Its index and search features make it a good repository for corporate knowledge. Telephone audio quality limits the usefulness of the voice annotation feature. Low barriers to entry and lack of significant technology differentiators could affect Brainshark's long-term prospects. While there is little direct competition to Brainshark right now, larger, more established companies could expand into this growing market. The service's real value may be as a knowledge management tool.
Users can easily update a presentation for a point release, for example.
And over time, a business can build a database of presentations created by experts. That expert knowledge often slips away as personnel turns over and products evolve. You couldn't change the content easily, and you couldn't easily make it available in foreign languages. Attachments, such as white papers and Excel spreadsheets, are easy to append using a menu-driven interface. Once the presentation is complete, the user e-mails a link to recipients.