Calling All Conferences

Review: Web conference systems can reduce the cost of integrating voice services.

Adding voice to Web conferencing has typically required working with a traditional telecommunications provider, but companies now have the ability to at least get partially off the expensive voice calling grid with some new and substantially improved Web conferencing systems that integrate voice services.

eWEEK Labs recently tested three such solutions: Elluminates Elluminate Live 7.0, Interwises Interwise Connect 7.0 and Sonexis ConferenceManager. We found that none of the three solutions will completely eliminate teleconferencing costs, but they all go a long way toward controlling those costs.

Our tests show that Interwise, a fully integrated Web and voice conferencing system, is the most flexible solution of the three, and, for that reason, we are giving it our Analysts Choice award. Elluminate Live 7.0 integrates VOIP (voice over IP), and it offers one of the best Web conferencing applications weve seen by far. However, it lacks the integration with the public phone network that Interwise Connect 7.0 has. Sonexis appliance, on the other hand, is really an audio conferencing bridge with built-in Web conferencing capabilities. Its a good choice for companies that want to simply plug and play, but its a little pricey for what you get.

Click here to read a review of ConferenceManager.

Click here to read a review of Interwise Connect 7.0.

Click here to read a review of Elluminate Live 7.0.

Technical Analyst Michael Caton can be reached at michael_caton@ziffdavis.com.

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