Web conferencing delivers advantages that were unheard of a decade ago, giving small businesses the ability to reach out globally, and giving larger businesses the ability to reduce their communications and travel expenses.
The technology of web conferencing is based on Internet protocols, and transmits video and/or audio packets over the Internet on a prioritized basis. Early on in the Internet’s evolution this was not possible because of the “best effort” nature of Internet Protocol, but newer technologies offering packet prioritization higher-speed transport and broadband connectivity make web conferencing practical for everyday use. More importantly, it has become affordable for nearly everybody.
Successes in web conferencing are evident across a spectrum of business, from SOHO to small business users to enterprise users, across every industry from education to manufacturing to finance. This wide scope is possible for several reasons, including:
• The maturity of the technology, which has led to decreasing prices over time
• The availability of hosted web conferencing services, which eliminate the need for up-front capital expenditures
• The scope of sophistication of the technology, which ranges from simple webcam connections to high-end room video camera hookups
Let’s take a look at a few companies that have had success with web conferencing, and the benefits the technology has delivered to them.
GoToMeeting from Citrix Systems
GoToMeeting is a strategic tool for business consultancy Kaulkin Ginsberg Company. The currency of consulting businesses is communication, and as they cannot function without it, a good web conferencing system has been essential to Kaulkin Ginsberg.
Kaulkin Information Systems discovered GoToMeeting while attending a meeting with one of their vendors, and signed up immediately. The company now uses GoToMeeting and has been able to sustain better presentations, and make better first impression on their clients. In addition to making scheduled sales presentations, the company also uses GoToMeeting for ad hoc, last-minute demonstrations. The ease of use of the GoToMeeting system makes it possible for the company’s sales staff to move into a presentation as soon as the need arises, without advance preparation.
Because it allows up to 25 participants in a meeting, the company also uses the technology to conduct group sales demos to multiple prospects simultaneously, greatly increasing the productivity of the sales staff.
Beyond the initial sale, customer training is an important part of the Kaulkin’s process, and they use GoToMeeting to that end as well. The company reports that they have reduced training time by 30 percent, while retaining effectiveness. Before implementing the Citrix technology, training was usually done using a standard phone connection, which was inefficient because it lacked a visual element; GoToMeeting added that visual element to the training.
Because Kaulkin is in the financial services business, security is a high priority, and the online meeting security has also proven to be an important asset of GoToMeeting. The conferencing system includes password-based authentication and end-to-end encryption.
Adobe Connect Pro
Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro is another leading web conferencing product that has delivered positive results for a number of clients. The Ontario Ministry of Education uses Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro. The province’s vast education system brings with it several challenges, and Adobe helped the district overcome those obstacles. The system is used to promote Internet-based learning and host online meetings, and has dramatically changed the state of education in Ontario. For example, instructors use Acrobat Connect to bring web-based learning into the classroom, enabling teachers to teach in two classrooms at the same time, effectively doubling the number of students they can reach. Students that are not in the same room as the teacher can still interact with the rest of the class through the live chat feature. The technology makes it possible to establish online classes, which also helps to build up the remotely located schools and give them access to the same curriculum and teachers as students closer to the city.
In addition, the school district uses the technology to allow outside speakers to address classrooms and access to resources that were previously unavailable. The guest speakers host interactive presentations, and share their wisdom with thousands of students throughout the district at the same time.
Even better, the students use the technology to collaborate across classrooms and even across schools to work on various projects. For example, two elementary schools 400 miles apart collaborated on a book study project. Additional benefits include allowing students that may be inaccessible or in the hospital to participate with the classroom as well.
The technology is also used to keep staff up to speed and to offer them training and orientation. And, the school board also operates a series of virtual learning centers that accommodates adult learners and home-school students.
Cisco Systems Webex
Cisco Systems’ WebEx is one of the best known and most widely used web conferencing systems on the market. The National Bank of Indianapolis uses WebEx to allow its small IT staff to effectively service all eleven branches. The two-person IT staff needed to meet government regulations and perform the IT needs of the extended branch network, and WebEx allowed them to achieve these goals while improving overall customer service. The system eliminated the need for the IT staff to travel on-site for manual maintenance on each branch’s IT system. WebEx also helped them adhere more closely to regulations by giving them a more effective way to manage and distribute software patches and respond to security threats in the network.
WebEx met a particularly major challenge during the switchover to Daylight Savings Time. The bank’s IT system required two separate time updates, and under other circumstances the IT team would have had to shut down other projects to perform the switchover. Instead, the bank used WebEx for software distribution and patch management, and they have since fully automated critical IT functions like this. WebEx completely transformed the way the bank rolls out software updates, and saved a great deal of time and money in the process. The bank particularly appreciated the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, which allowed them to start using WebEx immediately without a long rollout period.
Internal support is also facilitated with WebEx, allowing the IT staff to resolve problems on any one of the network’s 300 computers from a remote location. IT issues can now be resolved often in a matter of minutes, and without IT staff having to travel to the branch location.
( http://www.business-software.com/web-conferencing/web-conferencing-success-stories.php )
Multiple companies in Canada and all over the world have benefited from the use of online conferencing solutions. If you feel that any of the conferencing platforms mentioned above will benefit you and your business, feel free to contact us at customersupport@reciteconferencing.com. We are happy to find a right solution just for you!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Ultimate Commute is No Commute
Teleworking is the perfect option for the shortest commute. It provides for business continuity while eliminating the commute to work. If you can perform work from home, you may be a candidate for teleworking.
In addition to reduced transportation costs, teleworking allows employees to better use the time they would have spent travelling. Companies who offer telework report that productivity is often improved because a major stress is eliminated from their employee’s schedule and workplace interruptions are reduced. When employers and employees focus on the work performed rather the work location, job satisfaction can skyrocket.
Teleworking is greenest of all commuting options, reducing the impact on the environment. It has benefits for organizations, their individual employees, and the broader communities in which we live and work.
Employer Benefits
- Increased productivity, recruitment and retention
- Less absenteeism
- Less time lost due to weather or business interruption
- Smaller carbon footprint
- Lower office and parking costs
Employee Benefits
- Flexibility improves overall quality of life
- More personal and family time
- Less stress from time spent in traffic
- Higher job satisfaction and morale
- Reduced commuting costs
Community Benefits
- Less road congestion
- Improved air quality
- Reduced impact on the environment
- More "eyes and ears" for the neighbourhood
Teleworking can be either on a part-time or full-time basis, on a fixed or flexible schedule. That’s the beauty of telework; a telework program can be designed to suit the unique needs of an organization and its employees.
Considering Telework for You or Your Workplace?
Lots of organizations allow their employees to work at home informally once in a while to finish an important project, or when weather makes travel difficult. With all the IT and communications options available today, this type of informal telework has become common. But a growing number of organizations have chosen to take teleworking a step further and implement a more structured program, with staff teleworking on a regular schedule, in order to gain more of the benefits that telework offers.
Formal telework programs are designed to offer some structure while still maintaining flexibility. A formal program includes the development of policies and agreements that provide direction to managers and their employees working from home. These programs are also easier to monitor to keep track of results and successes.
Getting Started
Teleworking is a new concept for a lot of people, teleworkers and managers alike. To roll out a successful program, either formal or informal, an employer will want to consider how a telework program supports the company’s business and organizational goals. Implementation will involve a number of considerations including training, IT/security arrangements, how to manage teleworkers and who is a suitable telework candidate.
To view this article at its source, please go to http://www.translink.ca/en/TravelSmart/Telework/Telework-Overview.aspx
In addition to reduced transportation costs, teleworking allows employees to better use the time they would have spent travelling. Companies who offer telework report that productivity is often improved because a major stress is eliminated from their employee’s schedule and workplace interruptions are reduced. When employers and employees focus on the work performed rather the work location, job satisfaction can skyrocket.
Teleworking is greenest of all commuting options, reducing the impact on the environment. It has benefits for organizations, their individual employees, and the broader communities in which we live and work.
Employer Benefits
- Increased productivity, recruitment and retention
- Less absenteeism
- Less time lost due to weather or business interruption
- Smaller carbon footprint
- Lower office and parking costs
Employee Benefits
- Flexibility improves overall quality of life
- More personal and family time
- Less stress from time spent in traffic
- Higher job satisfaction and morale
- Reduced commuting costs
Community Benefits
- Less road congestion
- Improved air quality
- Reduced impact on the environment
- More "eyes and ears" for the neighbourhood
Teleworking can be either on a part-time or full-time basis, on a fixed or flexible schedule. That’s the beauty of telework; a telework program can be designed to suit the unique needs of an organization and its employees.
Considering Telework for You or Your Workplace?
Lots of organizations allow their employees to work at home informally once in a while to finish an important project, or when weather makes travel difficult. With all the IT and communications options available today, this type of informal telework has become common. But a growing number of organizations have chosen to take teleworking a step further and implement a more structured program, with staff teleworking on a regular schedule, in order to gain more of the benefits that telework offers.
Formal telework programs are designed to offer some structure while still maintaining flexibility. A formal program includes the development of policies and agreements that provide direction to managers and their employees working from home. These programs are also easier to monitor to keep track of results and successes.
Getting Started
Teleworking is a new concept for a lot of people, teleworkers and managers alike. To roll out a successful program, either formal or informal, an employer will want to consider how a telework program supports the company’s business and organizational goals. Implementation will involve a number of considerations including training, IT/security arrangements, how to manage teleworkers and who is a suitable telework candidate.
To view this article at its source, please go to http://www.translink.ca/en/TravelSmart/Telework/Telework-Overview.aspx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
