Microsoft preps PlaceWare conferencing strategy, The Register, IT Analysis (August 18, 2003) discusses Microsoft's conferencing product line (Windows Instant Messenger, NetMeeting and the upcoming Real Time Communications Server) and how the newly acquired Placeware fits in.
As a public access service, Microsoft Office for Live Meetings (a.k.a. Placeware Conference Center) offers two distinct advantages over an in-house installation of Microsoft Office Live Communications Server:
"Firstly, it is often useful to have a neutral place when you need to collaborate with external parties and you don't want them inside your firewall. But an external host has to overcome the security concerns of all the parties. PlaceWare does this by supporting its Web conferencing service on a highly secure host called iVault II."
"Secondly, when you're dealing with external parties there are tremendous technical problems in penetrating their many different firewalls. The expertise of a hosting service is invaluable in negotiating all these firewalls so that meetings can take place across many organisations with the minimum of fuss."
Microsoft plans to tie Placeware tightly to Office 2003 - using integration as a way to convince users to upgrade.
Placeware is a webconferencing tool that doesn't do video, although...
"Microsoft does support video in Net Meeting, albeit only on a one-to-one basis. Radvision recently announced that its viaIP 400 communications platform can provide desktop multi-point in support of video, voice, and data collaboration over Microsoft's Windows Messenger and Microsoft Office Live Communications Server. "
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2:01:59 PM 
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Monday, August 18, 2003
