So what have we learned from all this? First of all, there is no question that although the extraordinary usage growth of conferencing services that occurred in the days following September 11th has settled back down, usage is still significantly higher than it was before the event and does not show any sign of abating. Because of available bandwidth, well-designed applications, and a strong desire on the part of customers to use alternative delivery solutions, video and other related conferencing technologies have come into their own.

Four factors drive this desire. The first is a growing need for instantaneous, effortless, and universal access to information. In today s Knowledge Age, competitive advantage is determined by the speed and accuracy with which a company can access its corporate databases and other sources of tactical and strategic information. The company that gets there first wins the game.

The second requirement is rich content. No longer is it adequate to provide information in the stark black and white of formatted text. System users want text, but they also want graphics, full color photographs, and video clips. People respond faster and more accurately to information that tickles more than a single sense; the message of multimedia, therefore, can be extremely powerful.

The third requirement is cost-effective, innovative delivery of information. Customers are willing to pay more for multimedia information, but the additional cost must be justified by an efficient, effective interface that clearly impacts the business in a positive fashion.

The final requirement, of course,...