Yuuguu adds corporate version of web conference tool

Yuuguu sessions are easy to set up and join

Yuuguu has introduced a corporate version of its web conferencing service, designed to make it easier for sales staff to use web collaboration, but priced to allow organisations to deploy it to all workers for internal collaboration.

Yuuguu Corporate, available immediately, brings administrator tools and site-wide licensing agreements for organisations to the collaboration service, which combines web conferencing and instant messaging (IM).

However, Yuuguu Corporate also allows customers to embed a link to the service into their own web site, a move designed to make it easier for guests to join a session.

"We found from research that web conferencing is used primarily by marketing, and that sales were having difficulty using it because of the difficulty of getting a session scheduled and started," said Yuuguu chief executive Anish Kapoor.

The problem is that many web conferencing tools require guests to download a plug-in to join the session, and people are often reluctant to do this, or it does not work even when they do.

In contrast, Yuuguu does not require any download, and guests can be simply directed to a web URL with a PIN code to enter a session, after which they can see the host's screen or application window, and communicate via IM.

However, many organisations are also struggling with collaboration between users in different sites and need a tool they can roll out across all staff, according to Kapoor.

"In most organisations, only a few people have a web conferencing account because of the cost. We've created an enterprise licence that lets you give it to everyone for the same cost," he said.

Licences will vary depending on volume, but Kapoor said that a firm with 200 employees would pay about $700 (£427) per month.

Each licensed user needs a Java-based client on their computer to initiate a session, but this supports Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. Guests need only a browser supporting Adobe Flash in order to join and view the session.