Echo360 is pleased to announce general availability of the latest major release of EchoSystem, version 2.6. The 2009/2010 academic year proved to be a telling year for lecture capture initiatives on campus. Deployments in as few as three classrooms or as many as 300 classrooms share the same fundamental needs. The lecture capture system must be up all the time, or as many of our clients put it, the EchoSystem has become a “mission critical” application. Development for EchoSystem 2.6 has therefore focused entirely on performance, enterprise scalability, operational efficiency and expanded platform support. This release is also the first to benefit from Echo360’s Release Candidate Program, undergoing two months of testing across nine client campus environments in the US and UK.

EchoSystem 2.6 is ready to be deployed as part of your summer deployment strategy. Major features, major improvements and how to obtain deployment support are covered below. You can also review the archives of previous sessions covering this release:

EchoSystem 2.6 Webinar

EchoSystem 2.6 Community Conference Session

Major Features

• LDAP Authentication and User Import:  Operators can immediately save precious time by enabling LDAP authentication for Admins, Schedulers and Instructional Staff Managing user accounts is easier with a new CSV import mechanism.
• Seamless Login for Viewers: EchoSystem 2.6 includes bundled seamless login support for the Blackboard® Learn and Learning System LMS, providing a single sign-on like integration.  Additional support for other LMS deployments is simple with the extensible and open server-side API.
• Windows 7: Both the podium capture and personal capture options extend the reach of your lecture capture software even further to include the Windows 7 platform.
• Scheduler User Role:  Operators can take a breather – the new Scheduler role allows for delegation to more than one user for routine scheduling tasks.
• Deploy in any server environment:  EchoSystem 2.6 server platform offering is now fully rounded out with EchoSystem Processor on Mac OS and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database support.
  

• Platform Scale and Performance:  EchoSystem 2.6 features numerous improvements, performance enhancements and bug fixes at every level of the code. Put through its paces at institutions with 300+ venues, 700+ weekly captures, or 10,000+ weekly views, EchoSystem is truly the lecture capture platform for the world’s most demanding institutions.
• Object Retirement:  Several objects in the ESS interface can now be easily removed from view as they have overstayed their welcome.
• Server-Side API For Scheduling:  Several new properties are added to the Server-Side API for fully automated scheduling integrations.

Deployment Support

Did you know EchoSystem Client Services has more than doubled in size since our last major release?  We are ready and willing to help you upgrade and get up to speed on EchoSystem 2.6 throughout the summer. To schedule assistance with an EchoSystem upgrade you may use the technical support request form located at: www.echo360.com/support

In addition, to better serve the needs of our customers, Echo360 has recently launched a customer portal which can also be used to submit requests for technical support. Currently, portal users have the ability to create cases, provide additional commentary, and view case status. Additionally, posted knowledge base articles which address issues that are frequently experienced among multiple customers, may help you address support issues – before you even request technical support.

To request access to the customer portal, please submit a support request via the web form or send an email to support@echo360.com with the names and email addresses of the contacts that should be granted access from your institution.