Appliance, Software, Or Hosted Web Conferencing?

Appliance, Software, Or Hosted Web Conferencing?

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Most of the web conferencing products available in the market today are software or web-based but there is another solution: web conferencing appliances. And while many companies are starting to use and understand the benefits of appliance based solutions, some others still dont grasp what web conferencing appliances mean and what they can offer when compared with software and web-based products.
Web-based (or hosted ) web conferencing products have two major downsides. One is security and the other is the cost. Hosted web conferencing services are the most insecure of the three because companies have no control over a third party server (where the product is hosted) and its security measures, making it very difficult to control if someone unwanted is listening to the conversation. Cost-wise is also more expensive in the long run because these services are usually priced per month or year, becoming an ongoing cost to the company. On the upside, hosted services are usually easy to use and are always updated.
Web conferencing software, being hosted by the company who owns it, is much more secure than web-based products but still has several costs attached to it. Usually software solution has high upfront total cost because you should have a dedicated computer to host it to avoid disruptions from other applications. In addition, software requires extensive time to setup and maintain. For example, if a company needs a new employee to have access to web conferencing software, you need go to his end pc to configure the settings. Software upgrading is also another cost and additional problems may arise with maintenance and deploying the service.
The best solution is appliance based products. The upfront cost is low because you have got a complete hardware and software bundled and pre-configured package in appliance. So, you could save money from purchasing another dedicated computer. In addition, appliance is easier to deploy because most of appliances comes in as a plug-and-play mode, requiring no downloads. This is contrary to the common understanding, which holds appliance is only for IT professionals. By contrast, appliance makes the deployment easier. If you could setup your own wireless router, you should be able to manage it.
Actually, appliance also makes maintenance easier as you dont need to configure the settings in each end pc. Imagine if you have a user group of 20, it is going to be a lot of work to make appointments with 20 users, run to their desks and configure the settings. With appliance, you could configure the access and user privileges on a centralized appliance. Also, you dont need to worry about upgrading, as most appliances have self-updating functions.
Appliances are also safer not only because it uses both SSL and proprietary encryption to protect data security during the transmission, but also because it gives better access security. As we all know, the weakest security point in web conferencing is access security. Every web conferencing system today uses meeting IDs and/or passwords as a simple access security measure to protect web meetings from unwanted attendance. However, the problem is that online meeting IDs and passwords are usually emailed to attendees before scheduled meetings start. This process can easily compromise the remote access security. Your computer screen may be captured within seconds once a hacker intercepts. Once you realize you have been hacked, it is too late to close your meeting. The best way to protect against the security breaches described above is to use an on-premise appliance where you could choose your own way of appliance deployment and use firewall to protect your meetings.
Comparing the three types of web conferencing solutions, it is clear that appliance-based web conferencing is the best choice. These are not only the most secure, they are also cheaper in the long run and easier to deploy and maintain. RHUB web conferencing appliances have the most affordable solution to meet your security needs.

About the Author:
RHUB Communications is a premier provider of real-time collaboration appliances for the enterprise, which include on-premise web conferencing, video conferencing, audio conferencing, remote support and remote access. For more information, visit www.rhubcom.com.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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