Videoconferencing for Enhanced Collaboration

To Enhance Project Collaboration among Communities of Practice

History

This pilot project aimed to encourage the wider use of desktop videoconferencing within different communities of practice across the entire CGIAR System. Specifically, it sought to achieve this by assessing the usefulness and value of desktop videoconferencing as a tool to support and enhance collaboration within these communities, and by developing a protocol for the possible inclusion of desktop videoconferencing facilities as a tool provided through the CGIAR Virtual Resources Center platform, later branded as CGXchange.

The project was successful in identifying viable technical options for desktop VC for CGIAR staff. It also included a significant number of trials with the NARES partners in India and ARI partners elsewhere, and it emerged that desktop VC could be a viable option with at least some of the NARES. The Microsoft firewall used in the CGIAR imposed limitations on the use of VC from desktop in the LAN at that time and this limited the effective participation of CoP’s during the project period. However, it was hoped to overcome this with the integration of the Microsoft Live Communications Server (LCS) and client into the System-wide VPN that was under negotiation. This was viewed as an important service for CGXchange to offer. Alternatives to VPN use (involving IT administration) were identified and the tool called “Flashmeeting” was tested extensively and found useful.

Lead Administrative Center

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

Project Coordinator

V Balaji, Head of the Information Resource Management Office, (ICRISAT)