Cisco Systems Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing manual Benefits of Web Conferencing

Chapter 1 Introducing Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing

About Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing

Table 1-1 Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing Components (continued)

Component	Description
Cisco MeetingPlace Video Service	Provides video conference integration by communicating
(optional)	with Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Video Administration, the
	Audio Server system, and the web server.
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web	Priority = Normal (8).
Conferencing

All of these services are controlled by a master service called the Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing Service.

Benefits of Web Conferencing

As part of an integrated rich-media conferencing solution, Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web

Conferencing provides four key benefits, which are described in the following sections:

•Common Endpoints, page 1-3

•Server-Based Conferencing, page 1-3

•Increased Reliability, page 1-4

•Network Security, page 1-4

Common Endpoints

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing includes a Flash-based endpoint called the meeting console, which facilitates participation in Cisco Unified MeetingPlace web conferences. The meeting console is automatically loaded on the web browsers of users as soon as they join their meetings. Users can download the Cisco Unified Presenter Add-in to share their desktop or to upload and share documents and presentations from their desktop.

The use of these common endpoints allows meeting attendees to view any document being shared by the host regardless of whether they have the applications installed on their PCs. For example, if the host shares an Excel spreadsheet, all attendees are able to view the shared spreadsheet. If the host enables collaboration of the shared document, all attendees can then take control of the shared application and modify its contents—regardless of whether they have Excel installed.

Server-Based Conferencing

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing takes advantage of server-based conferencing, which connects each user directly to the web server. To access a web conference, users either sign in through the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing home page by using their user ID, user password, and meeting ID, or click the click-to-attend link in their meeting notification. Either action launches the meeting console, which connects users to their meeting. Because of server-based conferencing, users do not need to know the IP addresses of other PCs to connect.

Installation and Upgrade Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Conferencing Release 6.x

OL-13418-01 1-3