Web conferencing allows people located anywhere on the planet to communicate directly with each other through the user of video, voice and text-based communications. In addition to overcoming traditional distance-related barriers to communication, web conferencing also offers added benefits, including the ability to record and document meetings for future reference or archiving.
The current state of web conferencing technologies is that there is no single standard. This state of affairs has resulted in a lack of transparency and interoperability among the various systems. The lack of standards has also driven up average operating costs and has added to the proliferation of multiple vendors and solutions, making the solutions difficult to compare in an apples-to-apples manner.
Web conferencing can be defined as any technology that allows people with access to the Internet or local networking environment to conduct training sessions, live meetings, work collaboration and presentations with each other. Web conferencing eliminates the dimension of place or location as a barrier to effective business and personal communications.
Typical features of many web conferencing solutions include the ability to make slide show presentations (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint or Keynote slides), live streaming video, voice communications (VoIP), interactive web tours, and whiteboard presentations with annotation. Depending upon the system used, most or all of these features can be recorded and archived for future reference.
The history of web conferencing is just slightly longer than the history of the Internet itself. The current state of web conferencing finds its roots in real-time text chat and instant messaging software, which first emerged in the 1980s. Then, due mainly to the development of internetworking technologies that undergird the Internet, the 1990s brought with it the first web conferencing systems. At that point, several Internet-mediated conferencing solutions sprouted up.
Systems today come in many varieties and are ideal for use by individuals, families, schools, training facilities, small businesses and large enterprises alike.
For educational institutions, government users, small businesses and enterprise users alike, security in web conferencing becomes a key concern. Companies and government users of web conferencing services, in particular, are concerned about security when considering a new solution.
There are several providers of secure web conference software applications. Security in this arena relates primarily to a number of key measures, including:
* User permissions and systems accessibility management
* Archiving and recording
* Data encryption
* User authentication
* Physical security and managed services
* Data protection during data upgrades and migration
* System usage auditing
* Flexible deployment options
When contacting a web conferencing provider, it is important to understand not only their main features and functions, but also how they address the various security concerns that most companies and users face.