PlaceWare has today announced that it is offering businesses a free trial of its web conferencing services to drive forward the uptake of the technology in the UK. This will enable users to pilot the technology, experience the benefits that it brings and witness its ease of use without the obligation to purchase.
According to IDC, which claims that world-wide web conferencing revenue grew 91% to $340 million in 2001, technologies like conferencing - adopted to get past difficult economic times - are supposed to help employees shoulder the burden by making them more productive.* Conferencing technologies, however, according to the analyst, are still predominantly sold in the US.
With huge cuts in business travel budgets and an emphasis on increased employee productivity, web conferencing is a viable solution and one that has really taken off in the US. We want to give UK businesses the opportunity to test our services out for themselves, free of charge, and realise how easy it is to collaborate across the Internet, says Mireia Fontbernat, marketing manager EMEA at PlaceWare.
Web conferencing is a secure medium for sharing data, applications and interacting in real-time over the Internet. Using only a web browser and a telephone, businesses can connect large or small groups of people (two to 2,500) from a variety of diverse locations faster, and at a fraction of the cost, of business travel. By providing users with an alternative to often time-consuming business travel, the technology also significantly improves productivity.
The visual component of a web conference can include anything from running through a PowerPoint presentation or demonstrating a piece of desktop software, to touring web sites, conducting virtual polls or even interacting with the audience to run a ''question and answer'' session.
One of the main advantages of using web conferencing is that the tools and technology required are very familiar to the vast majority of users. Also, no additional investment in hardware or software is needed. Web conferencing can therefore be used in any corporation without placing additional demands on the time and skills of the IT department.
Angela Jackson, product manager, Global IT Department, Deloitte Consulting said: Our global standard for web conferencing is PlaceWare because it''s easy to use and reliable. The ability to conduct meetings without having to be face-to-face is invaluable as are attributes such as flexibility, the ability to share applications and the ability to share knowledge within a secure environment.
*Worldwide Conferencing Applications Competitive Analysis, 2002: Mostly Sunny, with Scattered Showers. By Robert P. Mahowald and Mark Levitt
About PlaceWare, Inc.
Founded in 1996, PlaceWare provides real-time platform and application services for web-based communication and collaboration both inside and outside firewalls. PlaceWare web conferencing has a scalable, reliable and secure browser-based architecture, which is based on technology developed and tested at Xerox PARC.
The company offers all types of web-based communications, from large-scale meetings with thousands of attendees to small collaborative meetings, presentations, and e-learning sessions. PlaceWare has already attracted more than 2,300 companies who see web conferencing as a natural evolution in helping their businesses compete more effectively in the global marketplace. PlaceWare hosts thousands of simultaneous online meetings simply using web browsers and telephones.
For more information about PlaceWare, visit
UK BUSINESSES BEHIND IN THE ADOPTION OF COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
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