The company offers a hosted service that lets businesses conduct real-time, interactive presentations and meetings over the Internet. Microsoft acquired Mountain View, California-based PlaceWare in January. Callison did not specify when Microsoft plans to introduce Web conferencing server software. Adding, however, that PlaceWare believes the hosted version of its service will generate the most revenue.
"We believe that the best strategy is one that incorporates both software and a service and that is our longer term direction," she said. Microsoft is getting ready to join that game as well, Callison said. Oracle and IBM not only offer Web conferencing as a hosted service, but also sell server software for companies to run their own Web conferences. Microsoft with PlaceWare offers Web conferencing as a hosted service only, competing with WebEx and other players. Its systems in three data centers, which run on a combination of Windows and Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Solaris, can now handle 250,000 concurrent meeting participants for a customer, according to Callison. On the back end, PlaceWare, which operates as a wholly-owned Microsoft subsidiary, has increased scalability and reliability in a clustered server environment. The Windows client comes in addition to a Web-based Java client that PlaceWare will continue to offer for broad reach. The client gives presenters more controls while participants get expanded viewing options and feedback tools such as chat, Callison said. What is new in the PlaceWare service is a Windows-based client that users can download.
"The game right now is about awareness and generating trial and growing the market overall." "Our focus is on new customers, this is a new market," Callison said.
In addition to Microsoft's marketing dollars, the prime real estate should help the Web conferencing service win customers, she said. It is high priority because Office is on nearly every business desktop. Integration with Office is a "very high priority," Callison said.
Users can download add-ons for Outlook and MSN Messenger enabling them to start a Web conference from the Microsoft e-mail and instant-messaging (IM) clients.Īn add-on for Windows Messenger, the IM client required for Microsoft's corporate IM product Office Live Communications Server, should be available in the next six months, said Jennifer Callison, director of Live Meeting product management at Microsoft. Also, integration with the new Office 2003 products is minimal. This first version of Office Live Meeting offers only few enhancements of PlaceWare's service. bore fruit Monday with the launch of Office Live Meeting, an online conferencing service that pits Microsoft against WebEx Communications Inc., Oracle Corp., IBM Corp. If you need help in transitioning, Deitterick pointed users to a step-by-step guide and other tools in the Live Meeting to Skype for Business resource site.Microsoft Corp.'s acquisition of PlaceWare Inc. Users who may want to save their old Live Meetings can use a new exporter tool for existing recordings. He said users should begin to move over to Skype for Business and Office 365, but any meeting planned before December 31 will still work.
To show the benefit of a move, he posted the following comparison:ĭeitterick pointed out a bunch of the changes and improvements the team has already made in Skype Meeting Broadcast, including support for up to 10,000 attendees, as well as support for iOS and Android mobile devices.
"We’ve been working hard to get Skype for Business and Skype Meeting Broadcast ready with new conversation and meeting features, so we’re inviting you to begin the migration from Live Meeting to Skype for Business," he said. In a post on the company's TechNet blog, developer Doug Deitterick said that the Office Live Meeting service will no longer be supported as of December 31. Unfortunately, that is bad news for those that still use Office Live Meeting. Microsoft continues to transition Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams, but since that likely won't be complete until sometime next year, it continues to work on upgrading Skype.