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Collaboration capabilities are pushing Web conferencing to the forefront.

Easy-to-use features, cost effectiveness, productivity gains and the ubiquitous use of the Web are driving the growth in Web conferencing. Part of the comfort factor for Web conferencing stems from business users already familiar with on-demand audio conferencing. If using voice conferencing has become second nature, it is just a short leap to add remote meeting solutions and collaboration tools using telephone, video and the Web.

Why is this business taking off? Web conferencing is the only multifaceted technology that allows people to collaborate and share data “visually” on projects in real-time. Manufacturing, financial services, marketing and training have emerged as early adopters of Web collaboration technology, as routine business processes seen in these sectors (e.g., multisite staff meetings, new business acquisitions) immediately benefit from the technology.

Web conferencing is a simple technology that allows the introduction of just about any visual medium to a meeting. This includes everything from slide shows to polling facilities to product demonstrations and Web tours.

With Web conferencing, colleagues around the world can work on a document, blueprint or engineering drawing collaboratively without leaving their desks. For example, an engineering team in California can participate in a new car design review held in Frankfurt, making use of data held in computer programs running in India, while showcasing the new design to an ad agency in New York.

The Web, audio conferencing solutions and flexible computer systems are facilitating this type of intra-company communication, and may just be the key to realizing the vision of independent groups of empowered knowledge workers working in self-managed teams. Instant messaging (IM) is also playing a part.

IM technology has found its way into the corporate world, where adults use IM for quick text-chat sessions. Forward-thinking carriers are working with IM and presence developers to set up voice calls from IM chat sessions so multiple groups of people can easily “click-to-talk” and move from IM to a group conferencing call–complete with collaborative Web tools.

In the future, additional real-time communications features will develop alongside audio conferencing technologies, including white-board capabilities that allow participants to sketch diagrams and drawings as they chat. The use of “presence,” will form the foundation for communication between collaborative work groups and project teams. This ability to virtually link workgroups and project teams will enable even more real-time collaboration.

There are still hurdles to overcome, however. Commoditization and price erosion are changing audio conferencing as users move toward the use of on-demand systems and away from scheduled calls. Without operator-assisted calls, voice conferencing is becoming inexpensive for widespread adoption. As audio conferencing expands into smaller markets, Web conferencing is emerging as a widely recognized asset when combined with traditional audio conferencing.

Once carriers integrate Web, audio conferencing and IM capabilities in an easy-to-use, seamless offering, the converged audio, Web and IM service will give people the chance to utilize a single conferencing interface to launch, manage and coordinate all aspects of their virtual collaboration session. Business travel, though essential in many instances, will be easily replaced with Web conferencing for routine business activities.

The unique attributes of Web conferencing–the ability to collapse distance, to organize knowledge, to take better advantage of time, and to be more productive–will give people more control over their routines and add value to the business process. Web conferencing, with its ability to facilitate real-time, direct communication between people, will bring highly distributed organizations closer together and, at the same time, increase their productivity.

For more information from British Telecom:
www.rsleads.com/311cn-254

Robert Moore is CEO of BT Conferencing, Braintree, Mass.