VIA3 E-meeting Service

VIA3 E-meeting Service

VIA3 by Viack Corp., is a real-time e-meeting service that permits users to work together over the Internet using live audio and video capabilities, instant and text messaging to create and review documents, share files, and deliver and review Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. All of this is done in a secure environment with all aspects of the meeting fully encrypted. Encryption is done at the desktop level and data are maintained on VIA3’s client servers in encrypted form so no one can access the documents, presentations or data without owner-granted permission.

With high-speed Internet access available, users can send and receive audio and video while simultaneously reviewing documents, PowerPoint presentations or working with screen captures and a whiteboard. This avoids the cost of long-distance telephone charges and unnecessary travel.

For those without high-speed access, telephone-quality audio is still accessible using a dial-up connection. Text chat for the whole group is always available, and individual instant messaging can be used when specified individuals are given access to a defined group by the meeting owner. You must have Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 or later installed to use this program.

There are three principal ways this service can be used. The first is collaboration on documents. Multiple users can collaborate on a document in real time, or in series as the participants are available, editing the document and tracking changes and comments as they go. Different levels of editing privileges can be given to participants by the meeting owner. When the document is complete, only the owner can produce a final, fully merged source copy of the document. This feature has obvious benefits for transactional attorneys who can use it to collaborate on contracts and other types of transactional documents. It also can be used by any attorney, regardless of the area of practice, for direct real-time collaboration with a client, expert or co-counsel.

You should be aware that only Microsoft Word documents are supported for this option, and only Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 2 or higher or Office XP can be used for online collaboration. If you don’t have Word, a screen capture of the document to be reviewed can be inserted as a bitmap and viewed and annotated using the whiteboard feature, but no actual text editing can be performed.

The whiteboard feature is another way to collaborate with VIA3. You can create a blank page and edit using the seven available drawing tools. The tool set includes freehand and defined shape drawing, text entry, variable fill and line colors, a selection tool and a pointer. All participants given appropriate privileges by the meeting host can mark up the document, and everyone can see the additions in real time as they are made.

Multiple pages can be created as the meeting progresses, and it’s easy to scroll between them. There is a screen capture tool that allows you to capture something on your own monitor, insert it into a whiteboard document, and then share it with others. The screen capture can then be annotated. Any file in a common image format can be inserted into a whiteboard page.

Finally, a bitmap background image also can be placed on the whiteboard page. For attorneys, this feature enables you to mark each document as “confidential” or “work product,” without affecting the background. The final document can be saved using either the traditional whiteboard “.wbd” format, or as a Web page using “.html,” allowing the document to be viewed by others in a browser window.

The presentation tool is the third way to use VIA3. Be aware this mode is limited to the use of presentations created in PowerPoint 2000 or XP. A presentation is given by either the host or a specified presenter. The host controls who may attend as part of the audience and also controls the navigation through the slideshow.

The audience can view and listen to the presentation, but they can only communicate with the host or presenter using the text chat window. Each meeting attendee can open the available PowerPoint presentation, and view it on their VIA3 desktop in maximized form if desired. A host or presenter can edit a slide using either the freehand drawing tool or the text tool, but the audience will not have rights to make such modifications. The host or presenter also can use a laser pointer icon in real time to point to specific items within the slide for emphasis. With these tools, the host or presenter can navigate through a slide show while offering real-time audio commentary.

Charges for use of VIA3 are made to the meeting host. Once the host has set up an account, any number of viewers can be invited to attend a meeting at no charge to the attendee. They simply download the free software, accept the e-mailed invitation and attend the meeting. Registered users are able to review a comprehensive set of interactive tutorials available on the Viack Web site. Toll-free telephone support also is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (ET).

Viack Corp.
(866) 265-8060

www.viack.com

Price: $150 per meeting host per month (includes unlimited number of meetings and attendees)

Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP; Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 or later

Reviewed by Bruce A. Olson, a trial lawyer and shareholder in the Wisconsin-based law firm of Davis & Kuelthau.

Aug/Sep '03 Issue

PROS
The high level of security sets it apart from other less secure Internet-based meeting tools. It’s simple to use.

CONS
If you don’t have sufficient bandwidth available, the use of simultaneous audio and video might be problematic.

VERDICT
All in all, it’s a good option for online meetings, and its advanced security features give it a distinct advantage over its competitors.