Printer Friendly Version

As more tools for collaboration enter the workplace, the security risks they present to the enterprise increase. Whether it's abuse of instant messaging, the proliferation of viruses by e-mail, or the ease with which sensitive information can be copied and sent worldwide, technology designed to make people's jobs easier can have some pretty dark applications.

This is where Viack, a company of less than 100 employees with offices in Redmond, Wash. and Tempe, Ariz., sees a place for its product in the market. Viack's VIA3 product is an e-meeting application that incorporates a number of collaboration technologies, and wraps it up in a secure package using SSL and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a symmetric 128-bit block data encryption technique adopted by the U.S. government.

"When it comes to security, a lot of companies are worried about the perimeter," said Stephen Seavecki, product marketing manager at Viack. Seavecki said companies are not doing much to protect data inside the firewall.

VIA3's whiteboard function allows users to point, draw, type and mark-up for all to see.

With information flying back and forth in collaborative tools such as instant messaging, audio and videoconferencing, VIA3 differentiates itself from other e-meeting vendors by encrypting everything. VIA3 features security at every possible point, according to Seavecki, from authentication to data transfer to storage and transmission.

SSL is used to to protect supervisory messages during a meeting, client presence information, meeting invitations and instant messages. AES is used in VIA3 to protect files, data, and audio and video feeds.

Beyond its security, VIA3 hosts a number of ways for users to collaborate. There is text chat, instant messaging, joint document editing, whiteboards, and audio and video (with audio available at connection speeds as low as 56K). You can notify colleagues of meetings, invoke a Do Not Disturb option, or remove unwanted users from a meeting. VIA3 also features integration with PowerPoint and Outlook for scheduling and sharing presentations. Notes, action items, and discussions can be saved so they can be referred to later.

VIA3 meeting hosts can share PowerPoint presentations in a secure environment.

Clearly, there are some e-meetings where an application like VIA3 will perform well. According to Cathy Planchard, director of marketing communications at Viack, the most traction for VIA3 has been seen in the high-tech sector, especially in new product development where intellectual property must be protected, as well as in financial services. Just about any industry that has a use for VIA3's security will find that is the biggest selling point of the product compared to other e-meeting software.

According to Seavecki, VIA3 also provides a true collaboration environment. "It's about more intense collaboration, not just attendees at a meeting," he said. With whiteboards and document editing VIA3 does not suffer from the "one to many" meeting style of some e-meeting applications.

Audio and video have yet to catch on with e-meeting users in a big way, but VIA3 promises that setting up that hardware is easy and the software isn't picky about the type of camera or headset you use. A USB camera is recommended for video and there is an audio wizard that helps users set up headsets by asking them to read a sentence; it then adjusts the audio for the receiving end and you are ready to go.

Viack was founded in 1999, with the first version of its VIA3 product released in August of 2002. A second version followed in February of this year. The third version will be out in January, and it plans on extending document editing capability to Microsft Excel and using some "smart compression" techniques to improve the audio and video experience. On the security front, Viack is interested in getting some of the government security standards that will open up the product to more secure uses inside the government.

VIA3 pricing is done by three plans, two of which are introductions to the Viack's offerings. The Unlimited Plan charges $300 per month per host. It allows 24/7 use,as well as support options. The Attend Only plan is free, and allows users to attend a meeting scheduled by a paying host for no charge. Support is also included. The third option is called the Instant Messaging Plan. The IM Plan is also free, and it allows unlimited use of the VIA3 Secure Instant Messaging Service, as well as free attendance to e-meetings initiated by a paying VIA3 subscriber.

Meeting attendees can work together to edit Microsoft Word documents in VIA3. The new version due out in early 2004 will allow joint editing of Excel files as well.