Company:Webex
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| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Videoconferencing |
| Genre | Web conferencing |
| Founded | February 1995 |
| Founders | Subrah Iyar Min Zhu |
| Headquarters | Milpitas, California (United States) |
Key people | Chuck Robbins (CEO) Frank A. Calderoni (CFO) |
| Products | WebEx Meeting Center, WebEx Training Center, WebEx Support Center, WebEx Event Center, WebEx Sales Center, WebEx Enterprise Edition, WebEx Connect |
| Revenue | $US 380 Million (2006) |
Number of employees | 10,000+ (2015) |
| Parent | Cisco Systems |
| Website | www |
Cisco Webex is an American company which develops and sells web conferencing and videoconferencing applications.[1] It has its headquarters in Milpitas, California.
Its known software products are the Meeting Center, Training Center, Event Center, Support Center, Sales Center, MeetMeNow, PCNow, WebEx AIM Pro Business Edition, WebEx WebOffice, and WebEx Connect. All WebEx products are part of the Cisco Systems collaboration portfolio.[citation needed]
In 2007, Cisco Systems acquired WebEx.
History
In 1995, Subrah Iyar and Min Zhu founded WebEx.
Zhu met Iyar, then a vice-president and general manager of Quarterdeck, when Quarterdeck acquired Future Labs in 1996. Iyar became president of Future Labs, which had become a Quarterdeck subsidiary, and the same year Iyar and Zhu went on to co-found WebEx.
Eric Yuan was an early engineer at WebEx. He went on to found Zoom Video Communications in 2011. Subrah Iyar is an early investor and advisor to Zoom Video Communications.[2]
In 2012, Subrah Iyar co-founded Moxtra Inc. with Stanley Huang, an early engineer from WebEx.
On March 15, 2007, Cisco Systems announced it would acquire WebEx for $3.2 billion.[3]
Securities
Before the purchase by Cisco, WebEx featured in the NASDAQ Global Select Market.[4]
Cisco acquisition
On March 15, 2007, Cisco Systems announced that it had agreed to pay $57 per share to acquire WebEx. The deal valued WebEx at about $3.2 billion, or $2.9 billion with WebEx's cash reserves factored into the price. WebEx's largest stockholder was Jan Baan with 9% of outstanding shares. In a press release Cisco said WebEx would "become a part of Cisco's Development Organization while maintaining its unique business model".[5] Cisco has also said that its long-term plan is to absorb WebEx at both a technology and a sales level.[6]
Unlike WiZiQ or Moodle, WebEx is not a free platform, and fees are paid per "host" of a classroom or a meeting. Some organizations, however, have started to integrate WebEx with Moodle.[7][8]
Services
At the time of the acquisition, all WebEx applications were built on the MediaTone platform and supported by the WebEx MediaTone Network (originally called the WebEx interactive network),[9] a global network intended for use with on-demand programs. The network was designed by Shaun Bryant, WebEx's Chief Network Architect,[10] and Zaid Ali Sr, Network Architect, to be one of the first SaaS platforms on the internet.
The company acquired Intranets.com in 2005, providing entrance into the small- and mid-size business market through the company's customer base of businesses with fewer than 100 employees. It acquired the ability to offer online collaboration tools such as discussion forums, document sharing and calendaring while Intranets.com provided access to the WebEx communications environment for its customers.[11]
On February 21, 2006, AOL and WebEx announced plans to launch a business version of AOL's instant messaging software, AIM Pro, with additional features to help workers collaborate using conferencing tools offered by WebEx.
On September 26, 2006, the company announced plans to offer a web collaboration "mashup" platform called "WebEx Connect".[12]
On November 17, 2014, Cisco announced an evolution of WebEx called Project Squared.[13]
Since August 5, 2015, WebEx no longer works with Windows XP.
On April 18, 2018, Cisco announced that Cisco Spark would be combined into the Cisco Webex platform. Cisco Spark was a rebrand itself of the Project Squared collaboration platform. On this same date, Cisco rebranded all of the rest of their Spark products to Webex, including the Spark Room Kit - now Webex Room Kit - and Spark Board - now Webex Board.[14]
Legal proceedings and inquiries
Goldman Sachs securities fraud investigation
As a result of a securities fraud investigation initiated by the SEC and by various state Attorney General offices, Goldman Sachs faced charges of issuing unfair research, including coverage of WebEx, and IPO violations for the period 1999 to 2001. WebEx management allegedly dictated to Goldman Sachs analysts what the research should and should not include. WebEx maintains the management's information was accurate.[15] Another charge accuses Goldman Sachs of violating securities law in its allocation of shares in WebEx's initial public offering.[16]
Raindance lawsuit for patent infringement
On September 27, 2005, WebEx sued Raindance Communications, Inc., a competitor, for patent infringement. On October 14, 2005, Raindance filed a countersuit against WebEx for patent infringement. Both parties sought both damages and an injunction enjoining further acts they claim to be infringing on patents.[17] On March 31, 2006, the parties agreed to the dismissal of both actions, releases of claims for past infringement, payments associated with those releases, and cross-licenses to each other's patents. The agreement resulted in WebEx receiving $1.0 million from Raindance.[17]
See also
- Comparison of web conferencing software
- Comparison of remote desktop software
- Collaborative software
References
- ↑ "How to Make the Most of a Conference Call" (in en). https://today.duke.edu/2019/10/how-make-most-conference-call.
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2019/04/19/zoom-zoom-zoom-the-exclusive-inside-story-of-the-new-billionaire-behind-techs-hottest-ipo/#4d78c5804af1
- ↑ https://gigaom.com/2007/03/15/why-cisco-bought-webex-for-32-billion
- ↑ WebEx Selected for New NASDAQ Global Select Market WebEx press release June 27, 2006.
- ↑ "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}". http://investor.cisco.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=81192&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=974299. Retrieved March 16, 2007.[|permanent dead link|dead link}}] - ↑ Cisco outlines WebEx integration plans – March 15, 2007 – IT Week
- ↑ Moodle WebEx integration .
- ↑ WebEx Moodle Integration plugin.
- ↑ Cisco DevNet. Developer.webex.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-27.
- ↑ http://entreprise.jigsaw.com/id70704_d80/webex_communications_inc_it_is_business_contacts.xhtml[yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
- ↑ Solhein, Shelley (August 8, 2005). "WebEx tools get Intranets infusion". eweek.
- ↑ "WebEx is expanding from connecting people to connecting process and applications in real time". Webex. http://www.webex.com/partners/webex-connect.html. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ↑ "Cisco's New Project Squared Collaboration Tool Offers Modern Alternative To Aging WebEx". TechCrunch. 2014-11-17. https://techcrunch.com/2014/11/17/ciscos-new-project-squared-collaboration-tool-gives-webex-a-run-for-its-money. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ↑ "Cisco Turns their Spark into Webex Teams", VideoCentric, Reading, Berkshire, 25 April 2018.
- ↑ "SEC Litigation Complaint 18113". Securities and Exchange Commission. April 28, 2003. https://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/comp18113.htm. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ↑ "SEC Litigation press release for complaint 19051" (Press release). Securities and Exchange Commission. 2005-01-25. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 WEBEX COMMUNICATIONS INC 10-Q
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