So security is an important issue when it comes to online collaboration, and the question is: Are the documents and the information I share transmitted securely? We have taken this issue into account from the very beginning. After analyzing the security issue again, we found that we can shift our evaluation criteria a bit.

So far we rated the security of a web conferencing tool by looking at the software-specific security features on a higher-ranking level and then the meeting-specific security features, counting them into the overall results at a 50% – 50% ratio. As our analysis has shown, online conferencing software itself is standardly very secure. It is the meeting specific security – often adjustable to a certain degree by the meeting host – that weighs in more heavily, which is why we now adopted a 30% – 70% ratio.

To give a concrete example this means that a 128 bit SSL encoding and a meeting specific ID increases a tool’s security score.

Many thanks to all the users that have expressed their concerns regarding the security of web conferencing software. We always like to hear your comments on online collaboration, so please keep ‘em coming.

Mindjet Catalyst only made it to the second look. This tool lays a heavy focus on mind mapping, which simply is not what we are looking for in an online collaboration tool. Although the software also allows for web conferencing, this is done by providing an older version of Netviewer – which is already featured in our ranking.

So you can have a thorough look at the tool here. Until it better fits our criteria for evaluation we will not test it.

Talking communities’ top priority is inclusion, making web conferencing technology available for everyone. The tool can be used without broadband and offers a variety of interface languages for participants from all over the world. A text-to-speech functionality as well as various settings for size and color of texts also make the tool an option for the visually impaired.

The tool does have its limitations, though. It only runs on Windows, thus excluding all Mac-users… And it seems as though desktop-sharing was also not possible.

Still we think this is a refreshing approach to online collaboration. Since the initial aim of the tool differs greatly from that of the other tools in our ranking, a comparison is not possible. But you can find out more about talking communities in a comparative study conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.

Some providers are currently offering special rates due to the chaos. So you might want to check those out when searching for a way to avoid getting stuck at the airport on the way to a meeting…

In various media it has been stated that business travelers, companies, and even governments are looking into video conferencing technologies to keep things running. While video conferencing certainly is an option to create a meeting-like situation – in that you can see whom you are talking to – web conferencing gives business travelers additional options to successfully conduct business meetings when on the road.

Web conferencing tools allow participants to quickly set up meetings and then share documents, show presentations, chat and have an audio conference at the same time.

In our evaluation of online meeting solutions we present a number of tools and give you information on functionalities, user friendliness, and cost. So if you are looking for a way to have a meeting while you are waiting at the airport – or to prevent you from having to fly altogether – and feel you need a different set of functionalities than provided by video conferencing, you will very likely find a fitting tool in our evaluation of online collaboration software.

The bright side of this chaos: If you have a meeting scheduled you do not have to miss out on it and perhaps let a good opportunity go. Simply invite your contacts to a web conference and make sure that your business does not suffer due to the situation. Check out our evaluation of  online collaboration tools and find the solution that suits your meeting requirements best.

Good look with your further travel plans – and your online meetings.

You can either subscribe right here or go to our evaluation site.

The new layout is not only more practicable, it has one other advantage: It simply looks good!

As a customer with a regular account we were surprised to find out that Cisco has not provided current customers with information other than what can be found on the website.