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Part V: Videoconferencing Deep Dive – WebEx

22
Jul

This is the fifth installment in our blog series regarding video conferencing/collaboration software. Our first blog was a summary of the best feature of each of the offerings. Next, we took a deeper dive into Microsoft Teams, Zoom and BlueJeans. In this installment, we review Cisco WebEx.

Cisco WebEx has advanced security options that make it one of the most secure video conferencing platforms available. As a default option, Cisco encrypts all data traveling between the client and the Cisco WebEx servers using AES 256-bit encryption. For organizations requiring higher levels of data protection, end-to-end encryption is an available extra.

Additionally, administrators have high-level control over user’s accounts and security and can activate features such as multi-factor authentication and mandated password changes.

WebEx definitely caters to business and is very scalable. With Event Center, WebEx can host up to 3,000 attendees. Within meetings, all hosts can set a password and require the authentication of attendees before they join the call. Another unique feature of WebEx is the ability for the host to drop individual attendees during the meeting. This allows meetings to continue in the event your meeting is interrupted by any disrupters which occurs more frequently these days. For larger businesses, this is a very popular choice that fits well in an enterprise environment.

The downside with WebEx is that it can take up to 1 minute for first time attendees to join the meeting. Price may also be a stumbling block for smaller businesses that may not use video conferencing as often or don’t need the additional security that WebEx provides.

Like many other video conferencing platforms, a free version is available. It allows you to host meetings for up to 100 participants for up to 50 minutes. You will be able to share content, record meetings and start instant meetings in your personal room. Free versions are a fantastic way to test the product and confirm that the product is compatible with the way you and your participants work. Once you have tested the product for your use, it is likely that serious video conferencing users will opt to move up to a paid subscription. This will unlock many other features that can improve overall efficiency and collaboration.

In summary, for businesses concerned about security but still requiring many of the standard video conferencing features, WebEx is a solid, seasoned product originally introduced in 1995 and acquired by Cisco back in 2007. For more information visit http://www.webex.com.

 

Authored by Donald Nokes