In other Nortel news, a gaggle of ex-Apollo (the project Ron
and I worked together on for a couple of years) people
announce their CoolJavaApp;
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/980615/nortel_web_1.html
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 15 /PRNewswire/ - Nortel (Northern Telecom)
today announced Meridian Intranet Meeting Software (MIMS), the first in
a
series of Web Communication Tools -- Java-based software products that
significantly enhance real-time communication and collaboration through
the Web
and existing telephony systems.
The next stage in Web evolution is driven by the need for enhancing
communication among individuals, rather than simple information
publishing. Nortel is at
the forefront with Web Communication Tools, which enable geographically
dispersed employees to create virtual meeting rooms on an intranet or
the Internet.
They conduct interactive meetings in these virtual rooms using real-time
voice communication, chat and document sharing. Integrating multiple
media for
communication and collaboration increases the potential for greater
productivity.
With MIMS, Nortel Meridian 1 customers can hold meetings in virtual
rooms on the corporate intranet. With this solution, the network's
complexity is hidden,
yet the communication tools are easily accessible. Through a browser
window and a phone, the product eases the process for users by providing
an intuitive
interface with everyday objects users can relate to - meeting rooms,
briefcases and documents.
Avatars - personalized representations of each meeting attendee - are
shown on the PC screens, so each attendee can instantly recognize the
others. Each
user has a virtual briefcase to carry room identifiers, virtual business
cards representing other users and document URLs between rooms. Business
cards
contain all information necessary to make contacting other attendees
easy. One doesn't need to remember multiple addresses for each
colleague. Documents
may be presented via collaborative browsing, controlled by the
presenters or shared as existing Web documents.
Web Communication Tools, a component of Nortel's Power Networks
solution, leverage existing networks rather than replacing them. For
example, the first
release of MIMS leverages the customer's investment in the Meridian 1 as
well as the organization's intranet. Using the Web for control, the
system provides
voice through a private branch exchange or IP network and document
access through the existing intranet or Internet infrastructure. This
allows easy system
expansion as networks are upgraded or added. As a Java application, the
user interface is downloaded in real-time as applets. Therefore, there
is no client
software to install; users always have the same version of the software;
and the product is platform independent. Participants use their existing
telephone sets
for voice communication.
``Over the last few years, the Internet and related Web tools have
enabled corporations to effectively deliver detailed content to groups
of users,'' said Ken
Landoline, area director for Giga Information Group, an industry analyst
organization. ``Recently, what Giga has classified as COMMWeb
(Communications
Over MultiMedia Websites) tools have enabled real-time delivery of rich
content in the form of synchronized audio and data to widely distributed
audiences.
``Nortel's Meridian Intranet Meeting Software is such a product,''
Landoline added. ``It combines Nortel's expertise in voice telephony and
CTI with the power
of the Internet to deliver multimedia virtual conference calls with
audio, chat and document sharing. This enables users to `attend' ad hoc
conferences and
share data without leaving their offices. The potential for corporate
savings and greater employee efficiency is huge.''
The focus of this first Web Communication Tool is the need for group
communication tools within an intranet. In addition to the core
capabilities of audio
conferencing, chat and document sharing, users can schedule rooms and
media. They can access rooms on an ad hoc basis, create team rooms that
they can
reuse and build agendas for more effective meeting management.
MIMS runs on a Microsoft Windows NT platform and requires Meridian 1
Release 22 or above software. Users need personal computers with either
Netscape
Communicator version 4.05 or higher, or Microsoft Internet Explorer
version 4.01 or higher. MIMS builds on Nortel's portfolio of products.
It works with all
Meridian PBXs except Option 11c Compact. Future releases will integrate
with PBXs, audio conferencing solutions and servers from other vendors.
Future
releases will focus on personal virtual rooms and tools for managing
personal communication.
MIMS is scheduled to be available in the fourth quarter of 1998. It will
be available through the same distribution channels as other Meridian
products. For an
on-line demonstration, access www.nortel.com/webcom.
FYI, that URL doesn't work.
MB
-- Mark Baker, CTO, Beduin Communications Corp. Ottawa, CANADA http://www.beduin.com