Welcome to the home page of web based conferencing solutions offered by the university. Below you will find a direct comparison on products offered to decide which option is best for your virtual meeting.
Web Conferencing Licensure
TOOL NAME | URL | PURPOSE | AUDIENCE | ACCESS | CONTACT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blackboard Collaborate | Web conferencing | Campus (NetID), access controlled | LDAP and local authentication, authorization controlled organization registration | Blackboard Collaborate requires enrollment in an available course or organization. | ||
| Google Meet (formally Hangouts) | https://meet.google.com/ | Web conferencing, screen sharing | Campus (NetID@g.syr.edu) | LDAP and local authentication, active affiliation only | help@syr.edu | G Suite uses (yournetid)@g.syr.edu for login followed by your NetID and password for login. |
| Microsoft Teams | teams.microsoft.com | Web conferencing, screen sharing | Campus (NetID) | LDAP and local authentication, active affiliation only | help@syr.edu | Desktop client may require distributed staff intervention for campus owned devices. |
Legend
LDAP= Lightweight Directory Access Protocol; an Internet protocol that email and other programs use to look up information from a server.
Web Conferencing Comparisons
| Characteristics | Blackboard Collaborate Ultra | Google Meet (formally Hangouts) | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Cloud, SaaS, Web Mobile- iOS Mobile- Android | Cloud, SaaS, Web Mobile- iOS Mobile- Android | Cloud, SaaS, Web Mobile- iOS Mobile- Android Installed-Mac Installed-Windows |
| Browsers | Chrome (Download the latest version) Firefox (Download the latest version) Edge (Download the latest version) Safari (Download the latest version) | Chrome (Download the latest version) Firefox (Download the latest version) Edge (Download the latest version) Safari (Download the latest version) | Chrome (Download the latest version) Firefox (Download the latest version) Edge (Download the latest version) Safari (Download the latest version) |
| Accessibility | Windows 10 - Firefox with JAWS v17: Provisional macOS- Safari with VoiceOver: Certified - Firefox with VoiceOver: Provisional Live Closed Captioning | Windows 10- JAWS & NVDA macOS- VoiceOver Chromebook or Linux- ChromVox Live Closed Captioning | Windows 10- JAWS & NVDA macOS- VoiceOver Live Closed Captioning |
| Requirements | 256 MB RAM 20 MB free disk space Internet Access Soundcard w/microphone (headset recommended) Webcam (optional) | Built-in web camera or external USB camera | 2.0 GB RAM 3.0 GB free disk space USB 2.0 video camera |
| Web Conferencing | Electronic Hand Raising On- Demand Webcasting Presentation Tools Real-Time Chat Record & Playback ability | Real- Time Chat Record & Playback ability | Real- Time Chat Record & Playback ability |
| Collaboration | Brainstorming Discussion Boards Audio Conferencing Content Management | Audio Conferencing Discussion Threads | File sharing Audio Conferencing |
| Audio | |||
| Meeting | Max. 250 participants 500 participants by special request | Max. 250 participants | Max. 250 participants Live Events up to 10,000 attendees (more info) |
| Screen Sharing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Support Links | ITS Help Desk, Collaborate Ultra Help | ITS Help Desk, Meet Help | ITS Help Desk, Teams Help |
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