How to profit from web conferencing, how does web conferencing work, the available technologies, its costs and main features, and the security issues.
Making your first steps in web conferencing is not as difficult as it may seem. In this article, we provide you with a quick start guide of just six points.
1 – How can I profit from web conferencing?
In many ways. The three most important are:
- First, web conferencing allows you to cut down on costs, as travels and posh hotels are not necessary any more.
- Second, web conferencing helps you save a lot of time, as you do not have to move physically from a place to another.
- Third, web conferencing makes your meetings easier to manage, as it provides you with several tools (like polling and document sharing) that are not available during an ordinary meeting.
2 – How does web conferencing work?
Participants get invited to a web conference by an email that states the time, the provider, the code to enter and all the other relevant details to participate. In some cases, you are requested to download some software. Once got into the conference, a list with the participants appears. Every participant sees the same image.
3 – What are the available technologies for web conferencing?
There are two available technologies. Web hosted web conferencing technologies, which utilize the web, like Skype; on-premise server based web conferencing technologies, which utilize a devoted server.
- On-premise servers are more reliable and safer , but more complicated to manage, as they often need an IT team, except for the servers of the Californian company R-HUB http://www.rhubcom.com
- Web-based solutions are cheaper, but unsecure and not as reliable as on-premise server based solutions because they are based on the web.
R-HUB’s web conferencing servers are a kind of third solution, as they present some features that are common to both traditional on-premise server based technologies and web hosted solutions. Being self-installing, self-configuring and self-upgrading, they need neither maintenance nor a devoted IT team.
4- How much does it cost?
Much depends on the technology considered. Servers are certainly more expensive than a web hosted service like Skype. But watch the license costs. Web hosted solutions often require an additional license for any additional user or participant to a web conference. On the contrary, flat licenses (for example, RHUB’s licenses) allow you to add a virtually unlimited number of additional users at zero cost.
R-HUB’s web conferencing servers are not expensive (they vary in a range from 295 US$ to 1495 US$). Other brands’ servers can be significantly more expensive. On average, they cost 60% more than a web conferencing cloud service (source: http://www.maximizer.com/blog/which-is-more-expensive-cloud-or-on-premise/).
5- What can I expect from web conferencing?
Today’s web conferencing gives you a lot both in terms of performances (HD video quality, speed) and functionalities, like document sharing, polling, raising hands. Naturally, it depends on the single producer and/or provider.
6- What about security?
On-premise server based solutions are safe, as they do not rely on the net. Web-hosted solutions are unsecure, as data and communications can be intercepted or copied by hackers through the web. If security is an important issue for you, on-premise based solutions are still the more advisable.