MTS Link Platform for Business Communications and Collaboration

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MTS Link is a single platform for business communications and collaboration.

2024

Implementation of the "Commands" functionality

Webinar Technology"" implemented the functionality of the "Team" in the MTS Link Chat service. The developer announced this on November 5, 2024. The solution will allow you to structure business communication in companies by creating separate digital spaces for different departments, business units or projects. According to MTS Link calculations, the function is needed by more than 70% of medium and large the Russian companies - organizations that had experience working with teams Microsoft Teams in and expect a similar product on the market. RUSSIAN FEDERATION

This functionality allows you to create separate digital spaces for user groups combined by common tasks. Teams can reflect the structure of the organization, corresponding to departments and business units, or be created for specific projects. The teams will become the basis of the concept of business communication, which the Chat developers from MTS Link plan to develop in their product.

Administrators of the corporate messenger will be able to distribute employees by team, while one employee can be in several teams. Thus, if an employee needs to participate in discussions on their functional area (for example, Product Managers), business unit (for example, Chats), and project (for example, Launch New Functionality) at the same time, the administrator will add it to all three commands.

Next, administrators will be able to link channels and chats to commands - both new discussions and existing ones in the organization are suitable for this. It is possible to create private channels that are not available to employees outside the team. For each command, administrators will be able to configure rights and design (cover, profile photo). The assembled command can be mentioned through a group tag.

Unlike Western messengers, MTS Link Chats also implemented end-to-end channels for several teams. For example, to discuss a project in which development, marketing, and design departments are involved, you can create a channel linked to all three teams.

The ability to reflect the organizational structure of the company in Chats was one of the top 3 user requests, this tool was expected by more than 50% of our clients in the medium and large business segment. We prioritized the development of functionality, since there were practically no solutions on the Russian market that allow us to organize work in the corporate messenger in the usual way. We will continue to empower the Teams to be applicable in a wide variety of collaboration scenarios in the future. In particular, we plan to integrate them with file storage - this will simplify the search for documents by topic and privacy settings. We also plan to introduce guest access to the messenger to create common teams with customers and partners, - said Andrey Luchitsky, head of the MTS Link Chaty product.

Connection of the "Commands" functionality in the desktop application and the web version of Chats from MTS Link is already available on request to the technical support service. In the mobile version of the application, the functionality will be launched within a month.

Integration with P7-Office

Webinar Technology"" October 30, 2024 announced integration with an office suite. P7 Office Link users MTS can now create and edit documents, tables and presentations directly in the online meeting window or in their personal account. You will not need to install the desktop version of the P7-Office separately.

Integration was made possible thanks to the cooperation of MTS Link and. cloudy provider Cloud Computing Functionality is provided according to software the "as a service" SaaS model (-model) from the Cloud Library; the cloud provider provides its computing and network infrastructure for the project, as well as is responsible for system maintenance and assistance to users.

Users will be able to create and edit files during online appointments without switching to other tabs. Editing the document is available to all participants in the meeting window. At the same time, the owner of the file does not need to show the screen: thus, during collaboration, he can do other tasks - this will not hurt the rest. The document is automatically saved in the file storage of MTS Link, in addition, it can be downloaded to the computer in any convenient format (for example docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf and others).

You can also create a P7-Office document from MTS Link's personal account and without an online meeting. To do this, just go to the MTS Link cloud storage and select the desired file type: document, table or presentation. The created file can be edited either independently or with colleagues.

The tool will be useful for companies that switch from foreign office software to Russian or have already abandoned the use of foreign cloud services, following corporate policies. Now, to work with documents, tables and presentations of P7-Office, corporate users of MTS Link do not need to additionally install other software.

The added capabilities are still under testing and are connected on request to the MTS Link technical support service.

We strive to ensure that the MTS Link ecosystem closes as many collaboration scenarios as possible and becomes a "single window" for all types of business communications. Integration with the P7 Office on the SaaS model from Oblakotek is an important step towards achieving this goal. We also hope that this tool will remove some of the concerns about import substitution of office software from our customers. Access to editing P7-Office files will be useful, in particular, at online team planning meetings, during brainstorming sessions, demos and retro in the Scrum methodology, - said Alexander Afanasyev, head of the MTS Activation product department.

Integration of P7-Office with the MTS Link platform provides users with a cloud version of our office suite, which has all the functionality of the desktop version. We are glad that now a large audience of MTS Link will be able to work with documents in a convenient mode, without the need to install additional software. This will allow users to effectively organize collaboration and save time by creating and editing files literally live, "said Evgeny Shelkovnikov, General Director of R7 JSC.

ALD Pro Compatibility

Webinar Technologies and Astra Group have confirmed the compatibility of MTS Link services with the domestic directory service for LinuxALD Pro. Integration makes it easier for customers to manage their IT resources. The company was informed about this on October 11, 2024.

The developers conducted a series of tests of the compatibility of ALD Pro with the cloud and server versions of MTS Link. The reliability and operability of the software stack is confirmed by a certificate issued as part of the Ready for Astra IT manufacturers' cooperation program.

Integration of MTS Link with ALD Pro will simplify the work of system administrators due to the flexibility of configuration, the use of a system approach to administration and resource optimization and will allow employees to use their domain accounts for authentication in MTS Link. With integration, customers can improve overall security by authorizing user access based on information from a centralized directory service.

Automation of processes within companies becomes critical to maintaining competitiveness and improving efficiency. Astra Group offers a solution that creates a single point of management for all customer IT resources. In 2023, we tested and confirmed the compatibility of the MTS Link platform and the Astra Linux Special Edition operating system. Integration with ALD Pro is the next joint step towards creating a completely import-independent and secure stack of solutions for business, "said Vladimir Karpenko, Head of Enterprise MTS Link.

ALD Pro Directory Service is a centralized management system for accounts and other domain objects that provides a single entry point. Initially, when creating it, we focused on the open, software FreeIPA while during the work we implemented many improvements that are relevant specifically for Russian users: hierarchy of structural divisions, centralized configuration of workplaces through the group policy mechanism, etc. It is worth noting that the maximum benefit of introducing a directory service is achieved when it is integrated with corporate applications and services, so the ALD Pro team makes a lot of efforts to expand the ecosystem of compatible applications, "added Evgeny Pautov, director of server software development at Astra Group.

Audience growth 30 times per year

"Webinar Technologies" October 9, 2024 shared business results and statistics of the use of the Board service for the year since its acquisition. During this period, more than 30 updates were released with additional features for business. The audience of the service from January to September 2024 has grown 30 times.

In the year since the conclusion of the transaction on the acquisition of the Jespo service by Webinar Technologies, the solution has been scaled up and transformed in accordance with the key needs of large business, becoming an integral part of the MTS Link unified communications platform. After rebranding in October 2023, the service acquired the Board name.

In August 2024, Miro itself notified users of leaving the Russian market. After the release of this news, many Russian vendors launched or announced their own analogues. New products are being launched by both start-ups and major ecosystem players. Our service appeared at the end of 2022, and from 2023 we are developing it within the framework of the MTS Link platform. During this time, we studied customer requests and implemented all the necessary functions for collaboration and creativity on the online board. In addition, we have implemented a number of capabilities necessary for big business: administration, logging user actions, integration with Meetings, SSO login. According to our forecasts, thanks to the maturity and functionality of our product, within three years we will be able to achieve a market share of 30% among corporate customers in Russia, - said Alexander Bogatov, head of the Board product from MTS Link.

The audience of the Board service from January to September 2024 has grown 30 times. As of October 2024, most of the users of the Boards (37%) are IT professionals, including developers, product and project managers, analysts, as well as specialists in the field of Agile and Scrum. In second place in terms of the share of users (23%) are specialists responsible for internal training, including coaches and employees of corporate universities. The third place (4% of the user base) is shared by marketers and designers (including UX).

Templates were added to the service for all common online board collaboration scenarios, including planning, brainstorming, roadmapping, and conducting CustDev research. The most popular template was retrospective (a template for analyzing project results). Daily work in the service has become more comfortable thanks to functions such as searching by words on the board, adding clickable links, searching by board name. Also, new widgets have appeared in the services, for example, mine cards, tables and cards.

Responding to big business requests, the developers pay special attention to service security, convenient administration and integration with other elements of the MTS Link ecosystem. The "Organization" section is available in the Boards, which allows you to appoint an administrator from the customer company. The administrator receives the rights to create commands and manage user rights from his company. Logging of user actions is also implemented. The Boards service is integrated with the solutions of Meetings and Webinars from MTS Link: joint work on online boards is available directly in the meeting window or webinar without the need to re-enter the login and password - in MTS Link solutions, an SSO entry is available.

The visualization tool is an important part of planning, execution control, and other workflows. Among the major initiatives that we implemented in the Boards from MTS Link are the holding of a facilitation session for remote employees and the organization of a series of strategic sessions for five teams developing the division in X5 Tech, which I lead. I would like to note the technological maturity and great progress of the service, which allows you to visualize and track progress, as well as implement a variety of professional scenarios through convenient widgets and useful templates, - said Alexander Lukinykh, head of the centralized monitoring department of X5 Group.

"Co-pilot" function

"Webinar Technologies" on September 10, 2024 presented the "co-pilot" function based on artificial intelligence (AI). The assistant can remind you of the results of past online meetings, find the necessary records, compile summaries of information on a certain topic, and also highlight key points of discussion in chats.

The request to AI assistant MTS Link can be formulated in free form, as when accessing any other GPT assistant. For example, at the request of "What decisions were made at my meetings last week?" he will give a brief overview of all agreements.

Answers are compiled on the basis of all online events at which the user was present and where automatic decryption was enabled. According to MTS Link, for every hundred online business meetings there are about thirty views of their records. At the same time, on average, managers are present at 3-5 meetings a day. The AI assistant will help reduce the number of views of records, which will increase the time to focus on important tasks.

In the corporate messenger MTS Link Chats, the AI assistant reduces the time spent reading long correspondence. Artificial intelligence highlights the key points of discussion in the threads and forms the results with the main theses. The results are published by a separate post at the end of the correspondence, only the user who requested them sees them. The AI assistant spends an average of 1-5 seconds creating the results. The function will be especially useful at times when the employee returns to chats after a long absence - for example, vacation, business trip or sick leave.

AI assistant in MTS Link Chat is already available to all users, in MTS Link Meetings - upon request to the technical support service. In the future, the set of scenarios for using the AI assistant will expand. For example, he will be able to suggest which of his colleagues should contact a certain question, based on an analysis of meetings of all employees of the company.

Russian companies are not only actively switching to Russian solutions for online communications, but also expect functions from them to increase employee productivity and save the most valuable non-renewable resource - time. We conducted a number of studies that confirmed the demand for the AI assistant, helped determine the main scenarios for its use and build the logic of the neural network model. For example, 32% of respondents noted that they never read missed threads after vacation, and 56% noted the wow effect of the ability to instantly single out the main thing from chats. We continue to study market requests and plan to introduce artificial intelligence into all elements of the MTS Link ecosystem, - said Dmitry Kryukov, head of MTS Link hybrid communications.

Optimization of projects import from Miro to MTS Link Boards service

Webinar Technologies has optimized the import of projects from Miro into its own service MTS Link Boards. The company announced this on August 21, 2024. The product has improved import performance and added a search for Miro projects. The steps were taken in connection with increased user demand after Miro announced the disconnection of accounts in Russia and Belarus from September 12, 2024.

In the week after the notification, the developers improved the quality of the imported images, increased the speed of import, and also added a search by the name of Miro projects. This feature will help users who have many Miro boards save the necessary projects faster. To transfer, it will be enough to click on the "Import Miro" button on the main page of the service, enter the name of the Miro board in the search bar and select the desired project. You can import up to three boards at a time. It supports the transfer of stickers, shapes, arrows, text, frames and different types of images.

After the news of the Miro shutdown, the number of active users of our service per day (DAU) has grown sixfold, and importing from Miro has become the most used feature. For August 2024, we are devoting all the resources of the team to improving the productivity of imports so that customers do not lose the boards in which they put so much effort. I am sure that in MTS Link Boards they will not only continue to work on old projects, but will also create new ones, assessing the advantages of our solution: integration with online meetings, convenient widgets and templates, a simple and bright interface and round-the-clock technical support, - said the head of the MTS Link Boards product Ivan Bogatov.

Desktop application "MTS Link Chats" for Linux

Webinar Technologies, a Russian company developing an ecosystem of services for business communications and collaboration MTS Link, on August 15, 2024 presented the MTS Link Chat desktop application for Linux, as well as the server version of the messenger.

Now the desktop application of the corporate messenger MTS Link Chats is available to users, and operating systems MacOS Windows Linux. The Linux application is optimized for common among programmers system administrators, but operating system Ubuntu it can work on other Linux systems, for example, and. Astra Linux RED OS Chats Mobile application , as before, are available to users and. iOS Android

Companies with special requirements for information security and data storage can now deploy MTS Link Chats on their own servers. You can test the server version at the request of MTS Link technical support service.

"Chats are a young product: we launched it in April 2024, and today more than 50 thousand employees of different companies use it. It's time to offer new installation options for MTS Link Chat. 90% of large clients were waiting for the server version, and among users the request for the Linux version was one of the most popular. We are glad that now the advantages of our messenger will be able to appreciate companies with a wide variety of IT infrastructure, "says Andrey Luchitsky, head of the Chat product from MTS Link.

MTS Link Chats is a corporate messenger for the entire company. With it, you can correspond with colleagues, share files, hold online calls and meetings, as well as create channels for departments, projects and tasks. To increase the productivity of teams in Chats, a function based on artificial intelligence (AI) is being prepared for launch: an AI assistant will be able to analyze the content of volumetric correspondence and form their summaries with conclusions and agreements. Chats are part of the MTS Link ecosystem, which also includes services for holding online meetings and webinars, creating courses and working together in online boards.

Integration with ID.Trusted.Net and Keycloak

Webinar Technology"" MTS Link, a developer of a platform for business communications and collaboration, announced on August 5, 2024 integration with two solutions for implementing single user login (SSO) with access control - ID.Trusted.Net and Keycloak. ID.Trusted.Net solution was developed by LLC Digital technologies"."

Integration optimizes the process of configuring access to MTS Link products for those customers who use ID.Trusted.Net or Keycloak in their work. Both solutions minimize the likelihood of data leakage and greatly simplify the authentication procedure. The introduction of these technologies will allow companies to centrally manage employee access to various services. This is especially important for organizations with large numbers of users, where account management can be challenging.

As a developer, we pay a lot of attention to the issue of information security. For example, since 2024, our company supports all common authentication protocols through SSO: SAML, LDAP and OAuth 2.0. The integration of our services with ID Trusted Net and Keycloak is also aimed primarily at ensuring the safety of our customers' data. Companies receive a centralized and reliable mechanism for user authentication, and their employees - simplified access to our services, - said Vladimir Karpenko, head of Enterprise MTS Link.

In modern conditions import substitution software , the choice of proven domestic products becomes the primary task for companies where high demand is required. information protection ID.Trusted.Net is a Russian development that provides single entry of employees into all information systems using one. password The simplicity and usability hides a reliable infrastructure based on the transfer of data from such trusted systems as OpenID ALD Pro Active Directory 1C Connect, OAuth 2.0 and LDAP protocols, - said the director of Digital Technologies. Mikhail Gerasimov

The MTS Link ecosystem for August 2024 includes six products: Meetings, Webinars, Courses, Boards, Chats and services for hybrid and online COMDI events. In the complex, they help companies implement all types of business communications online.

Integration with the national Open Education platform

Webinar Technologies and the Open Education national platform announced the integration of services on July 23, 2024. The country's leading universities will now be able to include modules in their public courses with webinars, practical online classes and other formats involving direct interaction between the teacher and the student.

Previously, the Open Education platform allowed only finished materials to be included in the courses. If the authors of the program considered it necessary to supplement it with a webinar or an online meeting with a teacher, they had to organize such events in third-party services. Now, thanks to integration with MTS Link, teachers can conduct any online classes directly on the Open Education platform. You will not need to go to neighboring tabs or to MTS Link's personal account. Integration is aimed at simplifying the organization of the educational process and creating an effective and convenient educational environment.

Our goal is to simplify access to education and make the learning process as convenient as possible for all participants. Previously, on the Open Education platform, teachers and listeners had to switch to third-party platforms for online broadcasting of lectures and webinars and there was no way to organize a hybrid learning format. Integration with MTS Link helps solve these problems and makes it possible to launch new educational products on the Open Education platform in the near future, such as individual webinars outside online courses, as well as online masters, "said Dmitry Yushin, director of the National Open Education Platform Association.

{{quote 'The field of education remains one of the priorities in the work of our company. More than 200 leading Russian universities use MTS Link, including for the organization of hybrid forms of training. We are confident that integration with the national platform "Open Education" will simplify interaction between students and teachers and make it more interactive and effective, - said Olga Artemenko, head of the department for working with the educational segment of MTS Link. }}

Integration with Exolve MTS

Webinar Technologies, MTS Link, a platform developer for business communications and collaboration, and MTS Exolve, a developer of communication services for business, jointly implemented the ability to connect to MTS Link video conferencing using a telephone call. The feature will help users with poor Internet connections stay in touch with their colleagues. MTS Exolve announced this on July 11, 2024. Read more here.

Termit Compatibility

Webinar Technologies and Orion soft tested the compatibility of the terminal access system Term and MTS Link services. Orion soft announced this on June 18, 2024. More here.

Complete customization for blind and visually impaired users

MTS, a digital ecosystem, on June 17, 2024 announced the completion of the adaptation of the MTS Link service interface for blind and visually impaired users. MTS Link applications for PC, Android and iOS, as well as the browser version of the platform are integrated with screen access programs.

Blind and visually impaired users can now use system screen readers during online events and correspondence in MTS Link services. On the PC, Narrator mode is responsible for voicing text on the screen, VoiceOver on iOS, and TalkBack on Android. When these modes are enabled, all interface elements of the MTS Link application are read out, allowing blind and visually impaired users to perceive them by ear. The compliance of MTS Link with the requirements of users with visual restrictions is confirmed by an entry in the register of Russian software.

MTS Link was helped with testing by partners - the Co-Unity Deaf-Blind Support Fund. Blind specialists of the foundation tested the dubbing of applications and their work through the braille display and confirmed that both options function correctly. They also noted that screen access programs perceive the text well in the chat rooms of MTS Link meetings and webinars. Thus, when conducting online events with the participation of blind people, the organizers do not need to start chats in third-party messengers in parallel, which they encountered earlier when using other VKS services.

We at MTS Link believe that high-quality online communications should be available to absolutely everyone. That is why we pay a lot of attention to the inclusivity of our services. Integration with screen access programs may remain invisible to most of our users, but it will make video conferencing and webinars more convenient for thousands of visually impaired and blind people. We are grateful to our partners from the Co-Unity Foundation for their involvement: their feedback will help us work in the future to improve the user experience of people with visual impairments, - said Alexander Brovko, MTS Product Director.

It is important for people with disabilities to be independent: respond to messages on social networks, work confidently on a computer, search for information on the Internet. MTS Link application is a product available to blind and deaf-blind people on a computer and in the mobile version for work and communication: you can hold online meetings, meetings, webinars, etc. There are certain features that you need to get used to, study them, but in general, the MTS Link application is available to blind people for full use, - said Olga Kudryavtseva, head of the Regional Development program of the Co-Unity Foundation.

Inclusion of MTS Link Courses in the register of domestic software

On May 27, 2024, Webinar Technologies announced the inclusion of the MTS Link Courses service in the unified register of domestic software. The service is registered in the category "Software for solving industry problems in the field of education."

Now customers can save up to 20% of the cost of a software product: in accordance with the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, operations to provide licenses for solutions included in the unified register of domestic software are not subject to VAT. In addition, companies receive additional guarantees of the reliability and long-term nature of the transaction: products from the registry will not leave the domestic market suddenly, forcing users to urgently look for alternatives. Currently, many organizations cooperate only with suppliers whose programs are included in the register of domestic software.

MTS Link Courses is a platform for creating online courses and organizing training. The solution allows you to automate training and launch more educational products in a short time. The courses are already the second Webinar Technologies program included in the register.

Learning solutions have always been the most important area for us as a developer: the webinar platform laid the foundation for our ecosystem, and the Courses service (formerly We.Study) has existed since 2018. Courses are an excellent tool that is suitable for organizing training for both commercial companies and educational institutions. Registration in the register of domestic software is an important stage in the development of the product. We are confident that it will help strengthen market confidence and provide additional advantages for our clients, - said Vladimir Kazakov, product manager of the Training business unit of MTS Link.

Meeting VideoLight Feature View

Webinar Technology"," the developer of the MTS Link platform on May 22, 2024 introduced the function of meeting video clips.

Thanks to video conversations, users will be able to save time to study video recordings of meetings. Artificial intelligence will highlight the key points of discussion and form a short clip with the main theses. The summary of the hour-long meeting will be available in just a few minutes.

Video conversations will complement other AI-based tools that appeared in MTS Link earlier: automatic summing up of the meeting, text decoding, sammarization of chats. Thanks to AI functions, users will be able to attend fewer meetings of an informational nature: instead of them, it will be enough to read the sammari and view video conversations. The time to focus on important tasks will increase. In addition, users will be able to return to their previous meetings at any time to remember important moments.

According to MTS Link, 93% of users are faced with the need to watch missed meetings. On average, such a need occurs 3-4 times a month, but a significant proportion of users watch recordings several times a week. To build the logic of the AI model, MTS Link specialists conducted a series of interviews and found out that the majority of respondents consider the announcement of the meeting agenda and its results to be the main points. Further, the developers marked about 200 transcripts of internal meetings of MTS Link and based on them trained the neural network.

Services for business communications have long been not limited to the functionality of calls and correspondence. Companies expect functions from them to increase employee productivity and improve time management. Artificial intelligence helps respond to this request. That is why we include many AI functions in our roadmap and invest resources in their development. The next step is the introduction of synchronous decoding of meetings and summaries for late, - said Dmitry Kryukov, head of MTS Link hybrid communications.

The video call function of the meeting is available upon request to MTS Link technical support service.

Adding beautification and smart zoom

"Webinar Technologies" presented additional functions in MTS Link based on artificial intelligence - beautification and smart zoom. The company announced this on May 15, 2024.

The beautification feature will help users not to worry about their appearance during online meetings. Machine learning-based algorithms brighten and flatten skin color slightly, as well as smoothing out its small defects.

Thanks to smart zoom, meeting participants will always be able to stay in the center of the frame. The camera automatically focuses on the face and brings it closer if the user deviates from the camera or moves to the edge of its view.

Each of the functions can be enabled with one click right during the meeting. Functionality connection is available on request to MTS Link technical support.

MTS Link has been actively introducing artificial intelligence into its solutions since 2023. For May 2024, users have access to text decoding and automatic summing up of meetings, AI noise cancellation, blurring and background replacement. And MTS Link Chats became the first Russian corporate messenger with an AI assistant that generates a summary of long correspondence.

Hybrid and online work formats define new employee requirements for their own appearance. It is as important to look presentable at online conferences as at face-to-face business meetings. We strive to make communication on our platform as comfortable as possible, so we have implemented functions that will help users look better and feel more confident in the frame. We hope that this update will positively affect the outcome of many responsible events, - said Dmitry Kryukov, head of MTS Link hybrid communications.

The ability to manage access to meeting records and limit it to company employees only

Webinar Technologies has released an updated version of the on-premium solution. Additional functions and settings are available to users who have deployed MTS Link services on their own servers. The developer announced this on May 7, 2024.

For example, organizers can now control access to meeting records and restrict it to company employees only. At the same time, it remains possible to share records with external users. In addition, in your personal account, you can select the default access settings. In this case, meeting participants will have the same access to all records.

MTS Link also expanded the settings of the "Organization" section for users of the on-premium version. They can now create individual employee groups and set up access for these groups. For example, the training department needs to upload files to the MTS Link repository, and HR specialists do not need this opportunity, but they must record meetings with candidates. The administrator will be able to assign the employee groups exactly the rights they need. Separately, the developer provided for the ability to establish rights for all employees of the organization, including new ones.

The server solution has also changed the "waiting room" function for repeated meetings. The "waiting room" allows the organizer of the meeting to confirm the entrance of each participant and not to let outsiders into the meeting. Previously, in regular meetings, the "waiting room" worked only when the user was first connected. Now moderation must take place every time you connect.

For users of the on-premium version of MTS Link, a connection through a desktop and mobile application is still available. In addition, the server version provides features such as a timer at events, participant limits on webinars, the ability to rename participants, control the event chat, share the rights of participants to download and demonstrate files, control the microphone and camera in an unlocked video, and sound check before and during the meeting.

MTS Link constantly improves both versions of its services, cloud and on-premium. It is very important for us to provide users with the most convenient and modern functionality. The server solution is suitable for companies with specific storage requirements. It allows you to fully control the processing of confidential information, and the operation of the platform does not depend on the Internet connection. MTS Link plans to further develop its services so that they fully meet the needs of users, - said Vladimir Karpenko, Senior Product Manager of MTS Link.

Launch of MTS Link Chats

Webinar Technologies, a Russian company developing a platform for business communications and joint work MTS Link, on April 23, 2024 announced the public release of the MTS Link Chaty corporate messenger. Beta testing of the product is complete and it is now available to all companies.

Beta testing of the messenger started in November 2023. By the time of launch, 113 large companies had tested the solution. Several companies, including MTS Link, have completely switched to Chats from other messengers.

For April 2024, all basic functions necessary for large businesses for constant business communication with colleagues are available in Chats. Among them are personal and group chats, channels, threads, the ability to edit sent messages and respond to them using emoji. Users can create their profiles and change statuses, share files, easily find employees in the company's address book, search messages, and turn push notifications on and off. Administrators can access the Organization section, where they can create a workspace for user interaction, manage access, and manage settings.

In addition, in the near future, the developers will add functions that are not yet familiar to most Russian users to the product. Among them is an AI assistant who can generate a summary of long correspondence and free users from reading hundreds of messages. There will also be new scenarios for team interaction and "tracks" - temporary chats that users can create for specific tasks.

Chats are part of the MTS Link UCaaS platform, so the developers pay close attention to integration with other elements of the ecosystem. All users of the messenger can make private and group calls directly from its interface. The requirements of big business are taken into account, for example, users of MTS Link solutions have access to the messenger via SSO (single sign-on technology). By the end of 2024, a number of new features will be introduced, such as integration with SIEM systems and Active Directory. Companies will also be able to deploy the solution on their own servers (on-premium).

In addition, the product team plans to implement integration with the MTS Link Boards service.

Work on the messenger began with the creation of the concept of an online space that contributes to productivity in any team. When developing it, we not only studied all existing solutions and user experience, but also conducted a series of interviews with business representatives, learned about their needs. We keep in touch with our target audience at all stages with each service update, this seriously helps in the development of the product. We plan to expand the functionality of Chats in such a way as to set the standard for business communication in Russian companies, - said Andrey Luchitsky, head of the MTS Link Chats product.

Commercial availability of Link Rooms module

"Webinar Technologies" on March 13, 2024 announced the commercial availability of the Link Rooms module - software and equipment for meeting rooms. The Rooms link is suitable for companies with distributed teams that need to hold meetings in a hybrid format. The first user of the solution was the FinTech Association.

Launch of integration marketplace and course showcase for corporate users

Webinar Technology"" On March 7, 2024, announced the launch of an integration marketplace for corporate customers. And users of the Courses service from MTS Link have the opportunity to create course displays. The developer announced this on March 7, 2024.

The integration marketplace is a special section of MTS Link, available at tariffs with API. Now administrators in companies will be able to configure the integration of MTS Link with third-party services without the help of programmers. For example, ready-made integration with Tilda's site designer will allow you to collect registrations for events on landings created with its help. The lists of participants will not need to be separately uploaded to the MTS Link platform. And thanks to integration with Telegram, companies will be able to launch a bot that will notify customers about upcoming events, and their participants about changing the time of meetings and webinars. The marketplace will be constantly replenished with new integrations.

The developers also improved their work with the Courses service, a solution for creating online courses and organizing training. Now you can create a showcase on the platform - a catalog of public and open courses of the organization, which all employees will have access to. Courses are displayed in the user's personal account in the form of cards that contain the main information about the course: the name, the number of registered and active participants and other useful data. The cards are divided into three tabs: "I lead" - courses in which the user is the author or moderator are displayed here, "I pass" - for courses that the user takes himself, and "Organization courses" - a common showcase where all courses available to employees of the organization are collected. Any employee will be able to independently select the current topic on the third tab and sign up for the course.

We at MTS Link strive to create solutions that free up the time of specialists, saving them from routine tasks. An example is our functions based on artificial intelligence: automatic decryption and summing up of meetings. New tools also serve to optimize processes. Thus, the marketplace saves IT departments time to configure integrations; the integrations themselves reduce the time spent by marketers, analysts, and event organizers. And the showcase of courses significantly improves the experience of users undergoing training within the company, - said Ekaterina Pichelatova, head of the MTS product marketing group Link.

Ability to automatically receive a summary of the event

The MTS-digital ecosystem on February 15, 2024 announced the launch of an additional function based on artificial intelligence by the MTS Link business communications and collaboration platform. Now participants in online meetings and webinars immediately after their end automatically receive a summary of the event and can share them with one click.

MTS platform developer Link "Webinar Technologies" emphasized that the function is built into the solution interface, that is, integration with third-party applications is not required.

In addition to the results, users have access to automatic text transcription of meetings - to return to a certain moment, you do not need to revise the video. In text decryption, it is possible to search by keywords and automatically switch to the appropriate video moment.

This function of summing up meetings based on AI makes the use of the MTS Link platform even more convenient and increases the efficiency of user teams. Now it is not necessary to fix the main points and draw up a protocol, this will make AI for you. It will be possible to refresh the results of the meeting in 5 minutes instead of an hour that could go to watch the video, "said Marat Shakirov, director of MTS in Tatarstan.

Integration with Softline Universe

On February 8, 2024, Softline Group of Companies (PJSC Softline) announced the inclusion of MTS Link, an ecosystem of services for business communications and collaboration, in Softline Universe. Thanks to this integration, Softline Group of companies customers will have access to a platform that provides coordinated communication between users online. Read more here.

Start automatic generation of action results

Webinar Technologies, a Russian company developing a platform for business communications and joint work MTS Link, launched a function based on artificial intelligence on February 1, 2024 - automatic results of events.

Now participants of meetings and webinars on the MTS Link platform receive an automatically generated summary of the event immediately after its end. To share the results with colleagues, one click is enough. The developer emphasizes that the function is built into the platform interface, that is, integration with third-party applications is not required.

In addition to the results, users have access to automatic text transcription of meetings - to return to a certain moment, you do not need to revise the video. In text decryption, it is possible to search by keywords and automatically switch to the appropriate video moment.

We are convinced that AI makes team collaboration more efficient. With the added features, our customers can, for example, free up the secretary who used to have to attend a meeting and record highlights manually. Or refresh in memory the results of the meeting in 5 minutes instead of an hour that could go to view the recording. Our developers do not plan to stop. In the future, AI will be able to help MTS Link users capture the content of meetings they are late for, look better in the frame and recognize gestures, "said Dmitry Kryukov, head of MTS Link hybrid communications.

Add interaction scenarios for translators, speakers, and webinar participants

"Webinar Technologies" on January 18, 2024 presented an updated logic of simultaneous translation during online events. Additional scenarios for interaction between translators, speakers and webinar participants have been introduced.

Translators have more options during online events. conveniently, they approached offline conferences. For example, now speakers do not need to choose the language of the speech, as it was before. As of January 2024, the language spoken by this or that speaker is determined in the service by translators, going on the air at the right time for translation. If the speaker during his speech goes, for example, to, the English translator simply brings it to the air, and when the translation is required again, returns to the air.

By default, simultaneous interpreters hear only speakers during translation, but now, if necessary, they can hear other translators. This is useful for cases where there is no translator at the event for the desired language pair. For example, you need to translate the speech of the Chinese speaker into Russian, and there is only a translator from Chinese to English and from English to Chinese.

In addition, participants and speakers can now hear not only the translation, but also 20% of the volume of the original speech, if necessary.

{{quote 'Among our clients there are many universities and large organizations that hold international conferences, symposia and presentations. Such events rarely do without simultaneous translation, and therefore improving this tool has become a priority for us. When developing new opportunities, we focused on the experience of market leaders. MTS Link simultaneous translation now meets recognized international standards and is not inferior in quality to the level offered by manufacturers of professional equipment for the distribution of language channels, - said Alexander Afanasyev, Head of MTS Activation Product Department. }}

2023

Hosting 5 million online events

Webinar Technologies on December 27, 2023 shared statistics on the use of its services in 2023.

Over the year, 5 million online events took place on the MTS Link platform - 2.7 times more than in 2022. 436 thousand of them passed on the weekend. MTS Link registered 1.7 million new users, a total of 30 million people took part in events in MTS Link services. 410.8 thousand users themselves became the organizers of webinars and meetings.

The average number of participants in one webinar on the MTS Link platform is 19 people. The format of the meetings implies a smaller number of attendees: the average number of participants in the meeting is 4 people. Most webinars are held on Tuesdays, the most popular day for meetings is Wednesday.

The MTS Link team also shared records on the use of services. At one of the webinars, the participants asked the hosts 12 thousand questions, on the other - wrote 17 thousand messages in the chat. Users were involved in communication with each other and with speakers: the largest number of reactions during one event is 26 thousand; participants in one of the meetings "raised their hands" 3048 times. The most active user spent a total of 43 days at online meetings.

MTS Link services are actively used even on New Year's holidays. So, on January 1, 2023, 249 meetings and 73 webinars were held, and on December 31, 2022 - 422 meetings and 178 webinars. Most online events during the holidays are held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in third place is Krasnodar. With the first working day, activity multiples: on January 9, 2023, 4347 meetings and 1910 webinars took place.

2023 was a period of large-scale changes for MTS Link. We implemented many platform updates, rebranded and released several new solutions at once - Link Boards interactive collaboration board, Link Rooms meeting room module and Link Chat corporate messenger, which is in beta testing for December 2023. The MTS Link platform helps millions of people gain new knowledge, and companies - build high-quality business processes online. Our calculations showed that users appreciate our contribution. We are confident that in a year we will be able to demonstrate even more impressive numbers, - said Ekaterina Pichelatova, head of the MTS Link product marketing group.

Red OS Compatibility

Webinar Technologies and RED SOFTWARE tested and confirmed the compatibility of IT products - MTS Link services and the RED OS operating system. The test result is confirmed in a two-sided certificate. Red Soft announced this on December 25, 2023.

The full functionality of the web version and the MTS Link desktop application is now available to RED OS users. A compatible software stack of developers will replace foreign software for corporate communications, including at critical infrastructure facilities, and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

Large business is increasingly preferring Russian operating systems. It is important for us that their users get access to all the advantages of our solutions, without failures and restrictions. We hope that thanks to the compatibility of MTS Link and RED OS, business communications in Russian companies will become even better and more efficient, - said Vladimir Karpenko, senior product manager of MTS Link.

The technological partnership of developers is an important step towards import dependence of Russian business. It is important for companies to get ready-made solutions that allow them to comprehensively approach the construction of a new IT infrastructure. That is why we pay a lot of attention to the compatibility of our operating system with key digital services for business, including with MTS Link. I am sure that users will appreciate the convenience of our software, - said Rustam Rustamov, Deputy General Director of RED SOFT.

Enhance your organization's configuration management capabilities

Webinar Technologies, a Russian company developing a platform for business communications and joint work MTS Link, has expanded the capabilities of managing the organization's settings. Now companies can more effectively use tariffs, company officials said on November 29, 2023.

The "Organization" section is a way to combine several accounts on the MTS Link platform into a single system available within the framework of business tariffs. Section administrators can now form and manage employee groups.

The functionality is useful for companies whose divisions use MTS Link for different purposes. For example, the marketing department needs to hold large-scale client events, HR needs to record interviews with candidates and share them with managers, and it is enough for the rest of the employees to hold operational meetings for several people. In this case, the administrator can create groups within the organization and set appropriate rights for each of them. Among the available settings are the ability to delete your appointments and download files from your computer, access to all events, files and contacts of the organization. Administrators can also create shared rights for employees who are not in any of the groups.

"Expanding the Organization section settings is a common request from our business customers, and we are very happy to launch this functionality. On the one hand, administrators will gain more control over data, which is important for information security; on the other hand, companies will be able to better distribute the possibilities of their tariff among employees and use the platform more efficiently. In future releases, we will make the settings even more flexible: administrators will be able to limit the number of participants in events and space in the file storage for a specific group, "said Alexander Afanasyev, head of the MTS Activation product department.

Adding Access Settings to the Boards Service

Webinar Technologies held a series of updates to the Board service. Access settings, a personal account with advanced administration capabilities, a "timer" tool have been added, and the interface has also been improved. The developer announced this on November 9, 2023.

My Account now allows users of Whiteboard to create commands and individual projects within commands. You can add boards within a project or within an entire team. In this case, you can move the board from one project to another or move it from the project to the team. Employees can join teams using email or via a link.

The developers of the Boards also paid attention to information security: several levels of access to the boards appeared. You can share the board with everyone who has a link, with the entire team, with participants in the same project or with a specific person. If necessary, the owner of the board can protect it with an additional password for those who want to join it via the link.

A tool - a timer - will help moderate the work of teams and monitor the time spent working with an interactive online board.

{{quote "A recent series of updates is aimed at making working with the Board service more convenient and secure. Another area of our development is integration with other elements of the MTS Link ecosystem. Online boards can already be used during events in the Meeting service, and by the end of 2023 we plan to add SSO entry to the Link Boards. Thus, users will be able to use one login and password for all MTS Link services and will spend less time switching between applications, and it will be easier for administrators to manage access, "said Ivan Bogatov, head of interactive online boards. }}

Start Link Rooms module

Webinar Technologies, a Russian company developing a platform for business communications and joint work MTS Link, on October 25, 2023 announced the launch of the Link Rooms module - software and equipment for meeting rooms.

The solution is suitable for replacing software (software) in meeting rooms where Yealink, Lenovo or Logitech equipment is already installed . The company also introduced hardware and software complexes based on Yealink equipment, which include displays, camera, soundbar, microphone, terminal, adapter for broadcasting content from wearable devices and pre-installed Link Rooms software. Such kits are designed for customers who equip meeting rooms from scratch.

Link Rooms is already integrated with all common office calendars - Microsoft Outlook, Google, MyOffice, CommuniGate and others. One-touch connection and control of online events using a touch display are implemented; it also displays the schedule of events. Link Rooms supports the simultaneous use of two displays: on one you can display content, on the other - show videos of online participants. In addition, the solution allows you to broadcast content from wearable devices (laptops, tablets and smartphones) - they connect to the module using HDMI or USB port.

Special attention is paid to protection against unauthorized access to settings. Link Rooms kits do not have other controls than the touchscreen, and the settings are opened only by the administrator password. An ordinary employee will not be able to change them.

"Hybrid communications are relevant for almost all industries, from education and medicine to logistics and retail. In many companies, only part of the state goes to the office, and the rest work remotely. Providing the environment for business communication and collaboration between remote and offline employees is the first priority, and solutions such as Link Rooms help to cope with it. In the future, we plan to expand the capabilities of the module: first of all, add an identifier connection and volume control from the touch display, "said Dmitry Kryukov, head of hybrid communications at MTS Link.

Composition of MTS Link platform

As of October 2023, the MTS Link business communications and collaboration platform includes the following services:

• Meetings (formerly Webinar Meetings) - a service for online meetings and meetings
• Webinars (formerly Webinar) - a platform for online learning and webinars
• Courses (formerly We.Study) - a platform for creating online courses and organizing training
• COMDI - services for hybrid and online events
• Chats (formerly We.Teams) - corporate messenger for the entire company (is at the testing stage)
• Whiteboards - Interactive Collaboration Whiteboard

Integration of all IT solutions under the MTS Link brand

Webinar Group, a Russian company developing a platform for business communications and collaboration (part of the MTS digital ecosystem), announced its rebranding on October 19, 2023. All IT solutions for business communication, previously included in the Webinar Group, will be combined under the UCaaS brand "MTS Link." The rebranding follows an update to the company's business strategy. Previously, Webinar Group announced the transition from developing individual solutions to creating a unified communications platform (UCaaS platforms), where all business communication services are available in a single interface. Read more here.

Integration of the Jespo online board with the Webinar platform

Webinar Group, a business communications and collaboration platform company (part of the digital MTS ecosystem), has completed a deal to buy Russian the Jespo service, which is an endless online collaboration board.

The service is already integrated with the Webinar platform: users have the opportunity to add interactive whiteboards to events, as well as register with Jespo directly from the meeting. To launch Jespo, you only need to register the owner of the board: all other participants can connect to it and instantly start working. Jespo connection is already available to Webinar users on demand. Read more here.

Compatibility of Webinar platform with Astra Linux Special Edition

Astra Group and Webinar Group entered into a partnership agreement, under which they tested and confirmed the compatibility of IT products. Now participation in meetings and webinars through the web version of the Webinar platform is carried out with the full preservation of all functionality running Astra Linux Special Edition. Astra Group announced this on September 14, 2023.

The compatibility of the Astra Linux operating system and the Webinar platform provides customers with an importo-independent stack of solutions for training, online communications and collaboration. Astra Linux users, regardless of geographic location, will be able to access a large range of platform tools: from chat with participants and sharing content to advanced analytics and statistics on online events. The Astra Linux operating system ensures the independence and security of critical services. With the partnership of companies, customers with special information security requirements will be able to get a complete solution

Cooperation with Webinar Group emphasizes our strategic goal in creating complex domestic solutions for customers, "said Dmitry Tarakanov, Director of the Department for the Development of Technological Cooperation. - We offer the market products that are not only competitive among foreign counterparts, but also contribute to the strengthening IT infrastructures the Russian of organizations.

{{quote 'Concern for the safety of an organization's data is more important than ever for big business. Astra Linux occupies a high position in the domestic operating systems market, and more and more companies are transferring their IT infrastructures to it, "said Vladimir Karpenko, head of the On-premium business unit and Meetings Webinar Group. - As a developer, it is important for us that the advantages of our platform are available to users of all key operating systems, devices and browsers. That is why ensuring compatibility with Astra Linux has become a priority for us. }}

Webinar Platform Integration with Multifactor

Webinar Group on September 12, 2023 introduced additional features of the Webinar platform aimed at strengthening information security. The updates are primarily addressed to the big business segment.

integration Webinar platforms and systems completed. MULTIFACTOR The companies "" and MULTIFACTOR Webinar Group have tested the compatibility and correctness of their products. Now corporate Webinar users will be able to configure for their employees two-factor authentication when entering the platform via SSO. So they will limit unauthorized access to videoconferences to and webinars. MULTIFACTOR does not request or store passwords users. The first factor (authentications login and password) can be account providers,,, Active Directory Google Yandex local MULTIFACTOR users (only) and other email external SAML account providers.

Companies will also now be able to protect against leaking recordings of their events. Thanks to this feature, meeting organizers on the Webinar platform will be able to choose who to grant access to the record to: only themselves, only employees of their organization or anyone with a link. The opportunity is especially useful for companies with increased privacy requirements. data

Another update will affect the organizers of webinars: now moderators will be able to better control the number of participants. This option allows you to limit the number of registrations to the event. Thus, more participants will not come to the webinar than the moderator expects. Also, thanks to the function, it will be possible to divide the flows of participants between regular identical events and not worry that tariff restrictions will not allow all registered listeners to enter the event.

Among our clients there are many representatives of the financial sector, healthcare organizations, universities and other companies that put forward strict requirements for information security. Our platform is reliably protected from DDoS attacks, uses encryption protocols; in addition, Webinar is a cloud service integrated with SIEM systems, "said Vladimir Karpenko, head of the On-premium and Meetings business unit at Webinar Group. - Recent updates further enhance user data protection. With the further development of the platform, we will continue to be guided by high safety standards.

Add Webinar platform integration with BFCP and OAuth 2.0 protocols

Webinar Group has added integration with BFCP and OAuth 2.0 protocols, webhooks support, Prezi integration and other useful updates to its services. These capabilities simplify integration with third-party services, improve the quality of presentations and hybrid events, and help secure user authentication. The company announced this on August 24, 2023.

Integration with OAuth 2.0 will make it easier for Google Workspace users to use the platform. Now they will get rid of the need to manually enter information to enter your personal account or online event. It will be enough for them to allow the platform to use a Google account. To run the function, the administrator will need to create an OAuth client on the Google Workspace side.

Participants in events organized using hardware video conferencing terminals in meeting rooms can now share presentations and other content using the BFCP (Binary Floor Control Protocol) protocol. This will significantly improve the experience of holding hybrid meetings, when some of the employees are present at the meeting in person, and others are connected via video communication. Webinar Group previously reported on platform integration with SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and support for Polycom, Cisco and Yealink video terminals. Integration with BFCP will help increase the use of this equipment. The function connects on request to technical support.

Prezi users will also be able to improve the display of content. Now the Webinar platform allows you to display Prezi presentations in the same way as in the Prezi Video application: the border between the speaker and the slide is erased, which creates a sense of augmented reality. At any time, you can expand the slide to the full screen or turn off its display, leaving only the video of the speaker.

One of the features of Webinar is integration with webhooks, program codes that can be used to track events on the platform and automatically launch actions on other services. For example, after completing online events using webhooks, you can:

• Automatically upload meeting participant databases to CRM systems
• automatically send test links to webinar participants;
• Upload notes from manager and customer meetings and automatically add them to cards in CRM.

You can now add up to 20 webhooks URLs on the Webinar platform.

The demand for Russian video conferencing solutions is increasing. With the growing number of customers, new service use cases and technology requirements are emerging. We study them and take them into account when developing our product. This is not only about large-scale changes and new integrations: we pay a lot of attention to constantly improving the user experience of our customers. For example, we recently added the ability for administrators to limit the number of registrations to webinars and rename participants if they accidentally specified an incorrect name when connecting. And participants can now hide the chat during meetings and turn off/on the microphone and camera in an unlocked video, "said Dmitry Kryukov, product manager at Webinar Group.

Webinar Platform: Enhanced Online Collaboration

On July 13, 2023, Webinar Group, a Russian business communications solutions company, announced the expansion of the Webinar platform's set of functions for ease of collaboration during online meetings, video conferencing and webinars.

As reported, a timer built into the interface is now available to Webinar users. This tool is useful for any work meetings in which there is a need to adhere to a strict time frame. Possible application scenarios include completing tasks during training and training, brainstorming sessions, exams and interviews.

One of the implemented functions, the need for which was often indicated by the business, is the presenter mode. This option allows a speaker to present a presentation in MS PowerPoint or Google Presentations format to meeting participants by viewing slide notes in the same window. In this case, notes will not be displayed on the participant screens.

Another possibility is the simultaneous use of two cameras. This tool makes it easier to hold hybrid events: for example, one of the cameras can be aimed at the speaker, and the other at the marker board in the meeting room or audience. The function is connected on demand.

In addition, Webinar has become more convenient to use the Notes tab. Now the organizer can send the records created during the meeting to himself or all participants. In Notes, you can also assign task owners - these participants will automatically receive notifications after the meeting.

Webinar Group aims to integrate all kinds of business communications within the UCaaS platform in the near future. Each function is another step towards the versatility of our solution. In upcoming releases, we will launch hardware integration in Webinar Rooms hybrid audiences. The ability to transcribe and automatically create a meeting protocol will also be available. noted Ekaterina Pichelatova, Head of Product Marketing at Webinar Group

CloudMTS offered customers a cloud service for business communications Webinar

MTS The company "" announced on July 6, 2023 provider CloudMTS that it had launched sales of an online communications and collaboration solution. Webinar cloudy provider All installation options are available to clients - a basic SaaS solution, a private installation for the client in or cloud CloudMTS a private installation directly on the customer's physical resources. More. here

Completing Webinar Platform Integration with SIEM Systems

On May 30, 2023, Webinar Group announced the completion of integration with SIEM systems.

Integration of Webinar with SIEM will solve several tasks of large business at once: it will help you quickly learn about deviations from the norms when using the platform, collect evidence base on information security incidents, record undesirable actions of participants in events.

Big business has high requirements for information security. We take this factor into account, developing our solution for the Enterprise segment, - said Vladimir Karpenko, head of the business unit On-premium and Meetings of the Webinar Group. - By integrating with SIEM, Webinar users will have even more control over the security of organization and user data. We hope that the new feature will be in demand among our customers.

Compatibility of the Webinar platform with Red OS

Webinar Group and RED SOFT agreed on a technological partnership, in which the developers tested and confirmed the compatibility of IT products. Now participation in meetings and webinars through the web version of the Webinar platform on RED OS is carried out without restrictions on functionality. The Red Soft company announced this on May 22, 2023.

The result is reflected in a two-sided certificate. A compatible software stack of developers will replace foreign software for corporate communications, including at critical infrastructure facilities, and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

Developing our product, we focus primarily on the requirements of Russian customers. For many companies, it is important to use Russian-developed operating systems. That is why ensuring compatibility with RED OS has become one of our priority areas, - said Vladimir Karpenko, head of the business unit On-premium & Meetings Webinar Group. - Now users of RED OS can be sure that our service will work correctly, and their business communications will become even more efficient.

The compatibility of the Webinar platform with RED OS is an important step towards expanding the ecosystem of Russian products and strengthening the country's IT sovereignty. Technological cooperation of developers allows you to create solutions that are not only not inferior to foreign counterparts, but also increase the level of independence of the IT infrastructure of Russian organizations, "said Rustam Rustamov, Deputy General Director of RED SOFT.

Adding a "waiting room" to Webinar's platform

Webinar Group on May 11, 2023 presented platform updates for webinars. Since the beginning of 2023, the company has implemented several dozen functions. Key ones are designed to strengthen information security and give organizers more control over the progress of events and data stored in the system.

The "waiting room" tool allows the event administrator to decide which of the participants and at what point to let into the event. The organizer can wait for all the invited participants to gather, and only then start the meeting. And during the conference, he will be able to control the admission of unsolicited guests: outsiders will not be able to enter the meeting without confirmation, even if they have a link. The "waiting room" is especially useful for holding meetings with external partners, interviews, online assessments and exams.

The function of deleting chats will help keep discussions private. You can activate it in the settings: after the user selects the appropriate option, chat and questions will automatically disappear after the last participant leaves the meeting.

Another Webinar update is for big business. Meeting organizers will now be able to better control the platform's file space. The storage will not overflow at the most critical moment: administrators will have access to statistics and will always be aware of how many files have been downloaded by employees and how many records have been saved in the last month. This feature connects through support.

Privacy of user data is our priority. The purpose of the latest updates is to give our customers confidence that sensitive information voiced and written during meetings will not fall into the hands of outsiders, "said Alexander Brovko, Product Director of Webinar Group. - Our platform is protected from DDoS attacks and uses current encryption protocols. In 2022, we added single sign-on (SSO) technology to the product's capabilities, with plans for the near future to implement oAuth and integrate with SIEM to prevent data breaches. With the further expansion of the functionality of services, we will continue to be guided by high security standards.

Integration of Webinar Meetings with MyOffice Mail 2

Users of the MyOffice Mail 2 service will be able to schedule online meetings on the Webinar platform right in the mail calendar. Webinar Group announced this on April 25, 2023.

Links to events are generated in one click - you do not need to go to Webinar. Meeting participants receive a notification letter with a link and see the scheduled meeting in their calendar. To join the video meeting, the user does not need to additionally enter the username and password from Webinar.

We at Webinar Group strive to be a strategic partner of our customers and support them in migrating to the Russian IT solutions. That is why to integrate our platform with the service "MyOffice Mail 2" was so important for us. We hope that this step will help improve the work processes of MyOffice users and make the application of our solution even more convenient, - said the Vladimir Karpenko head of On-premium and Meetings at Webinar Group.

We are expanding integrations with Russian products. This ecosystem approach gives the user the ability to work "within one window" - saves useful time by reducing the number of switching actions between different applications. Thus, it has become more convenient for organizations using Webinar to create meetings through integration with the MyOffice Mail 2 product - now this can be done literally in two clicks, "said Pyotr Shcheglov, director of product marketing at MyOffice.

Integration of Webinar platform with VKS hardware terminals

Webinar Group on April 20, 2023 announced the completion of the integration of services with hardware video conferencing terminals.

Webinar users will be able to hold online events using SIP meeting room equipment.

Online conferences and meetings organized using Webinar can now be connected via Cisco, Yealink, Polycom video terminals. Large organizations use similar equipment in conference rooms and meeting rooms.

This feature is at the stage of testing and gradual release: platform users can use the on-demand function. It takes no more than seven minutes to configure the integration.

Integration with VKS codecs is perhaps the most anticipated feature for large businesses. With the departure of Cisco and Polycom from Russia, it was difficult for companies to find a service that was compatible with the already installed equipment and would not be subject to sanctions risks. We are glad that our clients will now be able to use existing terminals in meeting rooms and conference rooms without restrictions and hold business meetings in the usual way, "said Vladimir Karpenko, head of the On-premium and Meetings business unit of Webinar Group.

SIP is one of the most common protocols for video conferencing, conference phone calls, text messaging or files over the Internet. With SIP session description protocols for video conferencing, it is easily configured according to user preferences. SIP equipment is quite universal: it can work with almost any system and has fewer restrictions than devices based on other protocols, for example, H.323.

Webinar Group is constantly expanding the functionality of its solutions: the company plans to create a full-scale unified communications platform. In particular, earlier the developers ensured the compatibility of Webinar with mail and calendar services CommuniGate and Outlook, introduced single sign-on (SSO) technology, added the ability to integrate into corporate systems, instant messengers, CRM using the API.

Webinar Meetings compatibility with Communigate Pro mail and calendar service

Webinar Group CommuniGate Systems On March 2, 2023, the companies announced the integration Webinar platform and the postal and calendar service, which is part of the corporate communications and collaboration platform. CommuniGate Pro Earlier, Webinar Group added the ability to create online meetings from calendars Google for Microsoft Outlook both and. Windows macOS Linux

Now users will be able to create an online meeting in the Webinar Meetings service in two clicks, send an invitation directly from the calendar, and participants will be able to join an online meeting directly from the invitation.

We do not stop work on the creation of software systems that close all or most of the customer's needs. Our product has the ability to seamlessly integrate with various business systems and third-party communication services, we continue to develop the ecosystem and have decided to combine two platforms - CommuniGate Pro and Webinar, said CommuniGate Systems CEO Vladimir Burgov.

{{quote 'author=noted Vladimir Karpenko, Head of On-premium and Meetings at Webinar Group.|In 2023, the priority in the development of the Webinar ecosystem is compliance with the requirements of the Enterprise segment. We strive to provide all possible types of business communications on a single platform. Therefore, it is important to ensure integration with other software products, }}

2022: Webinar Meetings as part of a solution to automate the preparation of minutes and transcripts of meetings

On December 13, 2022, Digital Design and Webinar Group presented a single solution for corporate customers, which includes Russian products: video conference call (VKS) Webinar.Meetings and the SumMeet auto-protocol system . Read more here.

2021

Availability of the Webinar platform as a server or boxed solution

The Russian ecosystem of services for online communications Webinar Group on July 19, 2021 announced the launch of an on-premium solution.

The Webinar, We.Study and Webinar Meetings platforms are now available for local installation within the organization as a server or boxed solution. The company's own development is focused on the use of domestic companies and government agencies.

Ecosystem services are designed for webinars, online conferences, meetings, meetings and courses. They allow you to comprehensively solve the organization's tasks: develop skills and increase the efficiency of a remote team, monetize knowledge and increase sales, as well as improve partner sales indicators. Cloud versions of products are already used by more than 8,000 companies.

To fully comply with the information security requirements of large companies, we have transferred the capabilities of our SaaS service to an on-premium solution, - comments Alexander Alpern, CEO and founder of Webinar Group.

The on-premium format is a complete solution for functional clients. The toolkit of all company services in the "boxed" version is saved in full. Installing the ecosystem on the internal IT infrastructure of the company allows you to store and update data on your own servers without third-party providers, adapt functionality to the needs of the organization, and also helps solve communication problems of various departments: involve participants in work, training and continuous interaction.

We have made a lot of efforts to transfer all the features and benefits of our SaaS service to the "boxed" version and make the installation, update and support process simple and fast. The solution is based on Docker containers, which allow you to supply the environment for launching the application directly with the application itself; provides ease of migration to other configurations and minimal resource consumption as opposed to VMs. Our on-premium solution provides various options for vertical and horizontal scaling and various configuration options for building services with the highest availability requirements up to 100% SLA, "explains Mikhail Nasonov, CTO of Webinar Group.

On-premium solution can be purchased through the largest Russian suppliers of IT solutions and services.

Further development of the on-premium solution will be related to the simplification of administration and developments on compliance with various corporate policies.

We.Study - a platform for creating online courses and organizing mixed learning

We.Study is a platform for creating online courses and organizing mixed learning. According to information for May 2021, it includes an intuitive curriculum editor, gives access to a single course structure, webinars, tests and homework, SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model, format of electronic training courses) and offline lessons. The service monitors the educational progress of each participant and reports on those who unfairly study the material. A predictive model based on 120 parameters predicts which of the participants is likely not to complete the training.

Official launch of Webinar Meetings. On-premium and private cloud alpha availability

Webinar is a webinar platform.

The developers Webinar Group on April 20, 2021 announced the official launch of the Webinar Meetings service for online meetings and meetings. In addition, there is an alpha version of on-premium (server or "boxed") and () private cloud cloudy products that can be installed inside the organization and are suitable for deployment on private clouds companies. Pilot implementation projects with and have already been launched. Ministry of Finance system integrator CTI The company sees prospects for this delivery format public sector in both the largest companies. RUSSIAN FEDERATION

More than 50 million rubles have already been invested in the project from own funds, final negotiations with investors are underway. Over the entire existence of the Webinar Group, more than half a billion rubles have been invested in the development of products, including Webinar, We.Study, Webinar Meetings and COMDI.

One of the features of Webinar Meetings is the ability to work both in the browser, without installing additional programs, and in the mobile application. Also, a separate desktop application will appear in the near future (the beta version is already available). The developers paid a lot of attention to the issue of information security. The platform uses digital token technologies: only one user can log in by invitation, an attacker will not be able to connect to the meeting even if he knows the meeting ID and password.

The company is also working on experimental projects related to artificial intelligence, as well as continuing to develop the product ecosystem.

2020

Webinar Meetings Integration with Miro Online Platform

On August 27, 2020, the company Webinar Group unveiled an updated version of the service for videoconferences Webinar Meetings. The service has launched integration with an online platform for collaboration. remote work Miro

Users will be able to remotely brainstorm, strategic sessions and group training using Miro online boards. For example, during a call, you can compose mind maps, visualize data, work in groups and collect feedback.

Integration of Webinar Meetings with Miro's online platform]]

Redesigned videoconferences have appeared, adapted for a mobile interface. The Webinar Meetings platform allows you to connect up to 30 speakers at the same time, the developers plan to increase the limit on the number of speakers to 50.

Integration with Miro is part of our strategy. We plan to also connect other services to Webinar Meetings in the future, for example, Notice and Google Docs. The main task is to create the most convenient service for collaboration, including between companies. Expanding the functionality and limit of participants removes barriers to communication and simplifies remote work - even if you need to hold creative rallies or stratification. In the near future, we plan to attract 200 million rubles for the development of the project and are already negotiating with investors, narrated by Alexander Alpern, CEO of Webinar Group

Webinar Group began closed testing the service on June 29. It is designed for corporate clients, including startups and universities. During the pandemic associated with the spread of COVID-19, Rospotrebnadzor, SAP, 3M, Rostelecom and Skolkovo began to use the service for remote work.

The updated version, which was released on August 20, 2020, can already be tested for free, leaving an application on the company's website.

Webinar Meetings Alpha Announcement

Webinar Meetings is a service for holding online meetings and meetings.

On June 11, 2020, Webinar Group announced the alpha version of the b2b product - a tool for meetings, training events, customer meetings, collaboration and creativity. The online meeting service is focused on corporations, small businesses, as well as universities and government agencies.

According to the company, Webinar Meetings is another structural product of the Webinar Group ecosystem - cloud services for online meetings and knowledge dissemination, which includes Webinar.ru, We.Study, COMDI. The service allows you to hold online meetings of up to 100 people with video and sound of proper quality directly from the browser or through a mobile application. This means simplicity and convenience: employees of different companies can connect to collaboration without installing software, which often requires coordination with the IT service.

For June 2020, when the need for communication tools is more urgent than ever, we decided to implement the existing developments and ideas in a separate product for online meetings. At the same time, we focused on opportunities for collaboration, security and compliance with regional standards for working with user data. The Russian market opens up great prospects: in companies in the USA and Europe, the penetration rate of such technologies even before the pandemic was about 70%, in Russia - several times less. For June 2020, this gap is narrowing. commented Alexander Alpern, founder and CEO of Webinar Group

Webinar Meetings is implemented with applications of digital token technology to protect meetings and data from unauthorized users. This decision eliminates the possibility of unauthorized connection to the conversation, even if the attacker has the meeting id and password at his disposal.

The developers paid special attention to the possibilities for collaboration and creativity, which are not limited to showing the screen. In Webinar Meetings, you can share and display in original quality most office documents and media files, videos from Youtube and Vimeo, while without prohibitive requirements for an Internet connection. All data exchanged by participants, including the recording of the meeting itself, is organized by folders in the built-in cloud media library.

In addition, the range of capabilities of the alpha version of the product includes tools for brainstorming, surveys, automatic mailing of invitations, reminders and links to materials, creation of landings for the meeting. The interactive attention and engagement analysis system, which has proven itself in the Webinar.ru, allows you to track the reaction of participants and collect data on their activity. The immediate development plans include integration with Miro boards, Google documents and articles in Notice, as well as adding accessibility for online learning and launching a separate client desktop for PC and Mac.

For June 2020, Webinar Meetings is in the closed testing phase and is collecting applications to provide free access. The service is already being tested by a number of large Russian companies. In the future, the monetization model involves an annual or monthly subscription.

Webinar Meetings did a good job of organizing networking at our online conference. Participants could connect to virtual rooms, communicate in a format videoconferences and exchange interesting ones one click at a time. content told Irina Uzikova, Solutions and Services Marketing Lead in SAP

Thanks to Webinar Meetings, we were able to quickly organize the work of our specialists throughout the country to combat COVID-19, and provided an opportunity to get up-to-date knowledge and necessary skills on the job. Our experience has shown that in the long term we will be able to use this product. It is especially pleasant that this technology is a Russian development. told Ivanova Anastasia, head of the department for ensuring educational and editorial activities, Rospotrebnadzor

Webinar Meetings helps our company solve several problems at once. This is the holding of marketing and technical educational events, remote training of customers and employees. The fact that we can solve both issues online allows us to achieve results faster, often with greater efficiency and, in general, simplifies many workflows. Of the special advantages of the service, we can distinguish simplicity in development, reliable technical support and security. told Sergey Dmitruk, Technical Director 3M Russia and CIS

2016: COMDI's work on HTML5 and WebRTC technologies

According to February 2016, the COMDI platform now runs on HTML5 and WebRTC technologies, has the ability to integrate with VKS hardware systems and offers a modular principle: the functionality within the service is designed depending on the purpose of use ("Training," "Marketing" or "Meetings"). The service is available both in the web version and through mobile applications for iOS and Android.

2012

Features and features of COMDI service

The COMDI service is a "cloud" technology; you do not need to install any programs or applications to use it. This is a fundamental difference from the traditional VKS: you do not need to buy expensive equipment, build a video network, it is much easier to use the service, and, as in any SaaS service, users always work with the latest version of the software - without any costs. As a result, the scope of application is significantly expanding, and any enterprises and individuals can afford to use webinars on an ongoing basis. All you need to connect to a webinar is a computer connected to the Internet and a browser.

In Russia, the online meeting market is very young, in fact, it is just beginning to develop. The economic benefits of this communication method are obvious, it is really easy to start using the service. But companies need to abandon the usual stereotypes, comprehend new opportunities, learn to use them. This creates a certain inertia. Positive dynamics was observed both in the past and this year. This is also due to the increase in Internet penetration, and to an increase in awareness of the functionality and benefits of webinars. But this is just the beginning, ahead of us is the rapid growth of this direction.

If we talk about industries that are already actively using the COMDI service, then these are, first of all, the financial sector (banks, investment and brokerage companies), medicine and education. Webinars are very convenient for additional and optional training. Therefore, we are actively working with schools and universities. We also see great potential in the sales sector, where online communication with a potential client and a high-quality demonstration of a product or service to him can persuade him to decide on a purchase better than any traditional materials.^[1]

Differences from Skype and similar services

Comparing Skype and COMDI services is not entirely correct. When using Skype, two conditions must be met: all your interlocutors must be Skype subscribers and all Skype client software must be installed. The COMDI service, as I said, works in the browser. One participant must register, and everyone else joins the webinar through a unique link that can be sent by email, SMS or using any popular messenger. This means that your interlocutor is not tied to a specific carrier, as is the case with Skype.

There are other important differences. So, with the help of the Skype service, it is impossible to make large conferences and conduct online broadcasts. In addition, there is no SLA and the ability to record and repeatedly reproduce content, it is difficult to integrate a video message with the display of other information, say, electronic documents and organize feedback, for example, in the form of control polls.

How many people can watch the webcast at the same time as part of the COMDI service

To answer this question, you need to clearly understand the difference between different types of online events. Three types can be designated as key. These are: business meeting (meeting), training and online broadcast. For each of them, there are optimal values ​ ​ for the number of participants due not so much to the technological side of the matter as to their roles in the exchange of information. So, for effective meetings with constructive dialogues and discussions, the audience should not exceed 25 people, in the educational process this figure is no more than 70 participants, promovebinars comfortably accommodate up to 500-700 people, but broadcasts are 5,000-10,000 people or more.

How COMDI guarantees the quality of the "picture" for viewers in the regions

The company employs competent employees who clearly understand the device of the Russian segment of the Internet. In addition to this important aspect, I can say that the company has direct contacts with the largest Russian providers with content delivery networks to the regions. Where this is not possible, agreements with other networks are used. And, of course, the company has its own "know-how" in this matter.

Feedback tools

Was the service originally created for interactive work with the audience? and we're developing feedback tools all the time. There are certain roles - this is the moderator and host of the event, who not only give out information, but can also communicate with the audience. Of course, the presenter regulates the actions of the participants, according to his scenario, the entire event takes place, but participants can also ask questions and write comments, and in the COMDI service they can also communicate with each other.

The "Tests" and "Polls" modules capture the attention of the audience and at the same time complement each other. So, "Polls" allow you to determine the "fast temperature" of the audience, and "Tests" - to check the absorption of material, this is the academic part. In addition, notes or a protocol are kept during the event, there is a chat with questions from guests. When the meeting is over, all this is not difficult to send to all participants - along with the materials used and the necessary files.

Whether popular mobile platforms are supported

Yes, for several years now, users iPad iPhone can watch our webcasts, and the platform Android is also used for webinars. This year, a new version of ON COMDI was released, one of the fundamental differences of which is associated with the transition from Flash technology to HTML 5. All mobile devices can interact with this platform.

Why does an enterprise need to master another way of communication

For the user, the COMDI service is so simple that the term "master" is not entirely appropriate here. Our service complements the current communications structure of the client company, increasing the efficiency of existing business processes. For example, the marketing department that runs the product launch workshops no longer needs to gather employees of different departments in one place, which entails large time and financial losses. We know very well how difficult it is even in one department to gather the right people in the meeting room. All this is much easier if communication takes place in the form of an online meeting. You can hold a presentation, get feedback, discuss details - and all this right at your workplace. No less effective are the tasks of training, advanced training, inter-field communications, discussion of working issues with partners, etc.

What is needed to organize webinars?

Today there are three options for using the COMDI service. This is a SaaS scheme (we talked about it above), a server solution and a mixed solution. In the first case, all that is required to get started is a computer and the Internet, and access to the service is carried out directly through a browser, without installing any additional programs or applications. This solution, optimal for most companies, is the most popular. In the second case, the COMDI service is installed in the client's corporate network. This solution is more suitable for large companies with a branch network and their own powerful intranet network. With a mixed solution for external contacts, the service works as SaaS, and within the enterprise - as a server solution. This option allows you to clearly divide materials into public and intended only for official use within the company.

Webinars and webcasts are expensive?

Webinars are one of the most accessible and effective communication tools. The cost of tariffs begins with only 1000 rubles for a one-time webinar and from 1800 rubles per month for an unlimited number of webinars for 25 participants (Basic tariff). It is easy to calculate that at this tariff the cost of contact with one participant is only 72 rubles for the first webinar. But this figure will decrease in proportion to the number of webinars held. At the same time, the contact is interactive, in real time. The cost of contact at other tariffs is even lower, since it is distributed to a larger number of possible participants in the online meeting.

So, for the "Optimal" tariff, where up to 150 participants can be connected, the cost of a monthly subscription will be 5,000 rubles, (i.e. 33 rubles per 1 contact), and the event recording function is already available here; for the "Professional" tariff, the cost will be 9,000 rubles. per month with the ability to simultaneously connect up to 300 people (i.e. 30 rubles per contact). Once again, I note that the number of events that can be held for the paid period is not limited.

COMDI 3.0

COMDI is a Russian web-service for organizing business meetings, on-line trainings, on-line broadcasts and simply for interactive communication via the Internet, based on software under the COMDI trademark.

COMDI offers its customers two main solutions: web conferencing and online streaming services. Comdi 3.0 is available for most existing mobile platforms, and will also allow broadcasts with an almost unlimited number of participants.

COMDI 2.5

The COMDI 2.5 interface toolkit added functions for selecting the quality of HD video and sending emails through an external SMTP gateway, and improved work with data and user groups.

The development of technologies, an increase in the average speed of broadband Internet access and a variety of video cameras allows today to see and hear each other in the same way as in real conversation, even if the characteristics of the computer are not the highest. That is why the interface of the new version of the COMDI webinar service has the ability to choose up to 6 image quality formats: from the minimum 80x60 to the maximum 1280x720 (HD). Thanks to this function, users get an even clearer picture, rich colors and clear sound.

Another new feature is the ability to send letters to users through an external SMTP gateway. Now, when using the COMDI web conference service, the event organizer will be able to send information letters, both from the comdi.com domain name and from his own. The ability to distribute using your own domain allows the client to improve the quality of the service provided and the loyalty of listeners of his online events.

In the COMDI 2.5 service version, the functions of working with user data and the ability to manage workgroups have been further improved, and viewing the event calendar has become more informative. The event organizer can now create and delete workgroups, view all workgroup activities in the common calendar list, import and export address book contacts, and modify registered listeners using the updated list interface.

Also, from September 10, COMDI will introduce new tariffs for the use of the webinar and web conference service. Customers are encouraged to use three "25," "150" and "300" tariff plans, which include a standard set of services for a subscription fee. The rest of the service's capabilities can now be connected additionally, depending on the needs when organizing an online event. In all tariff plans, an application programming interface (API) will be available, which will allow integrating the service with third-party information systems. Additional features of the service include: converting recordings to video format, AVI, MP4, FLV; broadcast high-resolution video, increase the number of participants in the event, extend the storage period, brand and customize the design, as well as service refinement services.

COMDI 2.3 and 2.4

Now the organizers of the event have the opportunity to add the "Twitter" tab to the interface, which will display all viewer messages by a given hash tag (keyword) with the ability to answer and retweet. In June 2012, COMDI introduced the release of COMDI 2.3, the capabilities of which allow any user to participate in a conference call without using headphones or a special microphone thanks to the echo and noise cancellation function. In the release of COMDI 2.4, this feature was improved, and the quality of video conferencing was also improved.

The COMDI service interface provides ample opportunities for comfortable remote work, including:

• participation in a video conferencing session of up to 8 people, which is an excellent opportunity for holding group meetings or negotiations, being in different representative offices, cities or countries;
• conducting a presentation online: the meeting organizer can create a presentation inside the event using the built-in designer editor, as well as upload ready-made files for presentation in the webinar window;
• demonstration of the desktop or its fragment for visual public work with Internet services and software;
• instant messaging in the "chat" tab between users and the lecturer;
• conducting tests and surveys thanks to the corresponding module, which allows the organizer to conduct surveys in real time, as well as download test results in the report format;
• exchange of files between participants for quick receipt of documents, images, joint viewing and listening to audio and video materials;
• viewing the event record immediately after its completion;
• Retrieves event statistics. The statistics provided by the COMDI service include data on the registration of users and guests, the time of visiting the webinar, the history of chat messages and answers to questions. Viewing statistics is available online, as well as for download.

Significant development of echo cancellation function in COMDI service

Important changes have been made to the Spring 2012 version that make it easier for you to use webinars in your business environment.

The first innovation is associated with a significant development of the echo cancellation function. Comfortable participation in a conference session no longer requires the use of headphones or special microphones. At the same time, even when using built-in audio systems of typical laptops, the COMDI service provides clear sound and high intelligibility of speech.

In addition, the COMDI service now allows you to download reminders of webinars in the standard iCal format. They are easy to import into almost any modern ON and "cloud" services for managing personal information (PIM), scheduling or coordinating teamwork. This frees webinar participants from many routine operations, eliminates one of the main sources of errors, increases the usability of the COMDI service and simplifies the integration of webinars into the enterprise's internal and external communications system.

Thanks to the use of the model, SaaS the new features of the COMDI online service for conducting webinars will automatically become available to all users. You will not need to download and install any additional software or configure anything in your personal account. Tariff plans also remain unchanged.

COMDI: On the expansion of the "Basic" tariff

This tariff allows the subscriber organization to conduct any number of webinars within a month for a fixed fee of 1800 rubles (including VAT), provided that they do not overlap in time. Earlier, at this tariff, up to 25 people could participate in an online seminar. Since February 1, 2012, the maximum number of participants has doubled, while the remaining tariff parameters do not change. In particular, within 72 hours after the end of the event, the user can "download" the recording for free (in interactive Adobe AIR format) directly from his "Personal Account." Or store records in the COMDI cloud - for a small additional fee.

The ability to conduct any required number of webinars for relatively small groups is in demand by various categories of COMDI service consumers: divisions of large organizations, small companies and private entrepreneurs. This scenario is especially popular in the field of HR and distance business education, where webinars are one of the main forms of training, and teachers and training centers that have successfully mastered and apply methods for preparing and conducting highly effective interactive webinars are becoming more and more every day. Experience shows that in this area the optimal training group is 30-40 people; now working with such groups no longer requires COMDI customers to switch to more expensive fares.

2011: COMDI Technical Infrastructure Upgrade

COMDI announced in November 2011 the completion of a large-scale project to increase the performance and resiliency of its technical infrastructure. With the current forecasts for the growth of the Russian webinar and webcast market in 2012 (40% and 23%, respectively), the modernization will allow COMDI to provide appropriate services in 2012 and without restrictions on the number of events and the number of participants. The performance of the COMDI technical infrastructure is also sufficient for the implementation of large-scale projects in the field of education, one of which (carried out jointly with the Unified Educational Network "Дневник.ру") provides for an increase of up to 30 thousand Russian schools connected to educational video services.

COMDI operation is supported by powerful geographically distributed data centers that provide the necessary redundancy and mutual redundancy. As part of the new project, sites for reserving resources and distributing video content in, and were put into operation. As a Russia To Europe USA result, COMDI was able to guarantee its customers a high level of service under Service Level Agreement (or). SLA In the near future, such agreements will be offered to existing and new users of all tariff plans for the COMDI webinar service. At the same time, the reliability of the service is 99.95%.

The company has expanded the geography of its video content delivery network (or CDN), which currently covers the entire economically active part of the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as a number of countries of near and far abroad (including countries European Union and the USA). Now the company has increased the number of relay servers installed in the regions where CDN COMDI operates. At the same time, in order to increase the number of backup routes for transferring video content, the equipment and were reconfigured. ON Thus, the CDN's resistance to temporary failure of local sections of the Runet infrastructure, as well as its ability to cope with load fluctuations without losing sound and image transmission quality, has significantly increased.

This project, the implementation of which took four months, did not violate the normal operation of the company. Moreover, it was during this period that several iconic webcasts gathered thousands of audiences. Among them, we especially note: the Week of the Russian Internet RIW 2011 (RAEK), the V International Conference of Moscow Education Online on the application of e-Learning technologies, the business conference Business FM, Toster, Runet Prize, the 2nd international business congress TOP-CLASS INTERNATIONAL 'KMRussia 2011' and the multi-day broadcast of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week fashion week, the first in the Russian fashion industry, which several thousand viewers gathered.

"This project is very important for our company. Already today, the Russian market for webinars and webcasts is growing quite quickly - by 40% per year. But this is just the beginning. Businesses are just learning how to apply these new tools to day-to-day operations. According to our estimates, in 2012 a critical point will be passed in a number of industries, and webinars will become a standard means of communication between companies with their partners and customers, "says Dmitry Skripnikov, CEO of COMDI. And here it is extremely important that technologies work flawlessly - both at the addictive stage and after the transition to industrial use. Anticipating this, we increased the performance and reliability of the technical infrastructure in advance and planned a massive transition to SLA. The created reserve already overlaps the projected market needs in 2012. However, we will continue to build capacity and expand the infrastructure geographically to protect our customers from any problems that could cause unreasonable distrust of new effective means of business communication. "

Notes