Much Bigger. Less expensive. More secure. That’s how Adobe Systems would describe the update to its Web meeting, Web Collaboration software and service, Acrobat Connect Pro.
Acrobat Connect Pro 7.5 can now hold webinars or online lectures for as many as 80,000 participants, up from just 1,500 before. That ’s more people than most football stadiums in the U.S. can seat.It’s certainly bigger.
Acrobat Connect Pro’s expanded audience size could be useful for companies or governments holding public events, or universities hosting large freshmen lectures.
Acrobat Connect Pro can now also stream telephone-based audio to participants listening on a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) line. Connect Pro meetings is also more tightly integrated with teleconferencing services such as Premiere Global Services, Meeting One and a new partner, InterCall, Arun Anantharaman, vice president for Adobe’s Connect Pro group, said in an interview.
The latest version also lets users schedule meetings from inside IBM’s Lotus Notes, in addition to Microsoft Outlook.
And it now also lets hosts create white-lists of apps that participants can share during Web meetings.
One of the advantages Acrobat Connect Pro offers, according to Peter Ryce, a technical evangelist for Adobe, is the ubiquity of the needed Flash player, which Adobe said is deployed on nearly 99% of all PCs. Many corporate PC userss are blocked from installing additional apps or plug-ins that would be needed for competing webconferencing services, he said.
Adobe is getting Flash onto many other devices. For instance, Playstation 3 owners can use their Flash software to join a Connect Pro meeting. Adobe has also created an iPhone app for Connect Pro so users can attend Web meetings via their smartphone. The app is in the process of being approved by Apple’s App Store, Ryce said.
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