WebTrain

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WebTrain Communications
Type Private
Founded January 1999
Headquarters Kelowna, British Columbia  Canada
Industry Telecommunication
Products English and French
Services Web Conferencing Provider
Website WebTrain Web Conferencing

WebTrain Communications provides web conferencing services for educational training, business meetings, presentation webinars and live auctions. WebTrain is a privately held Canadian company established in 1999.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The WebTrain concept was developed in 1998 by Gary Campbell for the purpose of reducing training costs for off-site business clients.[2] The idea was expanded to include additional communication services. Six different communication products were released after two years of initial development. Each of the software products provided a specific set of features related to its intended market. There was a call alert monitor, a free PC-PC telephone application, a virtual business meetings application, a webinar presentation application, a virtual conference center application, and a web based virtual classroom application. All products were VoIP based.

After releasing the different products in 2001, it was found that clients wanted a single product that provided all of the features offered by each of the separate applications and services. In 2003, WebTrain released version 1 of their Communicator product, merging the feature sets of the separate applications into a single hosted application. Version 2 was released Feb 11, 2003.[3] Version 3 of the Communicator was released August 6, 2006. The v3 French and English version release was a complete rewrite of the existing product, utilizing .NET for the back end meeting services. Web service APIs for back end integration and OEM white labeling were also provided in the v3 release. Version 4 was released on October 12, 2008.[4]

Dr. Doug Hallett is the CEO and Chairman of WebTrain. [1] Hallett's more notable achievements include receiving a medal from the United Nations [5] relating to his research and discovery of dioxins in the Great Lakes. He was senior scientific advisor to Environment Canada Ontario region [6], holds numerous patents of his inventions (PCB destructor [7] [8] [9], UV Water Disinfector [10]) and took ELI Eco Logic public as CEO. [11]

On November 20th, 2000, Raystar Enterprises Ltd. announced their intentions of a reverse takeover transaction.[12] [13] The transaction failed as the Internet tech bubble burst during the transaction period.

WebTrain was recognized by PC Magazine in 2002 as a contender to major web conferencing providers.[14] Their product has been compared to 39 other vendors by Wainhouse Platinum Research [15] and mentioned in the 2006 Frost and Sullivan World Web Event Services Markets report.[16]

In 2006, WebTrain was present at the BCTIA (British Columbia Technology Industry Association) Technology Impact awards ceremony being nominated as one of the three most successful technology startup companies in British Columbia.[17][18] 700 technology companies were represented at the awards ceremony.[19]

On October 17th, 2008 WebTrain announced teleconferencing is now provided with all web conferencing plans at no additional cost.[20]

[edit] Business Models

WebTrain provides both free and paid services under various pricing models. [20] All plans include the principle software services and features. [20]

[edit] Software

WebTrain is a single conferencing product (the same product is used by meeting hosts, presenters and participants) for varying uses (meetings, training, education, webinars, etc.) The product is developed for Windows, and embedded in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape 8 or Opera. Because their Voice-over-IP is low bandwidth (6300b/sec), a high bandwidth connection is not required. [3] A persistent outbound SSL connection is required by client software while in a meeting. The service is hosted at the MCI Worldcom co-location in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Saskatchewan Government (Ministry of Education - Technology Supported Learning) provides this statement as to what WebTrain is: "WebTrain is a powerful and exciting technology that enables students and teachers to communicate visually and verbally in an online, virtual classroom".[21]

[edit] Security

Meetings are SSL based; non-secure meetings are not supported. A paid security review was performed by IBM security.[22] The McAfee Automated Web Safety Testing Results site reports no security concerns relating to the software.[23] The software is distributed as a Windows MSI with a VeriSign software developers certificate.[22]

[edit] Support

Webtrain provides free, direct telephone support for web conference organizers as well as participants. Within the meeting environment, free live text chat with support staff is provided during regular business hours enabling the host to communicate with WebTrain support.

[edit] Use

The product is used by different types of organizations in different ways for different purposes.

  • Engineers Without Borders uses WebTrain to communicate using VoIP with members from different chapters at the same time.[24]
  • The Military Order of the Purple Heart Foundation uses the product to provide virtual VoIP based training to war veterans to help them re-enter the workforce.[25]
  • John Hopkins University uses the product for assisting the visually and speech impaired.[26]
  • The University of Regina uses the product to teach French. [27]
  • Auction companies utilize a unique apsect of their product to broadcast live auctions (real estate foreclosures, heavy equipment, land auctions) enabling virtual Internet bidders to hear the live auctioneer (VoIP) while bidding against the floor (and each other) using a real time java bidding applet.[28][29]
  • Health Canada uses the product for internal meetings and various health issues such as best practice health workshops. [30]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Canadian Federal Incorporation Registry". Government of Canada. January 22, 2002. http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/cgi-bin/sc_mrksv/corpdir/dataOnline/corpns_re?company_select=3578682. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  2. ^ "WebTrain founder business concept". Business Week. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=22338296. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  3. ^ a b Robin Good. "Web Conferencing - Independent Enterprise System Reviews - October 2005". http://www.masternewmedia.org. http://www.masternewmedia.org/reports/webconferencing/guide/. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  4. ^ "Web Conferencing Features - Version 4 Release". WebTrain. http://www.webtrain.com. Retrieved on 2008-16-19. 
  5. ^ "Niagara: A River to Save" (PDF). Pollution Probe. http://www.pollutionprobe.org/Reports/niagara.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. "In December 1985, Hallett, who the year before received a medal from the United Nations for his research on toxic contaminants in the Great Lakes, decided ... (page 19)" 
  6. ^ Host: Jay Ingram (December 1, 1984). "Troubled Waters: Pollution in the Great Lakes". CBC Radio. http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-75-1390-8683/science_technology/great_lakes_pollution/clip7. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  7. ^ "A gas-phase chemical reduction process" (PDF). Ontario Ministry of the Environment. http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/programs/3354e26.pdf. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  8. ^ North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (May 1995). "NATO/CCMS Pilot Study" (PDF). NATO. http://www.epa.gov/tio/download/partner/nato.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  9. ^ "New Canadian Technology Is To Be Utilized At General Motors Of Canada". BNet. February 7, 1995. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1995_Feb_7/ai_16424627. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  10. ^ "Ultraviolet Treatment for Aqueous Liquids". Google Patent search. http://www.google.com/patents?id=TC8RAAAAEBAJ&dq=doug+hallett. Retrieved on 2008. 
  11. ^ "ELI Eco Logic completes rights offering". BNet. February 1995. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5974/is_199502/ai_n24139402. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  12. ^ Highbeam Research (November 20, 2000). "Raystar (Trading Symbol RYA) Reverse takover". BNET Business Network. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5559/is_200011/ai_n22598668. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  13. ^ CCNMatthews (December 12, 2001). "Raystar Enterprises Ltd. Announcement Update". Marketwire. http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=455441&k=. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  14. ^ Sarah Pike (February 26, 2002). "Top 100 (undiscovered) Web Sites - Online Applications - Reviews". PC Magazine. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,38685,00.asp. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  15. ^ Ira M. Weinstein (April 26, 2006). "Comparison Matrix - Desktop Client / Server Conferencing Solutions". Wainhouse Research. http://www.wrplatinum.com/Content.aspx?CID=5530. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  16. ^ World Web Event Services Markets - N100-64, Frost and Sullivan, page 23, 2006
  17. ^ "2006 Technology Impact Awards Handbook" (PDF). British Columbia Technology Industry Association. June 15, 2006. http://www.bctia.org/files/PDF/impact_2006_handbook.pdf. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  18. ^ Catherine Ducharme (May 18, 2006). "Marketwire BCTIA article". Marketwire. https://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=595564&k=. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  19. ^ "Annual BCTIA Review" (PDF). BCTIA. http://www.bctia.org/files/PDF/annualreview_07.pdf. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  20. ^ a b c "Web Conferencing Pricing and Business Models". WebTrain.com. October 6, 2008. http://www.webtrain.com/web-conferencing-pricing.asp. Retrieved on October 6 2008. 
  21. ^ "What is WebTrain". Government of Saskatchewan - Technology Supported Learning. http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/branches/elearning/tsl/services/web_train/what_is_webtrain.shtml. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  22. ^ a b "WebTrain Security Document". WebTrain. http://www.webtrain.com/communicator-software.asp. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  23. ^ "McAfee Automated Web Safety Testing Results". McAfee Security. http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/webtrain.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  24. ^ "EWB - WebTrain - page 52" (PDF). Engineers without Borders. http://polymtl.ewb.ca/documents/toolbox_eng.pdf. Retrieved on June 19 2008. 
  25. ^ "Purple Hearts News Room". Purple Heats Foundation. November 30, 2006. http://www.purpleheartfoundation.org/readnews.asp?fseq=48. Retrieved on 2008-06-27. 
  26. ^ "Johns Hopkins Low Vision Rehabilitation". Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). October 3, 2006. http://www.aerbvi.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=912. Retrieved on 2008-06-27. 
  27. ^ Thomas Chase - Dean of Arts (2006-03-15). "Faculty of the Arts". University of Regina. http://www.uregina.ca/arts/artsminds/flash/ArtsAndMinds03_2006.swf. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  28. ^ "Euro Auctions UK Ltd - Industrial and Heavy Equipment Auctions". http://www.euroauctionslive.com/html/livehardware.jsp. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  29. ^ "REDC Auctions - Housing Foreclosure Auctions". https://www.redclive.com/. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 
  30. ^ "Health Canada - Outreach program for women with substance use problems" (PDF). Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Foundation. http://www.caccf.ca/PDF/Nov10-06/earl-intervention.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-06-19. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebTrain"
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