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Microsoft Office Communicator (OC) is the replacement for Microsoft's previous instant messaging client, Windows Messenger. OC has been expanded to incorporate a larger range of communication capabilities than its predecessor. OC is a unified communications tool that integrates instant messaging and chat with voice and video, and enables sharing of desktops for collaborative work. It also integrates with Microsoft Office programs [1]. The software can be extended into the enterprise environment by linking in with Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) and many mobile devices support instant messaging functionality through OC, for example, the popular Blackberry devices [2]. To get the most out of OC, IP phones should be utilised along with web cams; there are a range of IP phones to choose from [3]. OC has received praise over their VoIP services [4] and have conducted a large amount of research and development into their proprietary IP phone [5]. A disadvantage of any VoIP service is the absolute dependence on network availability - without LAN service, the IP phones do not work. OC runs in real time and does not require a virtual private network (VPN), allowing you access through internet-enabled devices or PCs [6]. This constitutes a significant cost saving, particularly if your company conducts business via long distance teleconferencing or videoconferencing services. Essentially, OC is a method of "streamlining" all communication needs into one integrated application [6]. This can prove useful for team collaboration and online meetings particularly for members who are geographically separate. Other business benefits include the Presence feature and a comprehensive audit history. Presence allows you to quickly see if someone is out of the office, on a call, or otherwise busy. This feature works off Outlook calendars and IP phone status and is similar to the statuses of Windows Messenger denoting "away", "busy" etc and has the

added benefit of integrating directly with Outlook (e.g. if you create a new email message, there will be a presence indicator next to the recipients' name(s))[7]. For auditing purposes, all communication history is recorded in the form of audit logs of calls and IM sessions. This is important for appropriate recordkeeping of business records. References [1] Microsoft. (2010). Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 Product Overview. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/communicator/HA102037151033.aspx [2] Blackberry. (2010). BlackBerry Instant Messaging for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/server/exchange/office_communicator.jsp [3] Microsoft. (2010). Phones and Devices Optimized for Microsoft Office Communicator. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/ocs/bb970310.aspx [4] Poe, R. (2007). Microsoft's Office Communicator Blows Away IP Phones. VoIP-News. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.voip-news.com/feature/microsoft-voip-high-grade-030807/ [5] Microsoft. (2010). Device Highlight: Polycom® CX300. Office Communicator Team Blog. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://communicatorteam.com/archive/2010/03/03/978.aspx [6] Microsoft. (2010). Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Datasheet. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=6306ae9c-6ede-4908-800f-256a75bebc75&displaylang=en [7] Howorth, R. (2007). Office Communicator 2007. ZDNet.co.uk. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.zdnet.co.uk/reviews/communication-and-collaboration/2007/10/16/office-communicator-2007-39290042/

GoToMeeting is a service from Citrix that facilitates online meetings between multiple people. The service not only allows for audio chat, but also desktop/screen and file sharing (Citrix, 2010). The service supports up to 15 concurrent users in a single meeting. Similar services are available for larger presentations in the form of GoToWebinar and GoToTraining allowing for 100-1000 and 25-200 users respectively depending on the level of service subscribed. At the conclusion of a meeting, GoToMeeting offers the ability to see who attended the meeting and who did not. To protect the security of its subscribers, GoToMeeting and Citrix's other GoTo products use 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) end-to-end encryption (Citrix, 2010). This ensures that all communication is only seen by the intended recipients. AES encryption is a proven encryption algorithm and the cipher approved by the NSA (an American intelligence agency) for storing information up to the SECRET level (and TOP SECRET if a 192-bit or 256-bit key is used) (CNSS Secretariat, 2003). GoToMeeting has several competitors. The main competitors appear to be Cisco WebEx and Microsoft SharedView (successor to NetMeeting). However, competition also exists with combinations of free tools that fill the same need once combined. For example, Skype coupled with TeamViewer could be used to accomplish much the same task although not nearly as easy to use in the screen sharing combined with audio conferencing aspect. Citrix. (2010). Features. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from GoToMeeting: http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/online_collaboration Citrix. (2010). Security & Reliability. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from GoToMeeting: http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/secure_web_conferencing CNSS Secretariat. (2003,

GoToMeeting is a "popular online meeting application" (Ramachandran & Beeram, 2009) that is used to "collaborate online, give presentations and for online training." (Ramachandran & Beeram, 2009) This easy-to-use application allows collaborating with anyone, anywhere, saving businesses time and money particularly with traveling expenses. (Business Wire, 2009) GoToMeeting is used by small and large businesses; with the ability to "host an online meeting with up to 15 people". (Online Meetings, 2010) For $US49 a month and an Internet connection, it can be operated on Mac or PC, and now on the iPad. An App for the iPad was created, due to the "need for more mobility in our work styles." (Citrix Online, 2010) This creates more opportunity to collaborate remotely, without the need to be in the office. Online meetings can begin with a simple click of a button. Members can be invited to join by phone or a link in an email or instant message. (How It Works, 2010) Members can join quickly and start collaborating, using their computers microphone and speakers or by calling in via telephone. (Ramachandran & Beeram, 2009) Some feature of GoToMeeting are listed below: * Display presenters screen - The presenters screen is shown, displaying the desktop, an application or document. The presenter can change the screen shown to view another members screen. This helps members visualize. * Drawing tools - encouraging interactive collaboration. Highlighting and drawing using the pen, highlighter, arrow or spotlight tool * Record Meetings - meeting can be reviewed at a later date. Recording can be posted on the company website for other employees to listen to. * Mouse and keyboard controls - can be given to other members in the meeting, allowing members to collaborate.

* Security features - Creating a safe and secure environment. "SSL-encrypted Web site, End-to-end 128-bit AES encryption, Automatic inactivity time-out" (Security & Reliability, 2010) GoToMeeting is a quick and simple meeting tool that is effective for small and large businesses and allows employees to collaborate with each other on a daily basis. Reference: Business Wire. (2009). Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/images/pdf/caseStudies/GoToMeeting_GoToWebinar_cs_Business_Wire.pdf Citrix Online Launches GoToMeeting App for iPad. (2010). Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www.citrixonline.com/pr/pressRelease.tmpl?FileID=040210& SourceTemplate=expertcity%2Fpr%2FpressReleases.tmpl How It Works. (2010). Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/web_meeting Online Meetings Made Easy. (2010). Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/online_meeting Ramachandran, K. & Beeram, S. (2009). Supporting Enterprise-Grade Audio Conferencing on the Internet. Lecture Notes In Computer Science, 5448(2009), 143-152. Retrieved April 16, from SpringerLink database. Security & Reliability. (2010). Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/secure_web_conferencing

BigBlueButton is a brand new, free open source web-meeting platform ideally suited to Universities and Colleges for delivering Distance Education [1]. BigBlueButton runs on Mac, Unix and PC computers and desktop integration is available with VMWare, Ubuntu, Debian and RPM packages and Gentoo is currently in development [2]. BigBlueButton utilises 15 open source components and BigBlueButton's Demo shows how easily it supports video, chat and audio conferencing, PDF and PPT slide-sharing, and, Open Office Org files or Microsoft Office document sharing [3] [4] [5]. Three levels of users are moderator, presenter & viewers, the moderator can choose themselves, or others to be a presenter. The class presenter can share their desktop view with the rest of the class and directly message an individual student during a meeting [3]. The BigBlueButton site hosts a variety of tutorial demonstrations so prospective clients can become familiar with this feature-rich package [3]. The Demo page allows vistors to test run the product by joining a Demo Meeting [6]. Whilst BigBlueButton is an web-meeting platform for online conferences, the people from BigBlueButton do not provide hosting. Nevertheless BigBlueButton is easily downloaded and installed onto the education provider's own server space [7]. The package is coded with a clean, lean design that focuses on usability and multiple virtual classrooms can be run from a single BigBlueButton server [8]. Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada use BigBlueButton as a learning envrioment in their 'Systems and Computer Engineering' course [9]. see below for References

BigBlueButton is a web conferencing system that is specifically tailored for distance education [1], particularly for universities and colleges to allow high-quality e-learning [2]. It is open source and constantly under development. The system is Flash-based and allows sharing of slides, voice, chat, video and desktops [3]. Generally speaking, the system is well received; however there has been some criticism about the slowness of desktop sharing [4]. The system strongly utilises Open Source methodology by utilising existing apps and code to piece together and present a virtual classroom solution [4]. The use of Open Source can be positive in a corporate sense as it often has a large support community and the ability to conduct one's own development. BigBlueButton does not offer commercial hosting of its service, which is arguably why it is being pitched to universities (given access to considerable resources in the guise of students and IT staff) [5]. This may be a disadvantage in some respects; however a corporate organisation may consider this a better solution to wholly hosted applications, as a stronger level of control is possible. It has been reported that the developers are very hands on in regards to live demos of the product, which is comforting when trying to learn a new piece of software [6], however, the system is very new, which may deter some organisations from utilising until it is more proven.

[1] BigBlueButton. (2010). BigBlueButton Blog. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from http://bigbluebutton-blog.blogspot.com/ [2] BigBlueButton. (2010). Homepage. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from http://bigbluebutton.org/ [3] Asterisk Exchange. (2010). BigBlueButton. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.asteriskexchange.com/listings/165 [4] SetupLinux. (2010). BigBlueButton: Web conference and meeting room review. SetupLinux.com. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.setuplinux.com/2010/04/bigbluebutton-web-conference-and-meeting-room-review/ [5] Byrne. (2010). Big Blue Button - An Open Source Video Conferencing Platform. Free Technology for Teachers. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/03/big-blue-button-open-source.html [6] Lavolette, E. (2010). Push the BigBlueButton. Betsy's Eclection. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://betsylavolette.com/?p=928

Skype was founded in 2003 and is now a well known worldwide application on the internet. Skype has voice and video calling, IM and SMS systems and operates on a wide variety of mobile systems and differing operating systems. Skype uses a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. Skype Business concentrates on allowing businesses to operate effectively by means of effective and fast communication whilst saving money on communication. Skype offers a Business Control Panel which they state that "You can allocate and manage your employees' Skype Credit balances centrally, plus keep track of their, and your company's, expenditure with built-in reporting tools." Skype offers a business version of the Skype Application which main features are "Main features * Free Skype-to-Skype calls. * Free video calls. * Free instant messaging. * Call phones and mobiles, send SMS. * Voicemail. * Forward calls to a phone when you're offline. * Screen sharing * Send contacts " Myhill et al sums up Skype by stating "Calls between Skype users are free and with a standard broadband internet connection, it is a simple matter to run other Web 2.0 applications (e.g. Google Documents) and Skype at the same time - so that collaborators can talk to each other in real time and even work on the same documents simultaneously. Skype has well-over 300,000 million accounts worldwide and is a very popular facility. In the context of the VRE, Skype offers additional, global communications benefits which take the researcher well beyond other, less-intrusive means such as e-mail or wikis." Brkan states that "Collaborating or doing business with different parts of the world is far easier when you can speak to people in realtime, without worrying about the phone bill." For online collaboration such as conferences Skype is a cheap and accessible alternative to other options.

References Brkan, B. (2090, September 22). 5 Ways Skype Helps Your Business | FreelanceSwitch. FreelanceSwitch | Freelance job listings, freelancers directory, resources and thousands of articles.. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://freelanceswitch.com/working/5-ways-skype-helps-your-business/ Myhill, M., Shoebridge, M., & Snook, L. (2009). Virtual research environments - a Web 2.0 cookbook?. Library Hi Tech, 27(2), 228-238. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from the Emerald Group Publishing Limited database. Skype for Business - solutions. (n.d.). Skype " Make free calls and great value calls on the internet. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.skype.com/intl/en/business/solutions/

As has been examined, Skype is a very useful tool for business in relation to both collaboration and the reduction of communication costs . InnerPass further extends Skype's reach in the area of collaboration. [1] Virtual meeting rooms and screen sharing are the main added areas of functionality, with the service offering a free plan for person use. The need for increased meeting rooms and increased data transfer storage attract business rates from $4.95 to $14.95 a month. As Mashable state "InnerPass is most useful for small or medium sized businesses that have a lot of travelling, presenting, or telecommuting built in" [2] References: 1. https://www.innerpass.com/ 2. InnerPass turns Skype into a Virtual Business Collaboration Tool retrieved 18th April 2010 from http://mashable.com/2009/04/07/innerpass/

"Interactive website tools for distance learning, online tutoring, collaboration and fun. Add whiteboard, chat, games, message boards, VOIP and web conferencing to your website by simply copying a few lines of HTML code. Over 100,000 created!"[1] Groupboard.com is an online collaborative whiteboard used for educational, business conferencing and entertainment purposes. Groupboard.com offers free software for businesses or individuals to add to their websites. Basically, the whiteboard acts as a real time drawing board. The software is offered in three distinct formats: groupboard (simple), groupboard designer (advanced) and groupworld.net. Groupboard (simple java whiteboard): This applet allows for simple text messaging and voice conferencing. Groupboard suggests that this format can be used for "tutoring, distance learning, training, or simply for fun!"[2] The whiteboard can handle picture uploads that can be drawn over, which may be particularly helpful in teaching for both education and businesses. Groupboard Designer (advanced): This is an advanced version, as this whiteboard can be used to add extras to the drawing capability, such as mathematical signs for teaching or the symbols used when an architect is compiling a blueprint. Groupworld.net: This format advances the whiteboard again by adding voice/video conferencing and desktop sharing capabilities to strongly enhance the collaborative environment.

Groupboard is an online whiteboard tool that can be used by educators, students, designers and anyone with a collaboratve project or task [1]. The Groupboard whiteboard can be added to a website and the Groupboard iPhone Applet allows for connectivity to the whiteboard via the iPhone [1]. Other online whiteboard collaboration tools include Virtual Whiteboard [2], Dabbleboard [3] and Vyew [4]. Virtual Whiteboard limits the length of time that a whiteboard is available for and their is a limit of four users per 15 minute collaboration session [2]. Dabbleboard's free package offers a whiteboard with unlimited users but they do not offer a website embedding option like Groupboard [3]. Vyew is a feature-rich online whiteboard application from the big-end of town. Vyew's customer page lists many positive testimonials from multi-national corporations, large educational institutions and collaboration tool reviewers [5]. Vyew does not offer a website embedding option like Groupboard. TechCrunch's review of Groupboard attests to its reliability and usefulness as a whiteboard tool [6]. Groupboard is free to use, offering good value for smaller educational groups or low-end designers. Groupboard is a relevant addition to this collaboration tool list. see References below

References [1] Groupboard. (n.d.). 'Groupboard: free online collaborative whiteboard and chat'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://www.groupboard.com/products/ [2] Foster, T. (2010). 'Virtual Whiteboard'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://www.virtual-whiteboard.co.uk/home.asp [3] Dabbleboard Inc. (2009). 'Dabbleboard - Online whiteboard for drawing & team collaboration - Interactive whiteboard software'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://www.dabbleboard.com/ [4] Simulat Inc. (2010). 'Vyew - FREE Anytime Collaboration and Live Web Conferencing'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://vyew.com/site/index3 [5] Simulat Inc. (2010). 'Customers - Vyew'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://vyew.com/site/customers/testimonials/ [6] TechCrunch. (2010). 'CrunchBase - Groupboard'. Retrieved April 3, 2010 from http://www.crunchbase.com/company/groupboard

Confluence is commercial intranet software produced by Attlassian. It comes in both hosted or dowload options. It is an enterprise Wiki suited to larger organisations as it allows teams to collaborate and manage knowledge. It provide a single place where people can create, share, comment and edit content together. It comes with source code so it can be integrated with the organisations existing systems and processes.[1] [4] Reportedly it is in use in over 8,100 organisations in 94 countries around the globe across government, education and technology sectors. There is a catalogue of over 100 plug-ins available. The plug-in architecture allows organisations to develop their own.[4] Spaces are created for teams and individuals and permission access secures these spaces. It appears to balance user-friendliness, functionality, scalability and security [3] In using this wiki software as a project management tool users report that it feels polished and professional and is a notch above other offerings like Basecamp or MediaWiki (the platform that powers Wikipedia)[2] [3]. Descriptions like "more robust" and a "real workplace tool' [3], "world's most popular" [4] and the evidence that this product enjoys an active open source community creating plug-ins for all to use, signifies its value in the workplace.[3]

The exchange of information easily and freely in modern business would have to be considered necessary to survive. As stated by Happel (2009) "Exchanging information is vital for the success of modern organizations." Confluence by Atlassian provides a Wiki type service for business that allows the exchange of information. One of Confluences strengths is that it can be adapted and integrated into an organizations system to ensure productive process. Confluence has been adapted and used for collaborative group projects. Some of the reasoning for this is as follows: The Australian Research Council's Network for Early European Research (NEER) uses confluence for interaction with its digital base repository PioNEER. Burrows (2008) states that "Confluence is marketed as 'enterprise Wiki' software, which simply means Wiki-type software with various additional features, including the ability to control access to specific spaces and pages." And that a key element in the process of designing new structure is interoperability between Confluence and PioNEER. Networking Computing's, Anderson (2006) states that "Our Editor's Choice, Atlassian Software Systems' Confluence 2.1.2, has all the features that suit an enterprise wiki. It's easy to install and set up, yet flexible and extensible." Infoworld ranked Confluence highest out of four Wiki Collaboration tools compared and Heck, 2007 stated "It doesn't go overboard with extraneous features, yet still stuffs in an amazing amount of functionality - all surrounded by a good-looking, friendly interface." As a business collaboration and knowledge management tool Confluence offers a wide range of flexibility at competitive pricing.

References Enterprise Collaboration and Wiki Software - Confluence . (n.d.). Atlassian - Software Development Tools and Collaboration Software . Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/ Anderson, R. (2006, March 30). Review: Wikis In The Enterprise - Network Computing. Network Computing. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.networkcomputing.com/unified-communications-voip/review-wikis-in-the-enterprise.php?p=5 Burrows, T. (2008). DEVELOPING A DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR A HUMANITIES RESEARCH NETWORK: THE PIONEER PROJECT. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 13(1), 1-11. Happel, H. (2009). Social search and need-driven knowledge sharing in Wikis with Woogle. International Symposium on Wikis, 13. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from the Acm Portal database. Heck, M. (2007, January 5). Wikis evolve as collaboration tools | Applications - InfoWorld. Business technology, IT news, product reviews and enterprise IT strategies - InfoWorld. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.infoworld.com/t/applications/wikis-evolve-collaboration-tools-644