Recently, Citrix revealed the general availability of its new GoToWebcast system across both North America and Europe. For those looking for an easy way to accommodate groups from the very small to the fairly sizeable, GoToWebcast is likely to have what's needed to do just that.
GoToWebcast has sufficient capability to handle webcasting services for as many as 5,000 users at once, and offers that impressive degree of flexibility in a scalable package suitable for both audio and video presentations. There is no limit to the amount of audio and video that can be transmitted through the service, and offers its access up on a subscription basis so users can get as much, or as little, service as is needed at the time. GoToWebcast can even offer special extras like real-time polling, custom branding, and more.
GoToWebcast also offers extra benefits for its users, like a simple setup that doesn't require a lot of technical prowess or a large IT department to handle efficiently. Better yet, for all those users that are out to connect to the conferences in question, they can do so effectively, from any device, stationary or mobile. Both Android and iOS hardware—iPhones and iPads alike—can get in on the action, as can the BlackBerry Playbook. While Windows Phone devices aren't specifically mentioned, it's a safe bet that said devices can join in the fray as well.
That by itself might be enough for some, but Citrix stepped up the announcements by offering a beta version of its GoToWebinar system, complete with HDFaces for the 500 and 1,000 attendee plans. Both GoToWebinar and GoToTraining had offered HDFaces previously at the 100-participant level, but with the addition of HDFaces to the higher tiers of participants, this allows Citrix to offer a much better range of services than previously offered, allowing top-notch video and audio presentations for everything from small meetings to full gatherings.
Citrix is offering an incredibly versatile set of products here, doing for larger groups what Web-based real-time communications (WebRTC) is likely to do for smaller groups. Allowing easy connections from a wide variety of devices is exactly the WebRTC hallmark in spades, so seeing Citrix look to offer that kind of service particularly for large groups would make it a fitting cohort for WebRTC. While WebRTC certainly has the same level of versatility as much of Citrix's offerings in terms of overall functionality, the browser-to-browser connection of WebRTC may not be quite so useful for large groups, which is where Citrix would be able to truly shine.
Still, though, it's quite clear that WebRTC is making a lot of communications companies think twice about the way they do things, and making a lot of those same companies think about how to step up their game in light of the new advances. Citrix's new advancements are putting a lot of pressure on its competitors, and providing plenty of new benefit for its users to boot.
Edited by
Rachel Ramsey
