Statement of Direction

Oracle iMeeting 11i8

 

 

Introduction

Oracle iMeeting brings real-time online collaboration to any e-business enabling customers, employees, teams, and partners to meet online within the context provided by the content, commerce, and processes of the E-Business Suite.

New features in the 11i8 release:

§         Windows Collaboration

§         Application Integration

§         Advanced Annotation and White Boarding

Windows Collaboration

In the 11i8 release, Windows collaboration will be seamlessly integrated into the Web collaboration capabilities of iMeeting.  The Windows collaboration feature, also known as application or desktop sharing, will allow meeting presenters to share anything from their MS Windows-based computer with other attendees in real time. 

§         Any application

§         Any window

§         Any region or multiple regions

§         Entire desktop

 

Windows collaboration includes the same flexibility in user control as iMeeting Web collaboration.  A meeting host can grant shared control to attendees to collaborate in real time.  Both viewing and sharing are supported.  The exceptional performance and ease of mediation makes this a truly dynamic and collaborative experience.

§         Viewing allows any desktop application, window, region or the entire desktop to be viewed by meeting attendees with a single click.  Attendees are able to view it instantly. Any changes made by the presenter to the application or content are viewed in real time by all attendees.

§         Sharing allows the presenter to share control of the application and the content with attendees.  An attendee with shared control can control the presenter's application and the content as if it were on the attendee's own desktop.  As with Web collaboration, the meeting host always has ultimate control. 

Windows collaboration enables new uses of iMeeting including:

§         Demonstration of non-HTML based software applications including Web applications with Java clients such as Oracle Forms-based applications

§         Remote support for non-HTML software applications including support for installing and configuring software for a user on a remote MS Windows based computer

§         Remote training and education for non-HTML applications

§         Real time collaborative document creation and editing

Through the use of mediation tools, the meeting host can allow any attendee to become the presenter, giving the attendee the ability to share from the attendee's own desktop any application, window, region, or the attendee's entire desktop with all meeting participants.

Application or Window

The Oracle iMeeting Windows collaboration feature allows presenters to share any application or window from their MS-Windows computer.  Meeting attendees view in real time any changes that occur in the application or window.  Presenters can grant shared control to any attendee, which allows the attendee to collaboratively control the application or window as if it were on the attendee's own desktop.  Examples of what can be shared include:

§         Internet applications with Java based user interface such as Oracle Forms

§         Any word processing, presentation, spreadsheet or database application including MS-Office

§         Any graphics-intensive application such as Photoshop, Fireworks, Visio, CAD/CAM, etc.

§         Any application

§         Any window including MS-DOS prompt, control panel, file system, etc.

Region

In addition to a window or an application, iMeeting users can select a region of their desktop to be viewed or shared. Any content displayed in the region will be seen by meeting attendees immediately.  Multiple regions can be selected simultaneously allowing for a very flexible collaboration experience.

Entire Desktop

Ultimately, the entire desktop can be viewed or shared with all the windows and applications in it.  This mode is particularly useful for help desk applications where a technician is able to take control remotely over the user's PC and troubleshoot a problem, configure software, or remove or install software.

Application Integration

Integration of real time collaboration within the context of how companies do business is a significant competitive advantage for Oracle iMeeting and, as such, is a major focus of the 11i8 release.

The evolution of e-business to date has largely focused on content, commerce, and the electronic automation of key business processes.  The focus has been on enabling and automating asynchronous (queue-based) communications. Many analysts including IDC, expect the next major evolution in e-business to be the blending of real-time interactive meeting services into corporate Web sites, portals, and digital exchanges. 

§         According to IDC, “These real-time interactive communication services will have to be seamlessly integrated within the context of content and commerce solutions at these sites.”

§         Forrester Research agrees that Web collaboration is key to the evolution of e-business and concludes that the “…sophisticated needs of e-business can’t be met with static technologies”

 

Comprehensive business flows involving real time collaboration were defined based on extensive input from various enterprises and support for those flows were architected into Oracle iMeeting and the E-Business Suite.   These same Oracle iMeeting integration points are designed to allow integration with non-Oracle applications. 

Major integrations for the 11i8 release include:

§         iMeeting Global Button

§         Live Help

§         Web Seminar

§         Calendar

§         Content Management

§         Address Book

iMeeting Global Button

The iMeeting global button was first introduced in the 11i6 release and provides the ability to configure a button at the top of every application page enabling users to instantly create or join an iMeeting without having to navigate to another page or switch application responsibilities.  With the 11i8 release this feature is enhanced to support a context based start page that allows the user to start an instant iMeeting with user's current application session as the starting page for the online meeting.

For example, if a sales manager is working on a sales forecast for her region using Oracle Sales Online and wants to meet online with her direct reports, she can start an iMeeting and with the context based start page option she can have her current Oracle Sales Online application session as the starting page for the iMeeting. She can then contact her directs and invite them to join the meeting.  All participants will see her Oracle Sales Online application session as the starting page for the online meeting.  As a combined team, they can then collaborate in real time -- effectively sharing the exact same application session across the entire team -- to finalize the sales forecast for the region.

Live Help

Self-service sales and support over the Web are excellent ways for enterprises to interact with customers.  Oracle iMeeting provides an opportunity for any enterprise to increase the effectiveness of Web sales and support by allowing customers to request and receive live help directly on the Web site. 

For example, when a customer requests live help by clicking a button on the Web page the request is routed to an interaction center agent who is then able to cobrowse with the customer, text chat, and if the customer wishes speak live with the customer over a standard telephone.  The Web page on which the customer requested live help is the start page for the  cobrowse with the agent.  The customer and the agent are sharing the exact same browser session. Both the agent and the customer can enter information into online forms in real time.  Each sees what the other is typing in real time.  The agent is able to walk the customer through whatever sales, support, or site-related questions the customer  might have, including navigating to any page, helping the customer to add items to the shopping cart, or finding the right information from the site itself.

The live help flow is seamlessly supported across the Oracle E-Business Suite.  Key applications involved include Oracle iStore, iSupport, Telephony Manager, Universal Work Queue, and the Oracle E-Business Center.  The Oracle iMeeting integration points can also be leveraged to support the same flow with non-Oracle applications.

Web Seminar

Conduct marketing Web seminars through iMeeting. The robust marketing functionality of Oracle Marketing Online can be leveraged to create online events, produce lists of invitees, manage wave campaigns to invite attendees, and even upload content to present during an iMeeting Web seminar.

Information such as attendee responses to polls during the iMeeting Web seminar can be used to automatically convert attendees to leads based on Oracle Marketing Online business rules.  Generated leads can then be automatically forwarded to appropriate telesales or field sales reps based on account, regional or other assignments.

Calendar

Leverage advanced calendar capabilities from within Oracle iMeeting to schedule recurring meetings, check attendee availability, set reminders, view meetings based on calendar views, and more.  Alternatively, an Oracle E-Business Suite user can just as easily schedule iMeetings from within Oracle Calendar with no need to switch to iMeeting.

Content Management

Advanced document and meeting materials capabilities will be added by leveraging the advanced content management capabilities of Oracle 9i including document sharing, versioning, WebDAV integration, and automatic document synchronization with file system based directories.

Customers Online

Easily look up and invite meeting participants based on the rich customer, contact, and employee information available through Oracle Customers Online.

Advanced Annotation and White Boarding

Advanced annotation capabilities allow the use of a variety of tools including text input, resizable line shapes, stamps, and a selection of colors for both Web and Windows collaboration. Meeting presenters and attendees have access to a rich set of mark up and drawing tools for the visual review and annotation of shared content, or as an aid in making presentations.

iMeeting participants also can use the white board to easily create sketches, diagrams, maps, flows and charts. Attendees can participate concurrently in real time and save every white board page for future reference.

Availability

All features described in this statement of direction are planned for release 11i8.