Web Conferencing Blog

Well done! After re-evaluating BeamYourScreen, which is now available in version 3.0, we found great improvements in ease of installation, structure, and security. The missing chat function is a big turnoff though. Still, if the overall trend is carried on with future developments, BeamYourScreen might very well find itself in our top 5 after the next evaluation.

Check out the complete test results here.

RHUB now provides users with GoMeetNow, an online meeting solution remarkably well suited for desktop sharing. The tool made the top ten of our ranking.
VIA3 Professional only makes it into the top twenty. The main reason is its restriction of only allowing users of a VIA3 account to participate in online meetings.

Previously we had included IBM Sametime Unyte Share in our ranking. Since this software does not match all of our criteria for evaluation we have removed it. At the same time we re-evaluated IBM SameTime Unyte Meeting which is now called IBM LotusLive Meeting. The tool showed a solid performance during our tests. The integrated webcam functionality caught our eye, as well as the fact that only the current presenter’s webcam can be displayed.

You can find all other details about the tool here.

We have taken Elluminate vRoom out of our ranking and replaced the tool with Elluminate’s vOffice. vOffice is an interesting web conferencing solution since it originated from an eLearning environment. The tool offers a good solution for virtual team work but has its downsides, e.g. too many features which make usability awkward.

Read the full evaluation.

Netviewer Meet is now available in version 6.0 and has beaten WebEx Meeting Center 8.5 to the second place.

Previously the number three in our ranking, Netviewer Meet has improved its features, especially regarding security. The setup of online meetings is now also easier to handle so that the overall user experience definitely has been enhanced.

Read the detailed evaluation here.

Until recently Saba only offered enterprise solutions. With eMeetings, Saba now offers an online meeting solution which can be utilized by small and medium sized companies. Our verdict: rank 7

Glance also made its way into our ranking. Glance offers easy access to desktop sharing and the basic functionalities you’d expect of an online conferencing tool. But that is pretty much it. Our verdict: rank 23

With Acrobat Connect Pro, Adobe offers a web conferencing solution that does not need to fear comparison with big players such as GoToMeeting or WebEx Meeting Center. The overall handling of this software is easy and intuitive. The drawback is that essential features, e.g. transferal of mouse or keyboard control during meetings, are not included. Without these features Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro only ranks number 7.

If you want to check out Adobe’s online collaboration tools you can start out with the free Adobe Connect Now.

drop.io is attracting a lot of attention and is being used by many for various purposes. Usage is free, the tool has an integrated FTP-server, and enables adhoc data transfer. Firefox even provides an add-on „Drag & Drop.io“ which is already available in version 2.0.1.

Why then did we only rank it number 24? Well true, you can easily implement the tool and then exchange data with little effort, but drop.io doesn’t offer the complete package we expect from a good online conferencing solution.

Read our detailed evaluation here.

After Cisco had announced to no longer offer new WebEx MeetMeNow subscriptions, we evaluated their online meeting solution WebEx Meeting Center, which is now available in version 8.5. This tool offers a broad variety of functions and can thus be applied in numerous cases. However, by offering more features the complexity of the tool has grown as well and makes usage less simple and intuitive.

Since our last rating in May omNovia has enhanced its range of features and also increased user friendliness by providing straightforward access to the already existing features.

The tool now rates at a 7.3 of 10. Main areas of improvement were the number of features, the simplified set-up of meetings, and security.

Although we found an overall improvement to omNovia there are still a few soft spots that pull the score down. The omNovia Event Manager e.g. allows you to set up meetings all right, however it is a bit formal and tedious when you want to informally invite your colleagues.

All in all omNovia has upgraded in key areas leaving room for further improvement.