Riding the Web Conferencing Tsunami: A Detailed Look at Products, Services, and Finding the Optimal Solution

SUMMARY

A Detailed Look at Products, Services, and Finding the Optimal Solution This report thoroughly explores whyweb conferencing is taking the rich media conferencing market by storm and how an organization can find theright solution to fit its needs. Topics include the current state of the market and the social and technologyfactors that made the web conferencing tsunami possible. Key capabilities and benefits are revealed within aframework of actual user priorities derived from a survey of over 500 end users. The heart of the report is ahands-on review of the offerings from 21 key vendors. The report concludes with a vendor ratings summary, aproduct feature comparison, and a recommended six-step vendor selection process.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CHAPTER 2: MARKET OVERVIEW

• What is Web Conferencing?
• What Has Made Web Conferencing Possible?
• The Rich Media Conferencing Spectrum
• The Move From Renegade to Blessed
• Web Conferencing Capabilities
• How Web Conferencing is Sold
• Vendor Positioning
• User Priorities
• Future Technology Trends
• Future Vendor Trends

CHAPTER 3: TECHNOLOGY CONSIDERATIONS

• System Architecture
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Application Viewing & Sharing
• Other Applets
• System Performance
• Firewalls & Proxies
• Security
• The User Interface
• Scheduling & Events
• Record & Playback
• Standards & Integration

CHAPTER 4: HANDS-ON LOOK AT KEY SUPPLIERS

• Centra Software
• Data Connection Ltd
• eDial
• First Virtual Communications
• Genesys Conferencing
• Glance Networks, Inc
• IBM Lotus Software
• Interwise
• Mshow
• Latitude Communications
• Linktivity
• Microsoft
• Netspoke, Inc. (iMeet)
• PlaceWare Incorporated (to be acquired by Microsoft)
• Polycom
• Raindance Communications
• SMART Technologies Inc
• Sonexis, Inc
• Spectel
• WebDialogs, Inc
• WebEx Communications, Incorporated

CHAPTER 5: VENDOR SELECTION PROCESS

APPENDIX A: VENDOR RATINGS SUMMARY

APPENDIX B: VENDOR MATRICES

APPENDIX C: USER SURVEY

APPENDIX D: FULL LIST OF WEB CONFERENCING PROVIDERS

List of Figures

• Figure 1 Match the Media to the Message
• Figure 2 Web Conferencing versis Video Conferencing
• Figure 3 Web Conferencing Purchasing Options
• Figure 4 Web Conferencing Market Map
• Figure 5 Web Conferencing Vendors by Tier
• Figure 6 Web Conferencing Vendor Trends
• Figure 7 Client/Server vs. Peer-to-Peer Architecture
• Figure 8 Centra Products
• Figure 9 Centra's Log-On Page
• Figure 10 Centra's scheduling page
• Figure 11 Centra Schedule a Meeting Page
• Figure 12 Centra's main meeting page
• Figure 13 Centra AppShare
• Figure 14 Outlook Integration
• Figure 15 The DCL MeetingServer conference desktop
• Figure 16 The eDial Home screen
• Figure 17 The eDial One-Time Conference screen
• Figure 18 The eDial Document Viewer (Leader's) screen
• Figure 19 The eDial Document Viewer (Participant's) screen with scroll bars
• Figure 20 Logging on to Click to Meet
• Figure 21 User Configuration Window
• Figure 22 Step 1 Enter Username and Password
• Figure 23 Step 2 Enter conference Configurations
• Figure 24 Step 3 Invite attendees
• Figure 25 CTM Continuous Presence Skin
• Figure 26 Load a Presentation or Web Tour Dialog Box
• Figure 27 Application Sharing-Choosing an Application to Share
• Figure 28 Schedule/Start a Meeting
• Figure 29 Genesys sign on page
• Figure 30 Genesys Meeting Center (Your Personal Meeting Page)
• Figure 31 Uploading a Presentation
• Figure 32 Uploading a Presentation using GMC
• Figure 32 Accessing your Outlook contact list
• Figure 33 Genesys Meeting Center Conference Page
• Figure 34 Record a meeting option
• Figure 35 Chat features and settings
• Figure 36 GMC Web Tour
• Figure 37 Dial the moderator
• Figure 38 The Glance Client Menu
• Figure 39 Glance Pricing
• Figure 40 Sametime Log-On
• Figure 41 Sametime Scheduling Page
• Figure 42 Loading a Presentation
• Figure 43 Lotus Security Options
• Figure 44 Sametime Tool Choices
• Figure 45 Sametime Modem Optimization
• Figure 46 IM Invitations
• Figure 47 Fitting a Sametime presentation to the window screen
• Figure 48 Sametime Annotation
• Figure 49 Sametime Interface Screen Sharing
• Figure 50 The Interwise Communications Center
• Figure 51 iMeeting's Participant Application, Event Materials, and Participants windows
• Figure 52 iMeeting Application Sharing, Participant's view
• Figure 53 Lead or Join a Show
• Figure 54 Mshow Login
• Figure 55 Mshow main window
• Figure 56 Uploading a PowerPoint Presentation
• Figure 57 The MeetingPlace "Home" showing today's scheduled meetings
• Figure 58 The MeetingPlace Meeting Room, Presenter's view
• Figure 59 Audioconferencing controls
• Figure 60 App sharing options
• Figure 61 The "My WebDemo" screen
• Figure 62 Creating a WebDemo meeting
• Figure 63 WebDemo's ViewPort over PowerPoint, and Session / Keyboard Chat Windows
• Figure 64 The Windows Messenger contact window
• Figure 65 Inviting to start a data sharing session
• Figure 66 The sharing session menu
• Figure 67 Netspoke logon process in action
• Figure 68 Meeting Center main page
• Figure 69 Step One: Conference Details
• Figure 70 Step Two: Audio Information
• Figure 71 Step Three: Conference Content
• Figure 72 Step Four: Conference Keyword
• Figure 73 Step Five: Presenters
• Figure 74 Step Six: Attendees
• Figure 75 CMC PowerPoint Presentation
• Figure 76 My Detailed Reports
• Figure 77 PlaceWare Product / Service Offerings
• Figure 78 PlaceWare Schedule a Meeting
• Figure 79 PlaceWare Conference Center
• Figure 80 PlaceWare Application Sharing
• Figure 81 The WebOffice Manager
• Figure 82 Guests browsing my WebOffice URL
• Figure 83 WebOffice Meeting Manager
• Figure 84 Share Application window
• Figure 85 PhoneLink
• Figure 86 Raindance Moderator Menu
• Figure 87 Raindance Moderator Conference Screen
• Figure 88 Raindance Sharing Toolbox & ShareWindow
• Figure 89 The Bridgit Client & Creating a Conference
• Figure 90 Bridgit's host sharing and annotation tools
• Figure 91 Bridgit's attendee window using full color depth
• Figure 92 The ConferenceManager "My Conferences" screen
• Figure 93 The ConferenceManager Conference Room
• Figure 94 The ConferenceManager Audio Console
• Figure 95 The Spectel DataXchange conference desktop
• Figure 96 DataXchange with the Audio Console
• Figure 97 WebInterpoint's very simple presenter console
• Figure 98 The WebEx Meeting Center showing meeting options and the Meeting Calendar
• Figure 99 WebEx accurately scales PowerPoint slides to fill the available client window
• Figure 100 WebEx Sharing Options
• Figure 101 WebEx Videoconferencing
• Figure 102 Size of respondent's enterprise
• Figure 103 Where is your organization located (select all that apply)?
• Figure 104 Job title or description
• Figure 105 Current use of Web Conferencing
• Figure 106 Purchase Decision
• Figure 107 Products vs Services
• Figure 108 Top reasons for hosting your own web conferencing server
• Figure 109 Vendors Used
• Figure 110 Vendor Experience
• Figure 111 Importance of Specific Features
• Figure 112 Characteristics of web conferences
• Figure 113 Web Conferencing Applications

Vendors covered in this report:

• Centra Software
• Data Connection Limited
• eDial
• First Virtual Corporation
• Genesys
• Glance Networks
• IBM / Lotus Software (Sametime)
• Interwise
• InterCall (MShow)
• Latitude Communications
• Linktivity
• Microsoft
• NetSpoke (iMeet)
• PlaceWare
• Polycom (WebOffice)
• Raindance
• SMART Technologies (Bridgit)
• Sonexis
• Spectel
• WebDialogs
• WebEx