Finding a Web Conferencing Company

Written by Steven Bryan

With the help of business-level broadband connections, the days of employees gathering in one room for a conference call are rapidly coming to an end. Meetings held over the Internet are becoming so popular that it's easy to find a web conferencing company to host your online discussion, webinar, or webcast.

Questions to ask your web conferencing company
When relying on an outside web conferencing company to host your virtual meeting, you'll need to get answers to the following questions:

• What kind of security measures do you provide? An online meeting typically discusses sensitive corporate information. Your web conferencing provider needs to safeguard your data. The computer network should constantly be monitored for intruders, but only a few of the provider's employees should have access to the actual conference.
• How many conference participants can we have? The company should be able to provide as many “seats” as you need for the conference.
• What type of data can be shared during the conference? For the best results, a web conferencing company should be able to handle voice, data, and streaming video simultaneously. This kind of information load uses a lot of bandwidth, which some companies may not be able to support.
• What equipment and software does the company provide? Online meetings typically require plug-in microphones, special software, and web cameras. The web conferencing company you select may be able to supply these items or make recommendations of brands to use.

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• What special conference features are available? There are times when two participants will need to discuss something privately. Ask the web conferencing company if they provide an instant messaging feature between participants. If you wish to hold a "Question and Answer" session during or after your web conference, a Q&A function allows participants to ask the moderator questions.
• What is your pricing structure? If you only plan to hold a handful of virtual meetings each year, you would probably do well with a per-minute charge. Many companies provide fixed monthly rates, which is a good option if your business requires quite a few online meetings.
• How is the meeting archived? Depending on the subject matter, you may want to allow the conference to be recorded for future use.

Do-it-yourself conferencing
If you have the need or desire to host an online meeting in-house, a web conferencing company may be able to supply the software necessary to conduct a conference on your own computer network. Doing it yourself offers an additional layer of security and could lower the overall cost of a web-based conferencing.

To get started with a web conferencing solution today, submit a free, quick, and easy BuyerZone request for quotes form.