Teaming + Conferencing Articles:
Conferencing Made Easy!
By Donna Moyer
Gone are the days of trying to figure out when and where everyone
can meet. With the Conferencing component of Novell’s Teaming
+ Conferencing product, communication (including meetings!) can
now move at light speed.
The Conferencing component provides:
- meeting scheduling and management
tools
- presence indicators to show who is available to meet
- instant
messaging and chat during meetings
- web and voice conferencing
- application and desktop sharing
- whiteboarding
Two separate clients are currently required to access the full
range of Conferencing capabilities: one for the instant message
and chat, available via the Pidgin (formerly GAIM) client; and
one for the rest of the support features noted above. Novell is,
however, moving toward a fully browser-based client for the Conferencing
product.
So what are the advantages? With Conferencing, you will enjoy:
- Comprehensive
instant messaging and chat features. Pidgin includes many of
the features found on AOL Instant Messenger or Trillian, including
virus protection, file transfer capabilities, and emoticons for
use during conversations.
- Searchable data archives. Meetings conducted
through instant messaging can be saved in searchable archives.
- Complete integration with Teaming. Teaming supports presence
by showing who is available in the Teaming interface when someone
is logged into Pidgin. Support for GroupWise Instant Messenger
is available via a plugin.
- Versatile voice conferencing. Voice
conferencing can be done via soft phone, VoIP, or standard telephone.
(Live voice conferencing requires that the NMS CG 6060 or CG
6565 media boards be added to the server.) Users can initiate
voice conferences from within the Conferencing client, without
the hassle of setting up a separate audio bridge.
- Streamlined
meetings. Instant messenger and voice conferencing allow
for rapid communications (two-way or in groups) without the need
to call a meeting or to travel. Meetings can take place right
when problems or questions arise, promoting rapid forward
movement on a project.
- Practical functionality. Whiteboarding
and desktop sharing provide the same capabilities for communicating
information that one would use for an in-person meeting. They
are also perfect for support professionals who can use this feature
to take control of someone’s desktop even if they are not
on the internal network.
In all, Novell’s Teaming + Conferencing provides organizations
with tremendous abilities to connect individuals, streamline communication,
manage knowledge, and collaborate on projects. It is definitely
a product to consider if you want to give your business a competitive
edge!
© Copyright 2008, Uptime NetManagement, Inc.
Article Source: http://www.uptimenmi.com/
You have my permission to reprint and distribute this article as long as it
is distributed in its entirety, including all links and copyright information.
This article is not to be sold or included with anything that is sold.
About the Author:
Donna Moyer is Principal/Senior Network Consultant of Uptime NetManagement,
Inc. (http://www.uptimenmi.com/). Uptime is a Novell Gold Solutions partner
providing technology solutions, customized training, and consulting services.
If you are interested in finding out exactly what Novell can do for your
business, or are seeking to maximize the benefits from your current Novell
systems, call us today at 610-621-1244!
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