ConnectSolutions Podium™ is a Webcasting solution based on the ubiquitous Adobe® Flash® Player, already installed on over 98% of internet-connected PCs worldwide and the platform of choice for over 80% of videos streamed on the internet meaning viewers do not need to download any software to attend events.

You may have seen ConnectSolutions Podium™ used for events such as Hillary Rodham Clinton’s speech addressing internet freedom or President Obama’s Town Hall meting in Shanghai.

Then, GetConnect’s very own Ian Justin will be hosting webinars on the new version in early 2010 after Adobe has upgraded all the server clusters across their network. 

• account_name.acrobat.com already upgraded; note: this is the cluster with Hosted trials, excluding EMEA trials
• account_name.na4.acrobat.com December 5, 2009
• account_name.na3.acrobat.com December 11, 2009
• account_name.na5.acrobat.com January 15, 2010
• account_name.na6.acrobat.com January 23, 2010
• account_name.emea.acrobat.com February 12, 2010
• account_name.connectpro.acrobat.com February 20, 2010

Do you have Adobe Connect Pro installed on-premise on your own server?  Find out when you can upgrade to version 7.5 by clicking on the link below.

License Upgrade Entitlement Guidelines for Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro 7.5

We are thrilled to announce a significant update to Acrobat Connect Pro.

Some of the new capabilities include the ability to integrate with any audio conferencing provider, allowing organizations to leverage existing investments. Telephone audio can be recorded along with a Web conference and streamed to VoIP-only meeting participants and advanced integrated audio teleconferencing capabilities include call controls, participant management and synchronized recording. In addition to Acrobat Connect Pro’s existing integrations with Premiere Global, MeetingOne, Cisco, and Avaya, Adobe is releasing a new integration with InterCall, the world’s largest conferencing and collaboration services provider, to offer customers the ability to deploy Acrobat Connect Pro with InterCall audio conferencing.

Increased webinar capacity will enable users to engage up to 80,000 participants in high-impact sessions that can incorporate rich media demonstrations, live and recorded video and interactivity. This new capacity will support use cases ranging from large marketing events and product launches, to global town hall meetings and effective eLearning programs.

Further enhancements to security and compliance functionality includes more secure desktop sharing that offers increased control and enables regulation compliance and new administrative tools allow customers to define which applications can be screen-shared; users can collaborate with ease without the risk of an inadvertent breach.

With this release, we are offering a new implementation model. In addition to current hosted and on-premise deployment options, Acrobat Connect Pro will be available as a managed service, offering customers the ability to outsource IT support while realizing the benefits of security and control.

Other key areas of additional functionality include: native support of PDF that offers advanced document controls and improved workflow through increased integration with Adobe Acrobat; functionality that enables users to schedule and manage Acrobat Connect Pro meetings directly from Lotus Notes; easy account migration for installed customers who wish to change deployment configurations; and certification that offers on-premise customers the ability to run Acrobat Connect Pro on VMware infrastructure. Additionally, work is currently underway on the Acrobat Connect Pro Mobile application, which will enable meeting participation from mobile devices. The first devices that Adobe is working to enable are the Apple iPhone and iPod touch.

Check out the new release!

Solution to Provide Deployed Troops Secure Web Conferencing and Collaboration

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Aug. 24, 2009 —Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the U.S. Marine Corps has selected Adobe® Acrobat® Connect™ Pro as its standard Web conferencing solution. As a tactical battlefield collaboration tool for deployed troops, Acrobat Connect Pro can enable Marines to communicate more effortlessly and securely across locations worldwide.

The enterprise license contract, awarded through Carahsoft Technology Corp., is valued at $9.5 million. It will enable the Marines to immediately include Acrobat Connect Pro as part of version 1.5 of its Tactical Collaboration Work Suite, a portable data center providing robust, highly available, highly scalable collaboration and hosting capabilities to deployed forces.

“Some of the world’s most secure organizations in financial services, life sciences, and government — including the U.S. Department of Defense — have turned to Acrobat Connect Pro as a real-time collaboration solution. It not only meets the government’s highest security standards, but also enables increased efficiency and communication across networks,” said Rob Tarkoff, senior vice president, Adobe’s Business Productivity Business Unit. “From planning to execution to debrief, Connect Pro can help the Marine Corps streamline information exchange and keep troops safe in mission-critical deployments.”

The Marine Corps cited several factors for adopting Acrobat Connect Pro as its collaboration solution. In addition to meeting stringent standards for security, availability and quality, the solution is Joint Interoperability and Test Command Certified, so troops and military leaders can connect quickly across any Department of Defense (DoD) network. Also, because Acrobat Connect Pro simply requires that users have Adobe Flash® Player, which is already installed on DoD computers and 98 percent of Internet-enabled desktops, it can be deployed in the field for reliable collaboration in extremely low-bandwidth environments and intermittent connectivity.

“We are honored to continue supporting the DoD in its procurement and adoption of Adobe’s enterprise collaboration solutions,” said Craig P. Abod, president of Carahsoft. “Adobe and Carahsoft also provide Web conferencing capabilities to DoD users worldwide through Defense Connect Online, and we recently were awarded a DoD Enterprise Software Initiative blanket purchase agreement for Adobe server products through which the Marine Corps placed its order.”

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

About GetConnect