Abstract:
This thesis researched the current state of conferencing and collaboration technology and its
providers (such as Cisco WebEx, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, IBM..). Primary and secondary
research was conducted to form a validated proposal for the design architecture and
functional specification of the next generation of conferencing and collaboration (C&C)
services and platforms.
Today C&C platforms do little more than share video, text, documents, files and provide
remote access to meeting participant computers. There is now a need to re-assess the
technology and identify what should be provided by the C&C platforms of the future. In the
past decade C&C has reached maturity within its life cycle. It is now poised for mass uptake
by business, governments, knowledge workers and social media users (SMUs) to mention
just a few.
This thesis will act as a foundation for the integration of new technologies and services into
C&C platforms. The thesis research identifies how new features and functionality can be
developed and integrated into existing platforms to provide capabilities and experiences
beyond what is currently available. The resulting C&C design architecture and functional
model will act as a formal specification for future software engineering directions within and
across the C&C field.
The thesis provides a thorough Literature and Technology Review of the conferencing and
collaboration field as it exists today. A detailed Content Analysis has been carried out as part
of the research to identify future research influences on the C&C field. The research also
included work of two specific case studies, namely the Oracle Beehive and the 24-Hour
Knowledge Factory.
Industry experts and thought leaders were interviewed for their visions and insights into what
directions they saw the C&C field taking. All of the research was analysed and compiled in
the form of key findings and expected contributions to the future. The compiled research was
used to propose a next generation architecture for conferencing and collaboration for the next
five to ten year period.
