WebTrain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WebTrain Communications
Type Private
Industry Telecommunication
Founded January 1999
Headquarters

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Canada
Products English
Services Web Conferencing Provider
Website WebTrain Web Conferencing

WebTrain Communications is no longer in business. Phone number disconnected. URL and all links to webtrain.com are not active.

WebTrain Communications provides web conferencing services for educational training, business meetings, presentation webinars and live auctions. WebTrain is a privately held Canadian company established in 1999.[1]

History

The WebTrain concept was developed in 1998 for the purpose of reducing training costs for off-site business clients.[2] The idea was expanded to include additional communication services. Six different communication products were released after two years of initial development. Each of the software products provided a specific set of features related to its intended market. There was a call alert monitor, a free PC-PC telephone application, a virtual business meetings application, a webinar presentation application, a virtual conference center application, and a web based virtual classroom application. All products were VoIP based.

After releasing the different products in 2001, it was found that clients wanted a single product that provided all of the features offered by each of the separate applications and services. In 2003, WebTrain released version 1 of their Communicator product, merging the feature sets of the separate applications into a single hosted application. Version 2 was released Feb 11, 2003.[3] Version 3 of the Communicator was released August 6, 2006. The v3 French and English version release was a complete rewrite of the existing product, utilizing .NET for the back end meeting services. Web service APIs for back end integration and OEM white labeling were also provided in the v3 release. Version 4 was released on October 12, 2008.[4]

Dr. Doug Hallett is the Chairman of the company. Hallett's more notable achievements include receiving a medal from the United Nations [5] relating to his research and discovery of dioxins in the Great Lakes. He was senior scientific advisor to Environment Canada Ontario region,[6] holds numerous patents of his inventions (PCB destructor,[7][8][9] UV Water Disinfector [10]) and took ELI Eco Logic public as CEO.[11]

On November 20, 2000, Raystar Enterprises Ltd. announced their intentions of a reverse takeover transaction.[12][13] The transaction failed as the Internet tech bubble burst during the transaction period.

WebTrain was recognized by PC Magazine in 2002 as a contender to major web conferencing providers.[14] Their product has been compared to 39 other vendors by Wainhouse Platinum Research [15] and mentioned in the 2006 Frost and Sullivan World Web Event Services Markets report.[16]

WebTrain was present at the BCTIA (British Columbia Technology Industry Association) Technology Impact awards ceremony being nominated as one of the three most successful technology startup companies in British Columbia.[17][18] 700 technology companies were represented at the awards ceremony.[19]

On October 17, 2008 WebTrain announced teleconferencing is now provided with all web conferencing plans at no additional cost.[20]

On October 2009 the Board of Directors appointed Mr. Paul Greenwood as the new President and CEO of Webtrain, based upon a proxy war of 52% of the shareholders. The two primaries (Kelvin Campbell - President and Gary Campbell - CTO) were let go. Mr. Trevor Tasker was appointed as Vice President and General Manager. The new Canadian head office was at that time, located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada with head office located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada at the offices of Natural Energy Inc - www.naturalenergyinc.com - See contacts at www.naturalenergyinc.com.

On July 2010, the company released a new website which focused on an affiliate marketing approach and rebranded the product as My Blue Train. The meeting software was updated, (color changes) and a new MSI installer was released which was not Windows 7 compliant (the previous version was Windows 7 compliant). On February 7, 2011, the website service was halted, the website was replaced with notice stating "An upgrade is being posted, services would resume shortly" and the VP of operations was let go. On April 3, the website was taken offline. Since the website is offline and the service was web based, the company seems to have shut down (or might be in the process of shutting down).

Business Models

WebTrain provides paid services under various pricing models with a free 30 day trial on the 25 seat plan.[20] Webtrain is branded as BlueTrain and offers two service levels, namely: BlueTrain Express and BlueTrain. BlueTrain Express contains all the basic features whilst BlueTrain is full featured including the syndicated marketing, full PayPal integration and enrolment management and White Labeling features. The monthly seat plans available are 5, 25, 100, 500, 1000 seat plans under both Express and BlueTrain service levels as well as a 100 seat day plan and custom meeting size options for over 1000 seats. All prices are in US Dollars[20]

Software

WebTrain is a single conferencing product that operates under a brand called BlueTrain (the same product is used by meeting hosts, presenters and participants) for varying uses (meetings, training, education, webinars, etc.) The product is developed for Windows, and embedded in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape 8 or Opera. Because their Voice-over-IP is low bandwidth (6300bit/s), a high bandwidth connection is not required.[3] A persistent outbound SSL connection is required by client software while in a meeting. The service is hosted at the Caorda co-location in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada and operates in a Win 2008 true 64 bit environment.

The Saskatchewan Government (Ministry of Education - Technology Supported Learning) provides this statement as to what WebTrain is: "WebTrain is a powerful and exciting technology that enables students and teachers to communicate visually and verbally in an online, virtual classroom".[21]

Security

Meetings are SSL based; non-secure meetings are not supported. A paid security review was performed by IBM security.[22] The McAfee Automated Web Safety Testing Results site reports no security concerns relating to the software.[23] The software is distributed as a Windows MSI with a VeriSign software developers certificate.[22]

Support

Webtrain provides free, direct telephone support for web conference organizers as well as participants 24x7. There are Video Tutorial and complete online help for all features.

Use

The product is used by different types of organizations in different ways for different purposes.

  • Engineers Without Borders uses WebTrain to communicate using VoIP with members from different chapters at the same time.[24]
  • The Military Order of the Purple Heart Foundation uses the product to provide virtual VoIP based training to war veterans to help them re-enter the workforce.[25]
  • Johns Hopkins University uses the product for assisting the visually and speech impaired.[26]
  • The University of Regina uses the product to teach French.[27]
  • Auction companies utilize a unique aspect of their product to broadcast live auctions (real estate foreclosures, heavy equipment, land auctions) enabling virtual Internet bidders to hear the live auctioneer (VoIP) while bidding against the floor (and each other) using a real time java bidding applet.[28][29]
  • Health Canada uses the product for internal meetings and various health issues such as best practice health workshops.[30]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Canadian Federal Incorporation Registry". Government of Canada. January 22, 2002. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  2. ↑ "WebTrain founder business concept". Business Week. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Robin Good. "Web Conferencing - Independent Enterprise System Reviews - October 2005". http://www.masternewmedia.org. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  4. ↑ "Web Conferencing Features - Version 4 Release". WebTrain. Retrieved 2008-16-19. 
  5. ↑ "Niagara: A River to Save" (PDF). Pollution Probe. Retrieved 2008-06-19. "In December 1985, Hallett, who the year before received a medal from the United Nations for his research on toxic contaminants in the Great Lakes, decided ... (page 19)" 
  6. ↑ Host: Jay Ingram (December 1, 1984). "Troubled Waters: Pollution in the Great Lakes". CBC Radio. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  7. ↑ "A gas-phase chemical reduction process" (PDF). Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  8. ↑ North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (May 1995). "NATO/CCMS Pilot Study" (PDF). NATO. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  9. ↑ "New Canadian Technology Is To Be Utilized At General Motors Of Canada". BNet. February 7, 1995. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  10. ↑ "Ultraviolet Treatment for Aqueous Liquids". Google Patent search. 2004-08-10. Retrieved 2008. 
  11. ↑ "ELI Eco Logic completes rights offering". BNet. February 1995. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  12. ↑ Highbeam Research (November 20, 2000). "Raystar (Trading Symbol RYA) Reverse takeover". BNET Business Network. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  13. ↑ CCNMatthews (December 12, 2001). "Raystar Enterprises Ltd. Announcement Update". Marketwire. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  14. ↑ Sarah Pike (February 26, 2002). "Top 100 (undiscovered) Web Sites - Online Applications - Reviews". PC Magazine. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  15. ↑ Ira M. Weinstein (April 26, 2006). "Comparison Matrix - Desktop Client / Server Conferencing Solutions". Wainhouse Research. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  16. ↑ World Web Event Services Markets - N100-64, Frost and Sullivan, page 23, 2006
  17. ↑ "2006 Technology Impact Awards Handbook" (PDF). British Columbia Technology Industry Association. June 15, 2006. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  18. ↑ Catherine Ducharme (May 18, 2006). "Marketwire BCTIA article". Marketwire. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  19. ↑ "Annual BCTIA Review" (PDF). BCTIA. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Web Conferencing Pricing and Business Models". WebTrain.com. October 6, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2008. 
  21. ↑ "What is WebTrain". Government of Saskatchewan - Technology Supported Learning. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "WebTrain Security Document". WebTrain. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  23. ↑ "McAfee Automated Web Safety Testing Results". McAfee Security. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  24. ↑ "EWB - WebTrain - page 52" (PDF). Engineers without Borders. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  25. ↑ "Purple Hearts News Room". Purple Heats Foundation. November 30, 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-27. 
  26. ↑ "Johns Hopkins Low Vision Rehabilitation". Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). October 3, 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-27. 
  27. ↑ Thomas Chase - Dean of Arts (2006-03-15). "Faculty of the Arts". University of Regina. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  28. ↑ "Euro Auctions UK Ltd - Industrial and Heavy Equipment Auctions". Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  29. ↑ "REDC Auctions - Housing Foreclosure Auctions". Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  30. ↑ "Health Canada - Outreach program for women with substance use problems" (PDF). Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Foundation. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.