Business travel is no longer the first choice, nor the only choice. Busy professionals are becoming smarter about how to communicate and conduct business globally. Indeed, we are entering a new era of communications–one in which we are no longer bound by the limitations of time and location–changing the very nature of how we work.

Economic slowdown across some regions and increased security in recent months has grounded many business travellers, leading them to find new ways to meet with clients and business associates, with many changing the way they conduct business and starting to embrace collaborative technologies, especially Net conferencing, as a part of daily routines.

Tools that weren't used extensively five years ago, like E-mail, mobile phones, audioconferencing and instant messaging — today have widespread acceptance, net conferencing is the next technology to join this list. The number of net conferencing users has surged in the past year and it is now among the fastest-growing business communications tools as business leaders begin to understand its power and why interacting via a net conference is better than face–to–face for aligning teams, keeping meetings focused and producing exceptional results.

MCI's Net Conferencing offering is an enormously powerful tool that allows users to combine traditional audioconferencing with the visual advantages of Web services running in a simple browser. This is a highly efficient way to train employees, conduct online presentations to clients, launch new products, demonstrate software, and collaborate on documents remotely.

MCI offers the full spectrum of Net Conferencing solutions, which can support large–scale, high profile events as well as instant, small-group collaboration meetings. In addition, MCI simplifies conferencing by integrating audio and Net Conferencing on several levels:

• Integrated end-to-end meeting experience with one single point of login
• "always available" meeting information for conference hosts and participants
• Integrated reservations and billing. Users receive a single invoice and online details for all audioconferencing and Net Conferencing services used.

In addition to interactive tools such as document collaboration, Q&A, and audience polling, MCI Net Conferencing, powered by Microsoft Office Live Meeting, now integrates with MCI's on–demand audioconferencing service, Instant Meeting. From MCI's Net Conferencing console, leaders can conveniently manage the audioconference portion of their meetings, including dialing out to attendees, conducting a roll call, muting and un-muting phone lines, and blocking uninvited participants from joining a call.

There is no doubt that net conferencing has come of age. Enhanced technology and reduced travel budgets are forcing companies to look at imaginative and effective ways to operate in a driven, competitive environment and net conferencing delivers multiple benefits across companies and departments of all types and sizes. Its use is limited only to the willingness of companies to implement the technology within their standard business practices.

If you would like further information on how to collaborate and work together more effectively than ever before, please visit us at http://e-meetings.mci.com or try Net Conferencing FREE for 14 days