For folks who meet online regularly rarely any thoughts are put into web conferencing servers
. While this is an important component of successful web conference meetings, once it works they dont need to. From the outset it establishes control of the presentation and allows the moderator to change the presenter when required. Those who set up meetings online should have an understanding of the web conference server. They need to know about its basic components and their importance to a well structured web conference.
The Web Conference Server Infrastructure
The ability to host a web conference depends on basic elements such as phone lines and Internet service. Depending on the size of the network and teams involved additional components may be needed. An Internet Locator Service (ILS) has proven to be valuable to some users in setting up a web conferencing server. The ILS performs two main functions:
It will address bandwidth concerns ensuring that the web conference is not hampered by low speed transmission of data.
It allows the host to maintain an up-to-date directory of anyone who may need to be involved in a web conference at any time. This makes it easy to keep track of participants and to notify them of meetings or send out reminders.
The Functions of the Web Conference Server
Even a company new to web conferences can quickly understand the basic features and start hosting webinars. Naturally, the components are not limited to the hosting of meetings. Web conferencing also allow a company to streamline its operations and save money. Web conference servers have a variety of functions including:
Collaboration: This is the backbone of any web conference utility. It covers a wide range of features such as chat, file transfer and whiteboard.
Application sharing: This is one of the best features of web meeting solutions. Users can collaborate using the same application.
Managing media files: This is important given the wide range of file types that may be used in any one presentation. This includes still images such as JPEGs and TIFFs, and audio files.
To make the process easier, some users opt for web meeting appliances such as those offered by RHUB Communications. Typically these devices support both Mac and PC platforms and offer universal attendance technology. Their main advantage is that with direct ownership no monthly fees are required.