Achieving the Goal of User-Proof Video Conferencing with an Easy-to-Use, Self-Service Application

Have you ever tried to do a video conference with traditional hardware-based solutions? If so, then you know that usability and ease of use are not the highlights of hardware-based solutions.

In fact, most of the time you need to call IT just to get a meeting room up and running, even in a "production" environment. This is not an enjoyable process for video conferencing users, and even less so for technical staff.

For a video conferencing product to be truly user friendly, it needs to be initiated with as few clicks as possible, and it should be available both in the boardroom, as well as from any desktop, anywhere in the world. If you are familiar with web browsing and office software applications, it should be intuitively obvious how to start and run your own video conference.  Ideally, just one click to get into your own online meeting room. All without the aid of IT staff or formal training.

For your conference participants, everything should be easy too. Everyone knows how to click on a web link, or enter a URL in their browser to join a meeting, it should be that simple.

In short, video conferencing should be on-demand, reach any desktop, and be a truly self-service application. We believe Nefsis has achieved these goals, and invite you to read more about our IT-friendly capabilities below, or start your free trial now.

Standard Video Peripherals

Proprietary hardware should be a thing of the past. Lots of the traditional video conferencing solutions needed to connect to the exact same, or similar equipment, in order to work. This is akin to having a cell phone that can only reach other cell phones of the same make and model.

For desktop video conferencing, you want to use standard peripherals that anyone can buy quickly, easily, and inexpensively, and not worry about matching equipment.

For example, a USB webcam available from one of the major hardware manufacturers such as Logitech or Creative Labs is very easy to plug in and install. Many users already have them for other applications. Once installed, simply clicking on a link to enter an online meeting room should provide a rich, high-quality video conferencing experience. The user should not require technical staff to micro-manage the entire process, turning equipment on and off, manually entering IP addresses, and hassling with dedicated routes.

And now that all categories of video equipment are available as peripherals, even boardrooms and conference rooms are better outfitted with standard audio/video devices at less expense, better reliability, and ease of replacement versus proprietary hardware.

Nefsis on-demand video conferencing is broadly compatible with a wide variety of audio/video peripherals, and you can mix and match video devices in the same meeting, even on the same PC, and change them in real-time. You can also have view-only participants with no video devices at all

Security, Proxy and Firewall Standards Compatible

Our Nefis video conferencing online service is proxy, NAT and firewall compatible, even for multiple participants behind separate firewalls. No other service offers this ease of connectivity in virtually any business environment, inside a corporate network, or over the Internet. In addition, Nefsis uses web service standards for ports (80 and 443), and and SSL/TLS encryption for security.

All video, voice over the Internet (VoIP) and live data sharing features generate data, and it is sent over a single, negotiated TCP/IP connection. This is optimal for security and a high-quality, synchronized conferencing experience. It is also important for fluid adjustments to real-time video quality, bandwidth, and CPU load balancing.

This is in stark contrast with many competing products that use several ports and different TCP/IP routes for VoIP, video and data, thus creating audio, video, and live sharing synchronization problems and opening security vulnerabilities. For example, some competing products send live data sharing (e.g., PowerPoint) over port 443 and a secure connection, but VoIP and video are sent in the clear over port 80. These types of complex problems do not occur with Nefsis. Please contact us for additional information regarding security in enterprise environments, or on-premise alternatives.

Operates Over Existing Networks,
Expensive MCUs & Dedicated Routes NOT Required

Earlier generations of video conferencing installations required ISDN lines or dedicated routes to operate. And for more than two participants, they also required a multichannel unit (MCU) or multiplexer (MUX) to mix video signals. Not so with Nefsis. With the above standards in mind, Nefsis connects multiple users over shared Internet connections. Nefsis also takes care of "mixing," so you can have multiple conference participants without the addition of expensive, complex equipment.

Will Nefsis operate over a dedicated route, such as a conference room with direct Internet access (e.g., for guest use, high-speed, security, or other purpose)? Yes, but it does not require a dedicated connection. 

Operation over existing networks simplifies the task of IT management, provides more network configuration options, and most importantly, is required for successful on-the-fly connections to remote customers, vendors, and other conference participants whose networks you and your IT staff do not control. 

Please contact us for additional information regarding network configuration options.

Summary

Video conferencing should be easy for you and your online meeting participants, and for the IT staff that traditionally installs, troubleshoots and supports these systems. An ideal system is one that is truly self-serve by users. This means that anyone with a standard webcam and headset will be able to easily go into their own meeting room and conduct a high-quality video conference, with any reasonable number of participants, all without the need for IT involvement. This is the goal of many IT managers who are looking for this kind of user-friendly deployment.

Nefsis is an on-demand application, its self-service capabilities make it a snap to get desktop video conferencing into the hands of network users. The Nefsis emphasis on industry standards, off-the-shelf video peripherals, operation over existing networks and security, round-out its IT-friendly feature set.

If you're a network user, you can join online meeting rooms and invite others as easily as you make a telephone call today. AndIf you're an IT manager, sit back, relax, and take credit for the best in desktop and boardroom multiparty video conferencing, without all the hassles of traditional video conferencing hardware.

Schedule a Live Nefsis Demo, or even better, Start a FREE Trial today!