AT&T Connect is a popular enterprise-level web-conferencing service for companies that require rich interactivity and collaboration across long distances. AT&T Connect provides configurable virtual meeting spaces that may be joined from a computer or dialed into by telephone. All meeting participants can speak to and hear each other (subject to the presenter’s chosen settings) while viewing a common presentation and whiteboard window. The designated presenter shares their screen with all meeting participants (e.g., for slideshows), which may be annotated in real-time by participants with included drawing tools.

Generally, AT&T Connect has a lot of unique, useful functionality for non-centralized groups to gather and share viewable information, but it does little to enhance meetings where everyone is in the same location.

Good Features

• Clear instructions and procedures for creating and joining meetings
• Screen-sharing
• Variable presenter rights
• Drawing overlays on presented material
• Recording and archiving meetings for future playback (including audio, video, and annotations)
• “Raise hand” feature
• Public and private notes
• Joinable from anywhere with Internet access
• Desktop and mobile apps
• Guest users
• Calendar integration

Bad Features

• Per-minute cost
• No auto-synchronization of layers and presentation
• Single, shared whiteboard
• Quality of meetings only as good as users’ Internet connections and audio/video equipment
• Proprietary saved file format

Missing Features

• Separate, savable, individual drawing layers
• Separate, visible outline that can be expanded and contracted
• Live polling and surveys
• Administrative functions using the list of participations (i.e., class roster)
• Integration with an organization’s own directories or authentication systems