News, May, 2002 by Brett Azuma

Today's Web-based conferencing--the exchange of ideas using a combination of voice communication and a network of computers to share presentations, images and charts--enables regular and immediate collaborative interaction at a fraction of the cost of what was previously available. Web conference calls can be prearranged, with participants visiting a shared URL and dialing in on an arranged number. They also can be set up on the fly, resolving urgent business issues in real time.

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Participants generally take part in the full multimedia experience from their desktop computers, using their telephones for voice interaction. The interactive graphical aspect of the conference is a key factor toward success. Collaboration and editing among co-workers are practical uses of evolving Web-conferencing technology. The basic functions of a phone conference are enhanced by the addition of PCs, giving participants the capability to share slides, for example.

Web conferencing can take the form of a traditional presentation, such as a sales pitch, technical support or a company training session, with a speaker or panel of speakers, an audience and a moderator. The moderator in the Web-based conference controls the general flow of the event, from granting speaking rights and controlling each participant's computer monitor remotely, to adjusting individual participant volume control. Text messaging allows for questions and answers to be exchanged in real time. More sophisticated conferencing systems allow participants to "whisper" to others, slip "virtual notes," and send instant messages.

The moderator schedules a conference call ahead of time and then uploads his presentation to the remote server before the conference begins. At this point, each of the participants receives an e-mail message reminding him of the time of the call, as well as providing him with a Web address that will serve as the presentation medium, and a log-on name and password.

When the conference call begins, a PSTN phone user can call in to the conference. Traditionally, voice conferences were enabled using physical bridging technology. For advanced Web capabilities to function in the conference call, however, the required media-intensive processing is better handled by a media server housed within the organization, at the telephone company or at another service provider.

Media servers are a key element in the technologies that allow data and voice to be mixed together for conferencing. The call signal is converted by a media gateway as it enters a central office where a media server is located. The voice stream is converted into IP before entering the media server, and the PSTN phone user joins the audio portion of the conference bridge. Participants who log on to the website for the presentation can participate in the Web-enabled portion of the conference. A single media server can handle hundreds, even thousands, of participants, a useful feature for earnings conference calls or other online learning events.

Web conferences also enable enhancements, such as controlling recording and replay, WAP-based reservations, and call-quality filtering. With such additional capabilities, capital savings and overall benefits, Web-based conferencing may one day surpass the advantages of meeting in person.

A typical in-person meeting, with five people flying across the country to meet with three colleagues for a two-hour joint work session, might cost upward of $5,000. A Web conference for the same eight people for four hours would price out at about 50 cents per minute per user, or $960. Add to this the time gained by not traveling, and savings really mount up.

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Technology Industry

Web conferencing saves time, money: staff and customer collaboration made easier - Internet/IP Technologies

Communications News, May, 2002 by Brett Azuma

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