Collaboration Tools Knowledge Base
Using technology to work collaboratively across our various campuses is often hit or miss. There is unfortunately no silver bullet or single solution for all your needs. However, some of us have tried tools that work well in specific scenarios. This is our start at tabulating such use, our choices, and tips on how best to maximize the utility of the tools.
Virtual Meetings
- Does UCSF offer a video conferencing service?
- Can you give me an overview of my options as they map onto key criteria I should be considering?
- Can you briefly describe Skype, including High-definition Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yugma, Webhuddle, GoToMeeting, WebEx, Adobe Connect & High-definition videoconferencing?
- What type of security features do the hosted meeting/remote presentation solutions offer?
Document Collaboration
Virtual Meetings
I want to substitute for a face-to-face meeting between two or more persons at different locations.
There are a range of tools that can help you interact remotely with one or more people. Options are cheapest and more readily available if you want to interact with just one other person, and get progressively more complicated and expensive as you add people. Even at the high end such as the hi-def videoconferencing systems being piloted by CTSI do allow for excellent interactions via video, but only to a maximum of about 6 dial-ins and 8 total participants. As you need to facilitate larger meetings, video features become harder to get, and the focus is more on desktop sharing and integrated audio, to ensure people can hear each other and view presentations together.
Does UCSF offer a video conferencing service?
Yes, Educational Technology Services has 12 broadcast venues across all campuses that allow you to connect with any location in the world where linking capabilities are available. The two-way, fully interactive link increases communication and enhances information sharing in real time. Multiple screens are available for sharing live images, presentation files and data. Video conference prices are based on event length in two-hour increments. Learn more.
Can you give me an overview of my options as they map onto key criteria I should be considering?
| FREE | $39- $49/ MONTH | HIGHEST COST, UPFRONT INVESTMENT | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus on cheap easy-to-use video, not file sharing | Focus on file sharing and remote presentations—not video; Can use all these services without central IT, can be self-initiated and charged with credit cards. | Focus on high-definition video. Requires IT expertise and infrastructure. No UCSF-wide option yet. | ||||||
| Skype | Windows Live Messenger | Yugma | WebHuddle | GoTo Meeting | Adobe Acrobat Connect | WebEx | Lifesize & other high-definition videoconferencing | |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free - 10 p month for higher end services | Free - While the product is in Beta. | $49 flat monthly rate Max 15 users. Conference calling included. (14 day free trial) | $39/- p month or 395/- p year. | Meet Me Now: $49 flat monthly rate (or 39 p month with annual subscription). Max 10 users. Conference calling included. (14 day free trial) More expensive options that start at 375 p. month for max 15 users include other features like document sharing. | $4,000 - $8,000 for endpoint equipment; Does not include bridge (central hub hardware and software), bandwidth or tech support. |
| Platforms | Mac, PC | PC only | Mac, PC Diagnostic Tool |
Mac, PC, Linux/Unix | Mac, PC | Mac, PC | Mac, PC, Unix | N.A. |
| Optimal # of participants | 2 | 2 | 8-10 | Unclear. Let us know if you find a limit! | < 15 for lowest cost option. Can go up to a max 1000-person 'webinar' mode for higher cost. | < 15 for lowest cost option. Max successfully tried ~ 30-40 with high-end Adobe Connect Pro solution. | < 10 for Meet Me Now. | Technical limitations are to up to 20 dialins in one or more parallel meetings, for the Codien bridge currently being piloted by CTSI. To preserve the benefits of high-def, however, a better limit is 6 dial-ins, 8-10 total people. |
| Local install or central IT needed | Local | Local | Local - to host a presentation. No install if you are only viewing a presentation | No install to host a presentation or view a presentation. | Outsourced/hosted solution pricing shown above. Pricier, 'enterprise-scale' or department level options require central IT installs. | Outsourced/hosted solution pricing shown above. Pricier, 'enterprise-scale' or department level options require central IT installs. | Outsourced/hosted solution. | |
| Video feature | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes, but not too useful | No | Yes, very good |
| Desktop Sharing - Remote Presentation | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, but not too useful |
| Notes from Campus Users | I use Skype & Windows Messenger Live only for video, and call my colleague on the phone. Sound is bad on Voice-over-IP (VoIP) at UCSF. On my home DSL (1MB) we talk and use video with UK, India & South Africa, successfully. - MK Skype is very bandwidth intensive and if used on a wireless network is know to suck up all of the bandwidth. Has been banned on some campuses as a result so I encourage people to close it if they are not using it while they're on a wireless network. - KS | If I leave this app on while not using it, it sometimes crashes a browser window. Close the app after using it - MK. | UI buttons are non-intuitive. It looks like you're supposed to use the browser window, but instead, you just need click on 'start sharing' and launch your presentation. That should work. Again, VoIP is probably not a good choice at UCSF. Use a teleconferencing number in addition to the file sharing. - MK | Case Study Available | Case Study Available Use professional subscription/hosted versions with the NIH for national meetings. These frequently have greater than 20 attendees. The video is only slightly helpful to see the face of a presenter in a very small box at low resolution. - MK Used it successfully to host a preview meeting demo-ing this website. One person didn't have flash, and couldn't download and install on their own computer - so was unable to view the presentation - CN | Untested | CTSI has used Lifesize high-definition videoconferencing for weekly board working group meetings—about 5-8 people at a time, with a max of 5 dialins from separate locations. In this scenario, with a tight working group and pre-established relationships, videoconferencing has worked remarkably well. The resolution is high enough to catch expressions, emotions, body language—all the cues that complete our experience when we're meeting with others - MK | |
Can you briefly describe Skype, including High-definition Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yugma, Webhuddle, GoToMeeting, WebEx, Adobe Connect & High-definition videoconferencing?
- Skype
- Skype emphasizes desktop to desktop videoconferencing. It is free but the video is small in size and a little grainy. However, many people use it successfully to engage in conversations internationally. Security is minimal, so care should be taken on what is discussed using Skype. Skype should be turned off between uses to make sure the network is not being used by Skype. Just as with Windows Live (described below) you may find it beneficial to use Skype for video, but call the person you're talking to and not use Skype for Voice-over-IP audio. Skype allows 3-way or more conferencing, but it's rare that this works well enough for this to be a useful option. There is now a higher-definition video option that we have tested at CTSI Central and find works quite well—it requires a higher-end computer (about 2 GHz and dual processor), good bandwidth, and higher-end web cams (about 100/-) at each end. The result is closer to DVD-quality video.
Read more here: http://www.skype.com/.
- Windows Live Messenger.
- Windows Live Messenger is a free videoconferencing tool just like Skype. The same concerns apply, including the recommendation that Windows Live be used for video, while a phone is used for audio.
For more information and/or to start using Windows Live, please visit: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/livemeeting/default.aspx.
- Yugma
- Yugma is a free hosted remote presentation/meeting software solution. After signing up with minimal information required, the presenter has to download software. Once the presenter has downloaded software, they're set to invite people to a hosted meeting. Meeting attendees simply have to click a link that is mailed to them to view the remote desktop and presentation. For rates beginning at 10 dollars a month you can subscribe for higher end, more complex meeting features (e.g. the ability to pass on control of a presentation to others in the meeting).
For more information and/or to start using Yugma, please visit: http://www.yugma.com.
- Webhuddle
- Web huddle is similar to Yugma in the basic services it provides. It is free to use while it is in "beta". A difference from Yugma is that you do not have to install any software on your machine, even if you are the presenter. Both Yugma and Webhuddle have been reviewed well relative to other free or cheap hosted options for remote presentations and meetings.
For more information and to start using this service, please visit: https://www.webhuddle.com/.
- GoToMeeting
- GoToMeeting is a web-hosted remote meeting and desktop sharing software. It is not free. It enables the user to meet with other computer users via the internet. It allows the desktop view of a host computer to be broadcast to a group of computers connected to the host through the internet. GoTo Meeting can be used for up to 15 users.
For more information or to get started with GoToMeeting, please visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/?Portal=www.gotomeeting.com.
- Web Ex Meet Me Now
- Web Ex Meet Me Now is an on-demand online meeting application for individuals. It is not free. It allows user to conduct unlimited instant meetings with up to ten attendees. WebEx Communications offers other tools as part of their online meeting application, such as the ability to securely access remote computers, desktop sharing, integrated audio and private chat.
For more information or to get started, please visit: http://www.webex.com/individual/online-meeting.html.
- Adobe Connect
- Adobe Connect is a web-conferencing software which allows for meetings with up to 15 participants. Enterprise versions of the software can have a larger number of participants. As an example, CTSA/NCRR national meetings, often with 20-30 participants, utilize NCRR-hosted Adobe Connect. The software provides desktop sharing, whiteboards, chat, video and audio conferencing. However the video is tiny - and not really useful. The meeting is accessed through the web by a personalized URL. The product is entirely Adobe Flash based.
For more information and/or to get started using Adobe Connect, please visit: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatconnect/.
- Lifesize Videoconferencing and/or other high-definition videoconferencing.
- Lifesize and other videoconferencing tools (such as Marratech, Polycom, etc) are generally expensive, but allow for much greater fidelity in visual display, and are very useful to mimic a physical meeting. CTSI's board uses Lifesize Videoconferencing as part of our pilot, to meet weekly. The experience has been excellent. Endpoints cost between $4,000 and $8,000. However there are a limited number of bridges available at UCSF at this point, and technical support is still expensive.
What type of security features do the hosted meeting/remote presentation solutions offer?
Below is a side-by-side comparison of security functions for each tool.
| Yugma | WebHuddle | GoTo Meeting | WebEx MeetMeNow | Acrobat Connect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting accessible to anyone with the meeting ID or link | x | x | x | x | x |
| Meeting only accessible by means of an additional password | -- | x | x | x | -- |
| Accounts are deactivated after three failed attempts to enter the correct meeting password | -- | -- | x | -- | -- |
| 128-bit SSL encryption | x | x | x | x | x |
| 128-bit AES encryption | x | x | x | -- | -- |
| Certified security | -- | -- | x [3] | x [1] | x [2] |
[1] Security certification: Web Trust and SAS70
[2] Security certification: DCTS JITC
[3] Security certification from CyberTrust
Document Collaboration
Some of the tools used by others at UCSF for document collaboration are: Wiki at UCSF (Confluence), Google Docs, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Groove. Though all tools allow for sharing and editing of documents by more than one person, they vary in usability and ease of access (there's no single outstanding solution) and cost (e.g., Google Docs and the UCSF Library-hosted Confluence wiki is free-of-charge versus Microsoft Grove software costs begin at $79). Please refer to each tool for more specific information.
Wiki at UCSF (Confluence)
Case Study AvailableA wiki is a set of web pages created to enable users to contribute or modify content using a simplified markup language (i.e., an artificial language using a set of annotations to text that describe how text is to be structured, laid out, or formatted; HTML is a well known markup language). Wikis are basically directly editable web pages. The UCSF library hosts a well-regarded wiki solution, called "Confluence". For more information and or to get started in using the wiki, please visit the library's web pages. Usage is free. http://www.library.ucsf.edu/edtech/wiki/.
Google Docs
Case Study AvailableGoogle Docs is a web-based tool which allows users to create, upload and edit documents. The user than invites others to view, share and make edits to their documents. The tool allows you to choose which types of access rights invitees receive, e.g., just view the document as opposed to being able to actually make changes to the document. Multiple people can view and make changes at the same time. There's an on-screen chat window for spreadsheets, and document revisions show you exactly who changed what, and when. Google Docs supports most document types including .DOC, .XLS, .ODT, .ODS, .RTF, .CSV and .PPT. Documents are stored securely online and the service is provided free-of-charge. Users must have or create a Google account. For more information and or to get started with this tool visit: http://www.google.com/google-d-s/b1.html.
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint is an enterprise-scale solution offered by School of Medicine ISU. Through Microsoft SharePoint you can create a workspace, upload and download files, and keep track of revisions in a central spot. Contact the SOM ISU if you wish to use these services. Once they understand what it is you would like to accomplish, they will provide cost estimates.
Microsoft Groove
Microsoft Groove is a peer-to-peer desktop software designed for collaboration and communication amongst small groups. The software application is targeted at teams with members who are usually off-line or who do not share the same network security clearance. The user creates a workspace (including a set of files to be shared) and invites other Groove members to share the workspace. Invitees are sent a copy of the workspace which is installed on their hard disk drive. All data is encrypted both on disk as well as over the network. Members interact and collaborate in the workspace which is a private virtual location. All changes are tracked by Groove and all the copies are synchronized via the network in a peer-to-peer manner, almost instantaneously. All the members are sent the changes made to the workspace by any of the users and the documents are updated automatically. The change is queued and synchronized to other workspace members, if that member is offline at the time the change is made, but the user's copy is updated when the member comes back online. Groove is only available for Microsoft Windows. Although Microsoft offers a 60-day free trial, the cost of the software begins at $79.
For more information and/or to get started using Microsoft Grove, please visit: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/groove/default.aspx.