Patent ID: 7398295

Claim:
A method for establishing a data conference between one or more intranet computing systems and one or more external computing systems, the method comprising: receiving a request at a lobby server to establish a data conference from a conference organizing computing system in an intranet, wherein the lobby server is logically in a demiltarized zone between the intranet and an external network; determining that the conference organizing computing system is authorized to establish the data conference; establishing a lobby in the demilitarized zone to which potential participating computing systems in the external network are admitted awaiting authorization to join the data conference; and subsequent to establishing the lobby, receiving a request to join the data conference from a potential participating computing system in the external network; admitting the requesting potential participating computing system to the lobby; notifying the conference organizing computing system that the requesting potential participating computing system has requested to join the data conference; receiving an indication from an intranet computing system that the requesting potential participating computing system is authorized to join the data conference; and subsequent to receiving the indication, joining the requesting potential participating computing system to the data conference; wherein the potential participating computing system in the external network requesting to join the data conference is placed in a lobby until the conference organizing computing system indicates that the potential participating computer system is authorized to join the data conference.