Web conferencing comes of age

摘要

Those who rely on a smile and a handshake to close a deal might never embrace Web conferencing, but for the rest of us―including every stripe of remote worker―the technology is proving a smart way to strengthen collaboration and trim costs. Web conferencing services raked in $315 million last year, according to Andrew Nilssen, senior analyst and partner at Wain-house Research. Nilssen expects the industry to grow 22% per year over the next five years, as it moves from "a renegade to a blessed stage." One reason Nilssen and others take such a bright view of Web conferencing is its ability to help IT managers keep costs in check while offering a range of pricing models. But for firms that haven't tried it, the variety of options can be overwhelm-ing.All players offer a laundry list of collaboration services, such as audio and videoconferencing, application sharing and whiteboarding. But technologies and approaches vary .