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Tue, March 20, 2012

Saba Unveils Breakthrough Video Collaboration Platform


Published on 2012-03-20 08:56:35 - Market Wire
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REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.--([ ])--Saba (NASDAQ:SABA), the premier provider of people-centric enterprise solutions, today unveiled Saba Meeting, the industryas first unified social, mobile and video unified collaboration platform. Saba Meeting (formerly Saba Centra) is the first unified collaboration platform that enables users to view video in high definition (HD) across webinars, virtual meetings or classrooms on mobile devices, including the iPad and iPhone. Additionally, when combined with the social capabilities and an embedded people profile within Sabaas new Social Enterprise Platform a" [ Saba People Cloud ]a" users can collaborate and share knowledge and documents in real-time with other employees, customers and partners. By empowering an organizationas most critical assets a" its people a" Saba helps organizations be more agile, collaborative, competitive and responsive to market demands.

"Increasingly we are being required to look for more effective ways to share knowledge across the organization, yet often times people are working from home or on the road"

aIn todayas age of collaboration, people want more than to simply share a video screen. The future of Web conferencing needs to support both synchronous and asynchronous interactions and enable a rich environment that integrates with other people processes,a said Shawn Farshchi, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Saba. aSaba Meeting is game changing for the Web conferencing industry. No other platform has such robust integrated collaboration capabilities, HD video, and anytime access on mobile devices, while being highly extensible.a

In a recent Gartner report, aMagic Quadrant for Web Conferencing," analyst David Mario Smith noted, aThe worlds of social media, collaboration and enterprise applications are starting to merge, bringing real-time capabilities to business processes and personal productivity applications. Web conferencing vendors that fail to adapt and cannot ensure integration with adjacent markets will find it a challenge to compete in the long term amid this convergence.a(1) Saba is addressing this need by introducing the only truly unified collaboration platform that combines video, real-time collaboration and mobile to increase levels of engagement and support the new way of work.

aIncreasingly we are being required to look for more effective ways to share knowledge across the organization, yet often times people are working from home or on the road,a said John Kozyra, network support specialist, Contact North. aThe ability to access HD quality video remotely is a huge benefit for our organization and the real-time collaboration features creates a more engaging environment that optimizes knowledge sharing.a

Key Highlights of Saba Meeting:

  • Video in High Definition: The only real-time collaboration platform offering highly scalable integrated HD video, voice-over-IP (VoIP) and content sharing for instant real-time meetings, webinars and virtual classes. Saba Meeting allows for richer interaction and collaboration in vivid detail using just a webcam and internet connection, with support for eight simultaneous live video feeds.
  • Scalable without Limiting Bandwidth: Saba Meetingas satellite architecture enables Web conferencing traffic to be routed efficiently across a companyas WAN, quelling bandwidth concerns tied to increased use of the platform and adoption of HD video.
  • Optimized for Mobile: Viewing on mobile devices, including the iPad and iPhone, through a native application, enables users to access training or learning materials on the go. The new intuitive interface enables high interactivity and engagement, allowing users to not only attend the session but present and collaborate unwired.
  • Powerful Social Collaborative Workspaces:Combines Social networking capabilities, groups and activity streams with unified communication and real-time collaboration capabilities such as HD Video, IM Chat and VoIP a" to any online meeting, webinar or virtual classes. Users can also effectively collaborate before, during and after virtual meetings.
  • Sharable Real-time Content: Simplifies the process of capturing, sharing and accessing valuable knowledge. To increase the ROI of live sessions, video recordings can be easily stored and published in YouTube-like video channels in the Sabaas Social Enterprise Platform, the Saba people Cloud, for future access from any device.
  • Comprehensive set of Open APIs (application programming interfaces): Equipped with the industryas most extensive set of Web services for embedding real-time collaboration capabilities into business processes, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Learning Management and Sales Force Automation software.
  • Intuitive User Interface: Intuitive new browser-based interface, requires no software download, allows users to conduct meetings, webinars and classrooms across any platform including Mac, Linux, and Windows. Easy-to-use features including emoticons and in-session presence indicators allow for increased engagement and interactivity for meeting attendees.

Availability and Pricing

Saba Meeting is currently in beta and is expected to be generally available starting in April 2012. To join the beta program for Saba Meeting, visit [ www.sabameeting.com ].

Current Saba Centra customers will be able to seamlessly migrate to the new software when it becomes available.

(1)Gartner,Inc. "Magic Quadrant for Web Conferencing", David Mario Smith, 5 December 2011

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About Saba

Saba ([ NASDAQ ]:[ SABA ]) enables organizations to build a transformative workplace that leverages the advent of social networking in business and the ubiquity of mobile to empower an organizationas most mission-critical assets a" its people. The company provides a set of people-centric enterprise solutions to various businesses and industries worldwide. Saba delivers cloud-based learning management, talent management, and social enterprise solutions to transform the way people work.

Saba's premier customer base includes major global organizations and industry leaders in financial services, life sciences and healthcare, high tech, automotive and manufacturing, retail, energy and utilities, packaged goods, and public sector organizations. Headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, Saba has offices on five continents. For more information, please visit [ www.saba.com ] or call +1-877-SABA-101 or +1-650-779-2791. SABA, the Saba logo, and the marks relating to Saba products and services referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Saba Software, Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including, without limitation, statements regarding the availability, features and benefits of Saba Meeting. Saba's actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties Saba faces that could cause results to differ materially include risks associated with: Saba's dependence on growth of the markets for Saba's products, dependence on acceptance of Saba's products by customers and channel partners, fluctuation in customer spending, length of Saba's sales cycle, competition, rapid technological change, dependence on new product introductions and enhancements, and potential software defects. Readers should also refer to the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2011, and similar disclosures in subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements and risks stated in this press release are based on information available to Saba today. Saba assumes no obligation to update them.

Any reference to future products, features or functionality is intended to be for informational purposes only. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any products, features or functionality described in this communication remains at the sole discretion of Saba and may change at any time, with or without notice.

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