Meet the Challenges of Telework with Web Collaboration

By expanding worksite options, telework has created challenges to communicating with colleagues, sharing information and ideas, and collaborating on projects and documents. Email and conference calls can't always provide the level of accessibility demanded by today's work environment. To meet the challenge of bringing people together in an increasingly geographically-widespread workplace, CIT offers NIH Web Collaboration, a service that uses the web-conferencing tool Adobe Connect to enable users to interact in real time in several ways.

Web Collaboration features

CIT's Web Collaboration service includes such features as:

• Support for video, voice, data, animations, and simulations


• Always-there virtual conference rooms


• Remote desktop control—With permission, a user can access a remote desktop-like environment to perform operations on a computer at a different location


• Document sharing—Participants can take turns modifying a single document in real-time


• White boarding, chat, and online polling


• Delivery of interactive content including online training courses and quizzes


• Compatibility with Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, and Linux operating systems


• Runs securely on servers behind the NIH firewall


• Connect Mobile is available for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android smart phones and tablets—Available through the Apple App Store and the Android Market place website


• Compatibility with U.S. Government Configuration Baseline (USGCB)


• Section 508 compliance through keyboard shortcuts and support for captioning

Additionally, meetings and events can be recorded and archived for later viewing, and authorized participants can access and store documents on a secure, shared system without needing VPN, eliminating concerns about storing sensitive information on individual laptops.

Web Collaboration Capabilities are granted through different types of accounts. Commonly used account types include:

• Host Account—Users can create virtual meeting rooms and be given host and presenter capabilities. Charges for meetings accrue only to the Host Account.


• Participant Account—Users can access virtual meeting rooms but cannot create virtual meeting rooms and do not have presenter or host capabilities. A Host Account user can grant these capabilities to a participant. No charges accrue to Participant Accounts.


• Author Account—Users can access virtual meeting rooms and publish on-demand content for other users to view, but cannot create meeting rooms and do not initially have presenter or host capability. A Host Account user can grant these capabilities to an Author. No charges accrue to Author Accounts.

Benefits

One of the major benefits of using a virtual meeting space is cost savings. When you factor in the time and expense for travel, lodging, food, and related costs, the savings, especially for medium to large-scale events, can be considerable. Also, the use of NIH Web Collaboration aligns with NIH's Greening Initiative and Environmental Policy. Eliminating or minimizing travel saves on carbon dioxide and other exhaust emissions, paper consumption, and waste water production.

Who uses NIH Web Collaboration?

Currently, most of the institutes and centers at NIH use NIH Web Collaboration, as do OD, FDA, OS/FHA and affiliated university medical libraries. Users include researchers, scientific reviewers, trainers, and students. Web Collaboration capacity is generally only limited by the availability of broadband Internet access. NIH currently has licenses for 500 simultaneous users and more can be added according to demand. Seminar rooms allow for up to 500 simultaneous attendees in a single meeting space.

What do I need to use NIH Web Collaboration?

The basic requirements to use Web Collaboration are a computer with a web browser, a broadband Internet connection, and Adobe Flash Player. To see if your computer and Internet connection will support Web Collaboration, use the diagnostic tool available on the NIH Web Collaboration website at http://webcollaboration.nih.gov/systemRequirements.asp#test.

What about cost?

There is no charge for requesting a Web Collaboration account and no limit on the number of people who can have accounts. The cost for basic services is as follows:

Other services, such as dedicated support, live captioning, and specialized support, are available at additional cost.

Training

To assist users, CIT offers training classes and video tutorials. Prospective users can also request an online demonstration by contacting the NIH IT Service Desk online at http://itservicedesk.nih.gov/support or by calling 301-496-4357, 301-496-8294 (TTY), or toll free at 866-319-4357.

Is NIH Web Collaboration the right tool?

If you're unsure whether CIT's Web Collaboration service is the right tool for you, use the NIH Video Decision tool to help you figure out what collaboration technology fits your needs. The decision tool is available at http://video.nih.gov/decisiontool/index.aspx.

More information

To request an account, and for information about other account types, additional costs, specific software and hardware requirements, training, support, and other information, see the NIH Web Collaboration website at http://webcollaboration.nih.gov/default.aspx.

Back to top of page