subject: The Five Features Of Video Conferencing Which Make It Unique Worldwide [print this page] By 2020 the browser-based web conferencing market is expected to be a $4.45 billion dollar industry. Researchers feel this is due to organizations looking to increase company productivity, as well as provide an environment that thrives off of innovation and real-time communications. Several organizations are opting to pass over solutions which require proprietary software or unique equipment and choosing to go with a more user-friendly browser-based web conferencing solution
Here are a few reasons why:
Compatibility reaches across multiple platforms and internet browsers The simple question of "Are you a MAC or a PC?" has lost its relevancy here. Most browser-based video conferencing solution will work on PC, MAC or any Linux computing platforms. This holds true for internet browsers. It doesn't matter if users are on Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari, they will all be able to get into a meeting.
No downloads for participants to enter into a meeting Usually there is a small download required for meeting hosts to show their desktop, there are no downloads or installations required for guest participants to attend and be active in a meeting. This means more attendees can get into browser-based video conferencing meetings, even if they are not allowed to download any software onto their local machine.
No Firewalls related issues - Many web and browser based systems are not affected by firewalls and there is no special IT support needed to get participants into a meeting. With little or no technical obstacles, larger numbers of participants will be able to attend meetings.
Less dependency on hardwares There is no proprietary hardware required to conduct a meeting. With an inexpensive web or digital camera and a headset, participants can be seen and heard in meetings.
Less maintenance required With many software based conferencing systems, companies have a specific technician devoted to the upkeep and maintenance of that product. Every time a software update is required, the technician must take the time to install and test the update. Browser-based systems typically update themselves, so when users login to a meeting, they are automatically getting their vendor's most recent solution to their internet video conferencing needs.
As browser-based web conferencing technology advances, it will only become more user-friendly and allow us all to be more productive, making it more sought after by organizations worldwide. Soon, maybe web conferencing really will replace the telephone.
