IBM’s new web conferencing product, called OpusUna was discussed at the AJAXWorld RIA Conference and Expo in San Jose, California last week. The collaboration product allows all participants the ability to collaborate using the same Web pages and features audio and video.IBM Emerging Internet Technology CTO, David Boloker:

Really, what we’re looking at is how I extend the whole concept of AJAX to allow multiple-user interactions. It’s all about a next-generation collaboration capability where you’re really looking at how people interact with one another in a very different way.

OpusUna allows online meeting participants to work and communicate from within the same browser space, combining widgets, audio, and video cameras to display themselves on the screen. The difference between OpusUna and other collaboration platforms is with OpusUna, all participants can contribute content as opposed to having one person serving as a sole presenter. This enables true collaboration, and not just the typical presentation format where all other participants direct their input to the presenter.

IBM hopes to show OpusUna to customers in early 2009 before deciding on how to proceed with the technology. OpusUna is a Latin expression for “work as one.”