Let e-conference provide faster, better decisions

JAKARAT (JP): These days there is no need to attend a conference in a particular place for geographically scattered teams because we are now in the "e-world" era.

Now we have e-conference, which will do away with the traditional delays, long journeys and costs of getting everybody together for regular meetings.

E-conference or multimedia conferencing revolutionizes vital, everyday tasks such as corporate management, training and communication among the people located in different areas.

This technology enables interactive, live sharing of audio, video and desktop applications during a conference session.

Among the applications of this tele-event are conferencing for investor relations, telemedicine, distance learning, technical- design reviews and other collaborative activities.

In Indonesia, PT Satelindo and PT Indosat are two major companies offering teleconference applications.

Satelindo, which operates the Palapa C satellite, offers a digital platform based on DVB compliant. The facility will allow teleconference and other multimedia services.

Meanwhile, Indosat's operator will be able to assist you to have a teleconference through your telephone lines. Indosat also has Video Link, a service operated via an international ISDN allowing a connection at 128-384 kbps. You will have to have several devices to use this service.

Nowadays, people can control their conference calls with a simple, secure, robust and economical service that integrates the best of the Internet and the telephone.

Most tools are integrated audio and data conferencing systems that enable reservation, hosting and management through any access like telephone lines, the Web, wireless or an operator. But some devices are digital, fully automatic audio and or video conferencing bridge that works with your PBX or connects directly to the telephone network, without the need for an operator.

When applying e-conference, you and any other participant with a Web browser will be able to see each other on computer. Many systems have been updated in real time as people take turns talking. There is also a list of connected people, including their phone number and location. This is also is kept up-to-date, and when people drop off or join in, you see immediately who they are. So it ensures security. When using the Internet, all private information about the conference is usually transmitted over an SSL encrypted connection.

This service is also capable of handling files so participants will be able to view such things as agendas, spreadsheets, documents, spreadsheets or graphics.

Now, to achieve faster, better decisions, save costs and reduce travel time, more people are applying teleconference or e- conference. Management meetings, crisis discussions, project-team meetings, investor and analyst briefings, media conferences, training seminars and distance learning or education can be done by this application.

Make sure you use multimedia conferencing facilities which adopt international standards. This is about standards adopted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) or other standards organizations.

Standardization multimedia conferencing solutions are promoted by the International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium, a nonprofit promoting and facilitating corporation.

According to the consortium, standards ensure that the multitude of products and services developed and distributed by different companies work with each other in the same fashion as a telephone or fax machine. Adopting a common set of standards allows multimedia product and service vendors and suppliers to integrate into the existing communications world and ensure the usability of their products in the future. Compliance to standards minimizes market fragmentation and encourages prospective customers to use multimedia teleconferencing solutions over ISDN, on the Internet, intranets and the PSTN. (icn)