Webinar software is a lot more common these days than it was before. A growing number of companies are using it for broadcasting to an increasingly dispersed workforces that cannot be asked to be present in the office for meetings. There are various features that make this software a lot more effective for other reasons as well.
The cost is, of course, the prime factor. Companies are right to be wary of IT solutions and products that are considered outdated even before they can be unwrapped. But these fears are unjustified in this case, where it is possible to have a hosted solution with a flat fee to be paid per month or year.
There is no hardware or maintenance required with webinar software, nor is there any product installation or user training involved. It is just a simple matter of all the participants being able to fire up a web browser and logging on at the same time to get the broadcast. It is a cheap solution that is easy and quick.
Desirable features include application and desktop sharing, A/V support for multimedia content and live webcams, etc. These features will allow for interactive meetings instead of just a one-way presentation. So whether it is a team effort to debug a program or a PowerPoint presentation to discuss a new plan, it should be possible to hash it out online.
Also important is a robust archiving system. With most companies trying to be environmentally conscious by going paperless, everything has to be recorded in indexed and searchable digital formats. The software has to be able to archive all webinars and preserve them in a safe and secure database.
It’s easy to find solutions on the market that fulfill all these criteria. But from a corporate point of view, the webinar software provider will also need to be reputed and rock solid, with round the clock service and support. Now this narrows the list considerably, and it shouldn’t be hard to select one of the few providers.

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