subject: Online Web Meeting Solutions And The Technology Behind Them [print this page] In order to understand the importance of Online Web Meeting in todays business environment, it is necessary to understand the technology behind them. Online Web Meeting solutions are built with a number of components, connectivity options, and standards and different vendors add their own components in their Online Web Meeting solutions.
Of course, the endpoints are not single systems in and of themselves. In other words, a company does not have to choose just one vendor; they may have to use services and applications from different endpoint classes to create a complete conferencing system. The ability to create this kind of architecture with different classes depends on the types of conferencing solutions offered by each vendor.
There are essentially two classes of Online Web Meeting vendors- system vendors and support providers. System vendors typically sell the necessary components for setting up web conferencing sessions, and support providers offer implementation, design, performance monitoring and management, and network management services.
The above two classes need not be mutually exclusive, and they can, in fact, overlap one another. A lot of Online Web Meeting system vendors offer support services such as free audio conferencing and a lot of support providers resell conferencing components. Either the support provider or system vendor may offer hosted Online Web Meeting services that use the common infrastructure for supporting multiple customers.
Each of the categories has key differentiators, including support for open standards, types of endpoints, management offerings, and resolution capabilities. The number of choices has increased in the market too- the new entries include Vidyo, Radvision, and LifeSize, which is now operated by Logitech. These entries compete with older and more established players like Cisco, Polycom, IBM Lotus, RHUB, ShoreTel, etc. The latter vendors now deliver web as part of their focus on Unified Communications. Avistar, Glowpoint, and BT Conferencing deliver management and hosted bridge services, and service providers like Verizon, Tata, Masergy, Global Crossing, and AT&T deliver extranet connectivity, dedicated network services, and complete management options.
