Stanford maintains a flat-rate-per-user agreement with WebEx Communications, Inc. (now a unit of Cisco Systems Inc.) to use the on-demand WebEx collaboration suite of Support Center, Meeting Center, Training Center, Event Center and Sales Center. WebEx products permit online collaboration over its private network with just a Web browser and a telephone.
Meeting Center
One can use WebEx Meeting Center to hold online meetings with campus colleagues or those at other institutions and companies, sharing presentations in any format, demonstrating products and research activity, and collaborating on document creating with shared whiteboard space and markup tools and full video support.
WebEx Meeting Center also supports what would be "virtual office hours", with students "dropping by" to share their work and receive feedback and input at any convenient time.
Support Center
With WebEx Support Center, one can minimize on-site computer repair visits by enabling remote access, screen sharing and (with user permission) control of remote computers. See just what the user is seeing without leaving your office; perform remote troubleshooting and fixes for them, speeding their return to productive activities.
Training Center
With WebEx Training Center, one can deliver live or on-demand training without participants having to leave their offices. Sessions can be recorded for later re-use and there is support for online testing, breakout discussion groups, online chat and full video. WebEx supports all aspects of a live training session, except for travel time and campus parking difficulties!
What Does Stanford's Agreement Cover?
The basics of the arrangement are simple. The WebEx on-demand product suite covered by the flat-rate pricing agreement (200 attendee limit) is Support Center, Meeting Center, Training Center, Event Center and Sales Center
A "Named Host" model is in place:
- The usage fee is $33.00 per month per "named host": Single, named user, no shared accounts. As we add campus licenses and increase usage, the price will drop. NOTE: Only "hosts" need a license: all attendees to any session/meeting, etc. do not need a license to participate.
- There is no limit on the number of sessions, number of participants, session duration etc.
- Telephony (supporting conference calls) is not included in the flat-rate. You are billed on actual usage at competitive rates. It's convenient to have your teleconferencing options built into the online collaboration tools, rather than having to use a separate teleconferencing provider.
For More Information
Online demos for interested users can be arranged easily, using the tools themselves. If you're interested in a demo of any of the products, or in obtaining a license or learning more, please contact us by submitting a HelpSU request. More information about WebEx at Stanford is available at:
