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What to look for in choosing a web conferencing service

Written by: Joe Gagliano

Article Overview: The article examines some of issues involved when choosing a web conferencing service. There are literally dozens of companies offering a variety of services, each with a list of claims. What is important in making a choice?

What to look for in choosing a web conferencing service

I like to shake people's hands and look them in the eye as we talk, so the notion of conducting online meetings didn't immediately resonate. What I didn't realize, as most everyone thinks, is that online meetings are not really meant to entirely replace conventional get-togethers - they provide a way to improve communications beyond the exchange of emails, documents, pictures, etc. In the marketing communications field, for example, innumerable drafts of press releases, data sheets, advertisements, and other documents are exchanged. What the online meeting helps to do is accelerate the process. Say you draft a speech for a client and get back an edited version for review - did the client almost like what you submitted or did she nearly toss it in the recycle bin? It's much easier to gauge reactions through online meetings, not only through the spoken word, but also through body language. There are now many companies offering a service for online meetings. As a newcomer, I had to familiarize myself with the vernacular of the business, and I had to understand what was important and what was merely fluff (not easy, even for someone who's generated enough fluff). After talking with more seasoned users of online meeting services, I came up with my own check-list:

1. Are there restriction on who you can web meet?

Apparently, most of us operate our computers from behind a firewall, and corporate users are most likely to have robust firewalls. Plus there is something called Network Address Translation, or NAT. Suffice it say that both can present obstacles when trying to meet online.

2. Can I really see, speak to, exchange files with, whiteboard, with all participants?

There are many solutions out there, some of which fall under the web meeting ‘lite' category. We can't all drive a Rolls-Royce, but if it costs the same as a lesser car, then why not?

3. Is it easy to set-up?

Nobody wants to start making support calls half a world away to set-up a web meeting - it tends to negate the reason for using the service in the first place. What you must remember is that the people you're going to meet need to set-up their own computers, and there's no guarantee that everyone knows the difference between a static and a dynamic IP address. Anyone who knows how to use Windows should be able to get the meeting going - although meetings held through a browser are subject to the vagaries of updates, which may necessitate fixes to the set-up.

4. Is it safe?

Of course it's safe - there are some huge companies offering the service, right? Actually...no. It's safe in the sense that you're unlikely to pick a virus or a worm during a web meeting, but if you want to make sure your communications, even if intercepted, cannot be deciphered, then there may be a problem. For example, most web conferencing services operate through links that are not password protected.

5. Can I web conference and videoconference using the same service?

This is not the most pressing requirement, but it would be good to have the option.

6. Is it fair and logical?

It's one thing to have a moderator, but do the other participants get to have their say? In the context of a web meeting that mean access to the various tools and the right to participate as an equal.

Armed with my check list, I went through more offerings than I thought existed. My own investigation led me to a young company in Silicon Valley named AdriaComm. It met satisfactorily with all the conditions of my check-list, and was the only one to deliver desktop-to-desktop security, without the need for Certificates, through the encryption of all communications - video, audio, text, file transfer, etc. I was also made aware that their solution is project-oriented and supports "presence awareness", that is once a person is logged in, he or she becomes available for a conference trough a single click. However, AdriaComm is in the process of changing from offering a service to selling its product outright to the Military and to the healthcare industry. It would seem that state secrets and HIPAA privacy (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) requirements demand strict security in all communications, including web meetings and web conferencing. You may still get to use their service, but if you use the check-list above you shouldn't go far wrong.

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Article Tags: encryption, skype, voip, web conferencing service



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