Video conferencing software for years has been something reserved for large, enterprise-class customers who have the need and the budgets to pony up for tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and applications.
But as Small Business Computing reports, Skype might have an attractive group video conferencing option for SMBs with its Skype 5.0 beta release. While it’s only available for Windows users now, plans are in the works to for a Mac release later this year.
In mid-to-late 2000, a number of Internet-based video communications services, such as SightSpeed and ooVoo, entered the market, making video conferencing much more accessible and affordable to business owners.
But despite the lower cost (e.g., $1,000 versus $10,000 a year for a single account), many small business owners feel the price is still too high (especially if you need to hold a video conference with more than a few other people and/or need multiple accounts) — and the quality and reliability of the video too low.
