Why VOIP Works Well
The key is organization and use – nothing can help you get organized better than use, and so, the user knows what is best.
Do the manufacturers consider them? As we look at some popular software packages for VOIP, let’s keep in mind that many times developers of craft are the imaginative people, but it is the user who has to make it work in the field who will benefit most.
WebEx is well-known software for VOIP connectivity and session use. The benefits of such software in terms of organization would seem obvious, but in reality, they aren’t. WebEx does allow multiple user input, but one user noted that often the screen updates take a while to get synched with each other. "WebEx is generally effective but bandwidth for individuals connected sometimes results in different screen refresh rates for participants, sometimes resulting in confusion as to what’s being modified until the host pauses for everyone’s monitors to catch up." [User Review Cnet.com]
One factor with WebEx is that it has high functionality, but the training time for learning about such has been reviewed as being too extensive. If you need something that you can make happen in one day, WebEx may not be your deal. On the other hand, once the organization has trained to use it, WebEx has plenty of functionality.
"WebEx Meeting Center isn’t desktop software. Rather, it’s a collection of Web-based conferencing tools that let you conduct meetings via your browser. WebEx guarantees data integrity, privacy and high-speed performance by routing data packets (that is, your meeting) off the public Internet and onto WebEx’s secure servers. All you need to do to make it happen is download and install a small plug-in during setup — a task that takes just a few minutes for users with broadband connections." [Bertolucci, 2004]
WebEx has the best of all things going for it, setup is basic and the install is easily accomplished. WebEx fights the same fight that other VOIP conference software must fight, price.
WebEx has another distinctive to it, which is noted in the PC Review quoted herein, it is not desktop-based software. This is significant in an age where high-speed viruses have made safe use of exchange based information systems very important.
Where WebEx has significant advantage over other systems that one might use is in the numbers of users that it can support. "WebEx Meeting Center offers a robust assortment of conferencing tools, including application- and document-sharing functions, VoIP telephony that transmits audio over your Internet connection, and multi-point video that lets you view up to four thumbnail Web camera images at once. It’s no bargain, however, with prices starting at $75 per port, per month for unlimited use (a port is like a seat at the conference table). A 20-person company could share five ports, for instance, and have five people meeting via WebEx at one time, including any outside attendees." [Ibid.]
This says wonderful things are possible, and will get better with this company.
