Web Based Video Conferencing Services today are far reaching and extremely powerful tools.
Web Based video conferencing is transforming the way businesses and executives are communicating everyday! Skype and Google has both come forward with Free Solutions for multiple-participant video conferencing. Other companies like Vidtel and Bluejeans have made it possible to use cloud based services to call traditionally impossible places such as Cisco and Tandberg SIP/H.232 end-points! Gartner estimates that by 2015, there will be 200,000,000 desktop endpoints – a 1000-fold increase in just 4 years – and this prediction doesn’t take into account tablet and smartphone form factors.
So what does this mean for the 21st Century business? High Definition, highly secure and highly advanced video conferencing solutions are only the fraction of the cost they were 5-10 years ago!
What makes a successful video conferencing room? Check out Haverford Systems Web Based Conference Room Standards! To help our customers and future clients find the right service I have created the following review checklist for the most popular services available today.
2. Free or Paid?
Free Solutions such as Skype and Google
Hangout offer rock solid video performance but
lack in depth collaboration tools for business
Paid Solutions like Web-EX and GoToMeeting
include all kinds of features such as screen
sharing, annotation, and keyboard/mouse
sharing.
3. Free Video Conferencing
Solutions
Skype – Super Easy to use and ultra-reliable
Google Hangout – Super Easy to use and integrates with
Google Apps like Gmail
AnyMeeting- Completely free and offers similar features to
GoToMeeting but has advertisements
Yugma – Completely Free and offers easy email integration
for scheduling but limited number of users at a time.
MikoGo – Also Free and includes collaboration tools that
are helpful.
5. Paid Online Video
Conferencing Software
GoToMeeting- Easy to use only $50/month/user
comes with full set of features and up to 25
concurrent video users
Cisco WebEX- Easy to use only $35/month/user
and has full set of features
MS Lync- $59/month/user integrates with
Microsoft Suite and has full set of feautre
7. Choosing a Webcam
High Definition Webcams cost less than $100
Key Features to look for
Auto-Focus
3 Year Warranty
Built-in Microphone
Universal Mount
11. USB Microphones
Look for USB 2.0 Microphones
ClearONE and Vaddio are the leaders in USB
Conference Phones
Most Desktop PC’s have built in microphones
To improve personal video conferencing audio
quality consider a USB headset
14. Room Layouts
Microphones can only
pick up a certain range.
Check your Manufacture
Recommendations
Rooms Layouts help to
ensure a set amount of
seats will be covered
with your webcam