Here at Kaleidoscope, we use LifeSize Connections on a daily, if not hourly, basis. And we have been encouraging our customers to test, try and implement Connections. One question that keeps on cropping up when we first mention Connections to folks is “How does it compare to Blue Jeans?” or “Is the same as [insert your favorite bridging service ] , we did that for a couple of months?”.
The key thing to understand between LifeSize Connections and services like Blue Jeans, is that Blue Jeans is a “meet me” service designed for infrequent use. It is most like a Webex / Global Crossing / Goto Meeting solution, where the host pays everything and the participants pay nothing. The host sets up their account with Blue Jeans, then through a web page, invites participants to join a meeting at a specific time. The participants receive an email, with the meeting info and dial-in instructions via PSTN / IP / Skype.
Blue Jeans is not designed for real time adhoc communication, but rather pre-scheduled, pre-arranged meetings between people who don’t need regular communications. You can’t just call someone. You need to send an invite, assume they receive it and act on it – and know how to act on it; their endpoint needs to be configured correctly, know how to dial an IP, enter a pin code etc.
This is key difference in how you use a service like Blue Jeans and Connections. In practical terms, LifeSize Connections is a unified communications system in the cloud. You see who is online, you see what room systems are in a call or available and you can setup a call, video or audio, within seconds.
The other big difference is that a LifeSize Connections account includes unlimited calling for your account, not per minute metered charges.
Blue Jeans pricing is $0.50 per participant per minute. They have various packages, but if you go over your allocated minutes, the $0.50/participant/minute comes into affect. Some very simple calculation here: 5 way call, 2 hours (120min) = $300 bill to host. With Connections, $300 would get you 10 seats unlimited calling among all users (for example two 5-way calls for 30 days, 24 hours which is roughly 2 x 5 x 30d x 24h x 60m = 432,000 participant minutes. (To gain the same amount of service from Blue Jeans would cost ~ $216,000!)
This is not even counting the additional features such a being about to invite infinite FREE guests on the soft client.
In addition, services like Blue Jeans provide for no user/endpoint management, deployment tools, reporting, automation……all you get is the ability to invite people to a meeting and then hope they show up in your virtual conference room.
Connections provides a complete end to end management, deployment and use solution that focuses on adhoc real time communication that is extremely easy to use, easy to deploy and manage, has flat rate (predictable) pricing. Connections has built in core technologies such as on-demand multiparty (no scheduling/planning req’d), firewall traversal up to and including fully relayed media and signalling, encryption of signalling and media, automated deployment for both soft clients and endpoints, secure web-based administration including bandwidth management, reporting and instantly re-assignable seats among users and endpoints.
In short, Blue Jeans provides an expensive meeting room. If you need to conduct A meeting, ONCE with people outside your company….it is good for that. If you are doing anything more permanent/frequent, Connections addresses it much better.
For a demonstration or to try out LifeSize Connections, simply contact us.
Related posts:
- Kaleidoscope’s expert advice on Cloud-based Videoconferencing featured in InAVate Magazine
- Tech Tip: Before you place an Endpoint on LifeSize Connections, clear Transit Fields.
- LifeSize Connections Goes Live: unlock the power, productivity and quality of HD video collaboration for anyone, anywhere they work.
- LifeSize Connections. Where should it go from here?
- LifeSize Connections FAQ
