You can try an online meeting here for free with GoToMeeting, and remote computer access for free here with GoToMyPc.
The costs of travel, both financially and also conservationally, are
shooting up. Many of the worlds leading companies are adapting to this
through the use of technology, in particular by transporting bits
rather than people. Accenture, a global technology consulting firm,
has plans to have instaled 22 video conferencing rooms by the end of
the year. The advantages extend beyond just cutting costs. “These technology
tools are going to change the way corporations think about travel and
work in the long run,” says Claire Schooley, an analyst at Forrester
Research.
This isn’t the first time that technologists have claimed that technology will soon replace travel, but the difference today is in the statistics of the numbers of companies employing remote meeting products such as WebEx PcNow and remote access tools such as GoToMyPc. Two years ago at IBM, an expert in IBM’s global services unit called
Michael Littlejohn was on the road around 15 days each month. Now, he
says, he travels around 10 days a month. “But my time spent with
clients is not less,” he said. “To really understand a client’s
problems or to close a deal, you need face to face.”
The applications now extend beyond buisiness meetings. As part of an
effort to help retrain injured soldiers returning from Iraq, the
Walter Reed Equal Employment Opportunity Office (EEOO) has begun to
offer online courses to help train veterans for careers in IT. The
course uses WebEx to provide on demand classrooms.
“At Walter Reed, we strive to not only provide the physical care that
our soldiers need, but also help them to gain the confidence they need
to excel professionally when they return home,” said Karen Ruby,
Walter Reed Equal Employment Opportunity Office. “WebEx has allowed us
to offer a full range of training, from basic IT support skills to
advanced certification programs.”
There are also refreshing stories of people being stuck in the office
less due to the new technologies. The Editor of Bass West USA magazine
manages to spend 5 days a week fishing at the same time as editing the
magazine by using Citrix’s GoToMyPc to access his office computer from
his boat to edit articles.
“Using GoToMyPC, my laptop and an Internet connection through my cell
phone, I can look at magazine layouts and collaborate with tournament
directors on how to post results to our Website – all from the deck of
my boat,” said Leogrande. “Instead of being anchored to my office PC,
I can combine work and fishing.”
