Skype Partners with Citrix for Web and Audio Conference Call Tools Enabled with GoMeeting Technology

By Deepika Mala, TMCnet Contributor

Skype, the communications and conference call platform provider, entered into a strategic partnership relation with virtual computing innovator Citrix Systems Inc, to introduce new Web and audio conferencing tools enabled with GoToMeeting technology from Citrix.

The addition of GoToMeeting functionality to its Web-based communications and conference calling offerings will help Skype (News - Alert) to attract SMBs looking to host or join business meetings via Skype or through public switched telephone network phone numbers.

The Skype for Business desktop experience currently offers instant messaging, voice and video calling, group video calling, conferencing, file sharing and more. Now, with the addition of Citrix’s GoToMeeting capabilities, Skype will enable rich and interactive screen sharing, whereby meeting hosts can easily walk through, annotate, and highlight whatever they would like to show on their computer screen.

GoToMeeting, an intuitive, real-time Web conferencing service, helps organizations in reducing travel costs and increasing productivity by enabling connections for people to meet with almost anyone, anywhere.

"Web and audio conferencing has been among the top requested features by our business users,” says David Gurlé, vice president and general manager of Skype Enterprise, in a press release. “This represents a significant step toward broadening our enterprise offerings, while adding features that will enable business people to collaborate even more efficiently and effectively."

"GoToMeeting is used by millions of people around the world, which is testament to our unrelenting focus on ease of use and delivering a superior customer experience," said Brett Caine, senior vice president and general manager of Citrix's Online Services Division, in a press release. "Teaming with Skype further extends our high quality capabilities, enhancing the collaboration experience for business users and workshifters everywhere."

Towards the end of the year, the new Skype-based Web conferencing and audio features for business are expected to be available.

In other industry news, RHUB (News - Alert) Communications, Inc., a real-time collaboration appliances provider, released the latest upgrade in its flagship line of Web conferencing remote support appliance, TurboMeeting. Founded in February 2005, RHUB launched with the idea to eliminate the need for external subscription-based Web communication services and to move all of those capabilities into an on-premise device. RHUB’s TurboMeeting line is just that, a hardware-based solution that acts like a server for the applications that enable conferencing, remote control and other peer-to-peer or one-to-many connections.

(source: http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/conference-call/articles/151883-skype-partners-with-citrix-web-audio-conference-call.htm)