Since it's cheaper to do this, we're able to make more information available. Although PlaceWare has found an ideal niche at Cisco, the medium has its limits. Given the company's line of business, it's not surprising that Cisco's internal computer network has the kind of bandwidth most corporations can only dream about. Again, the answer is simplicity. The company is also working on integrating its own video codec for certain PlaceWare presentations.
Some rooms are for large groups, while others are for smaller, more collaborative presentations.
Finally, Mitchell appreciates the fact that it doesn't take much time to prepare a slideshow for Web delivery. He calls us up and e-mails his slides, and we can have them up on the server in about five or 10 minutes. At the other end of the spectrum, Cisco has also used the PlaceWare Conference Center for presentations involving as many as 420 participants. With audiences this size, adequate preparation is just as important in cyberspace as it is in the real world, and it's not uncommon for a presenter to spend a few days working with Mitchell on a large presentation. As a Cisco shareholder, I want to make sure that whatever sales time is used up by a presentation is worth it to the company.