Web Conference service

There are two types of users in a web conference system, namely, the users who initiate the meetings and the users who join to the meeting. To be able to create meeting rooms (or classrooms), one needs to register with KENET. The link for registration is https://conference.ke . Once you submit all the registration data, the identity of the users shall be verified by KENET in collaboration with the respective ICT directors. In future, KENET will issue digital certificates to all users.

A registered user can create a meeting room and upload presentations with the following parameters: Meeting name, Start time, Duration, Attendee passwords, Moderator Password, Option for Recording and meeting, Meeting URL – Automatically generated. The user creating a meeting can then send the Meeting URL to expected participants. Once the participants click on the meeting URL, they are automatically redirected to a meeting where the first presentation is a video tutorial of how to use the system and the preferred tools.

KENET shall invite all of you on these mailing lists for the first training session on Friday August 7, 2015 @ 11.00 AM.  We shall use the opportunity to introduce the video conference service as well and to answer your questions. The number of participants can be as many as 1,000 with the server we have setup at KENET

Video Conference service

This video conference service similar to the web conference service but is often used in video or telepresence rooms. While the web conference platform is based on open source software, the video conference service is licensed and in future shall require institutional subscription. Although kenet has operated six Polycom video conference sites/rooms in the past four years, the uptake of video conference services has been very low, probably because it requires that users to be at a particular room location and the licenses that support remote desktop or laptop users to join meetings are very expensive.

The video conference service we are introducing is based on Vidyo system (see http://www.vidyo.com), also a commercial product that is software-based and supports the use of smartphones, laptops, desktops as well as telepresence rooms, including Polycom video conference rooms. Our partner NREN in South Africa, TENET (http://www.tenet.ac.za) , has been so kind as to extend up to 50 concurrent licenses to KENET and that means up to 50 users could initiate concurrent meetings (e.g., Polycom video room is considered one user). Users can participate as guests or as registered users. An admin user has the right to add users who can participate in their meeting rooms. To add users and admin will go to http://kenet-vc.tenet.ac.za/admin/

For users to participate in a vidyo call, they need to have a vidyo desktop client installed on their computers. This can be done by downloading the client at  http://kenet-vc.tenet.ac.za/ and installing the client. Login with the credentials provided by admin (KENET staff) then they will be able to join any of the meeting rooms that they have been invited. The owner of a meeting room can also invite participants directly from a meeting room and the system generates an automatic email with the meeting details that can be used to invite participants. Users can join Vidyo conference calls from existing video conference equipment, android smart phones and SIP phones.